Can you believe that this is the last week of our PD/blog? It has went very quickly, but I want to take to time to thank everyone for participating. You have been very open and shared a lot of ideas.
This week my question is not based on a specific rule, but what Ron Clark talked about on pages 81-94.
The topic is Tips for Setting Punishments and Rewards.
Ron Clark talked about developing consequences/punishments including a 5 step process where students put their name on the board as a warning, then add checks for each additional occurrence.
Ron Clark also talked a little more about rewards and the fact that praise is effective and should highlight what students have done well and the talents they have in certain ares. He also mentioned that giving students accolades in front of others can have a big on students.
My questions are...
How do you set up praise and awards in your classroom or area of the building that you work in?
How do you keep parents informed on their childs behavior?
Share your creative ideas. The main purpose of the above questions are to share & steal ideas.
I also want to end the blog with Ron Clarks last words of the book.
"If this book has done nothing else, I hope it has inspired you to make more of a difference in the lives of children. Guide them as they grow, show them special moments for them that will add magic to their lives, motivate them to make a difference in the lives of others, most important, teach them to love life."
*If you have questions that Dave and I have not asked please feel free to create a new post for others to answer.
Have a Great Week!
Vickie
First of all, reading this book has made me think about trying to do more with praise and awards. I had thought praise was effective, but then I read a number of articles showing praise was detrimental. Since it works for Ron Clark, I have decided to lean more that way than I have been, but I will still try to be cautious.
ReplyDeleteWhat praise/awards I have been doing have been of two kinds: private and public. The public ones have been verbal, usually to an entire class, but occasionally to an individual or group. Honestly, the individual ones do not seem favored by 9th graders, so I rarely do this publically, though I have on occasion. The public ones have also included posting work on the door and in the hall as well as stickers. You would think the stickers might be private, but they are so visible, almost all the students know! The private type is in the form of notes on the paper, as simple as Good Job, Good work, or longer comments. I have written notes to students and surreptiously given them to students, or mailed them to their homes.
I have communicated with parents about student behavior, but mostly I have gone through either Eric or Matt. The first year I taught here, I visited homes. I was not welcomed. That ended that. It also made me cautious about parental contact that I initiated. I do respond promptly when a parent contacts me.
In my own classroom, I reward positive behavior verbally on a frequent basis, but I also reward positive behaviors by giving students "tickets." Then, on Friday's they get to spend their tickets in the "prize box." The students really look forward to shopping on Friday's. When they lose a ticket, it really seems to affect most kids because they know that they won't be able to spend as much in the prize box on Friday's. I think that the tickets help motivate kids in a positive way to use appropriate behavior in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think about keeping parents informed of a child's behavior, I realize that I do not call home enough. I usually only call home to a parent if the student is behaving in a negative way. A goal that I would like to set for myself is to make more calls home when students are doing great things! I use positive reinforcement with my students in the classroom, and I need to transfer this idea to their parents as well. I really enjoyed being a part of this book study! Thank you everyone for all the GREAT ideas!! :)
I use verbal praise a lot with my kindergarteners. They thrive on knowing that they are making me proud and I am not afraid to make myself look silly when praising them. They love it when I get loud and dramatic! In my room I made a deal with my kindergarteners. If the whole group is awesome all week then we get to have a “Fun Friday.” We do several activities that the kids adore.
ReplyDeleteThis is something that I am trying to figure out, since I am not the classroom teacher. I make sure to talk to teachers about behavior, good or bad, that happens in my room. I really try to talk up when a child has just done an amazing job in my room but also make sure to communicate any misbehavior. My students know exactly what I expect of them and I usually do not have any trouble with children misbehaving, but if I do I make sure to take care of it right away. I am eager to hear about the different ways you all keep parents informed!
I use praise all the time to shape behaviors. I am constantly saying "oh, I like the way John is sitting like a good listener" or I like the way Megan has her eyes on the book ready to read". The students respond immediately to the words I say. In an instant, I have a group of good listening students ready to learn. They really are eagar to be praised and figure out the way to get it! This in turn, gives me good listeners and workers who are doing their best. I will praise them for effort with their work with notes, stickers, or smiley faces and that still thrills 5 year olds. I write comments on their papers all the time to tell parents about the good work or effort so that parents are aware of their progress. I send home individual notes when a child has accomplished a larger task. I use my prize box for the big accomplishments, too. I am careful not to over use praise so that is it noticed by everyone as something special and the kids know that I am proud of them and it is important.
ReplyDeleteI use a money reward system in my room. Each student starts out with five pennies on their desks. Throughout the day’s lesson, they have the opportunity to earn more pennies (as the teacher sees fit) for following instructions, doing their best work, being ready to work, listening, helping another student, or other good behavior. They also could have pennies taken away for not listening, not following rules, etc. At the end of each class, we exchange the pennies for nickels, dimes, or quarters and they save up their money to spend at the Prize Box on Friday. (Only quarters can be spent at the Prize Box.) I have found that this system reinforces good behavior as well as coin identification and money counting skills.
ReplyDeleteAs far as communicating good behavior to parents, I know I don’t do that enough. I know as a parent, I LOVED hearing good comments from school. I liked what Belinda said about writing lots of notes on student papers to let parents know what progress is being made. That is a really good idea and one I will try to do more of.
I give a lot of verbal praising. Once I praise one student or small group about something the others follow suit because they like hearing their name with a positive comment attached. I hand out green tickets for students who do not pull cards. When students earn 5 green tickets they get to visit the treasure box. Tables can also earn tallies for teamwork. The table with the most tallies at the end of the day gets a sucker. The tallies for tables idea has really helped my students stay quiet during seat work time.
ReplyDeleteI communicate about behavior everyday in their agendas. I give them a colored smilie or check mark based on the color card they earned for the day. When a student has to pull a card they have to tell me what to write to their parents in their binders. Parents then have to sign off in the agendas each night so I know they are aware of the positive or negative color/comment the child received for the day. This is very effective.
Verbal praising and at the 5th grade making anything competitive and showing kids the raw data on how they are performing is what gets them motivated. I do more parent communication at the 5th grade level than I did teaching primary. We make calls home daily for missed work, we have constant email conversations with parents, I send home a sheet when a student gets 2 or more infractions, our behavior consquences include calling parents and have face to face meetings, we communicate through agendas. 5th grade has quite a bit parental contact concering behavior and responsisbility.
ReplyDeleteI think my praise and recognition is probably about like most classrooms. I have a WOW board and star spellers, table points for good workers, compliment marbles for extra recess time and the occasional Smarties taped to a paper for really hard work. On occasion, my students can earn an "extra" coupon (good for a free extra at lunch) and they seem to like the fact that I am paying for it. Sometimes I give a reward because the class thinks a student earned one - I do love it when that happens.
ReplyDeleteWith communication about behavior, I probably don't make enough phone calls, saving them for the most worrisome instances. I will use their planners to send home happy notes about good behaviors or just having a good all around day.
Maybe I'll do that more.
When I was in the classroom I worked with very few students and typically for several years in a row, this made it easier for me to truly know my students. When you have this type of connection ofter a look or telling them you were disappointed in their actions was enough of a punishment. Praise also looked different because it could take the form of a look or nod. Working now with adults it takes more of a balance. There are people who need more praise than others, and the praise can look different for different people. When in the classroom I tried to call parents once a week to communicate good and bad behavior, I did not want all of my calls home to be negative.
ReplyDeleteI give out Jolly Ranchers randomly for behavior, effort and academics. I like Ron Clark's rule #15 that if the student asks for a reward, it will not be given. I posted this rule in my room. It is a pet peeve of mine when a student asks for a reward or tells me I owe him a reward. I used the ticket/prize box method last year and felt like the students expected it and started taking the rewards for granted so I'm not doing it this year. The students would whine or complain if they didn't get the prize box on Friday because of a sub or snow day. I feel like it should be my decision if the students get a reward.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Danae that 5th graders like competition. Kelly Edgar is doing a homework competition between classes that the students are excited about.
A lot of 5th graders are not doing homework. One day all of the students in the social studies class I'm in for intervention had their homework done. I gave them all a Jolly Rancher.
I really like the way Lindsey communicates in the agenda. We have students call their parents or take a note home to get signed if they don't have their homework done. I think that has been very effective.
When I taught middle school and had over 100 students each semester, I sent 5 positive Wildcat Grams home each week. I tried to make sure every student got at least one. It took a lot of time but was well received by students and parents.
I mentioned in an earlier blog that I offer email communication to my students, but that so far this year, I have not had any. However, I have had that communication with parents, and I find it very worthwhile. A parent can ask me for help, or to explain a grade, or to keep in touch, all of which is helpful. I think it is important to be prompt in my reply. At the beginning of the year I ask students to fill out a form with their email address (if they have one) and a parent's (again, if available). It has just occurred to me that might be a "private" way I can give some praise without running the risk of a student not appreciating being an example. Thanks to whoever mentioned emails as I needed that prompt to think on this subject further.
ReplyDeleteI give verbal praise daily as well. I think giving verbal praise is instant communication between the teacher and the student. I also give out caught being good cards to praise good behavior in my classroom. Students can then cash their cards in for various awards. The students really enjoy this and are very competitive when it comes to the cards. If they see another student earn a card they do their very best so that they can earn one too. The data binders have also been very effective to the 5th graders this year. We graph our quiz scores and as a class we acknowledge those students who either raised their scores from the previous quiz or have met their goal. Communication is very important between the teacher and parents. At the 5th grade level students see how much responsibility lies in their hands. As a 5th grade team we work together with communicating with parents. During team meetings we talk about students who may be struggling in more than one subject so we can call or email the parents together. Communicating positive news to the parents is also important. I usually send out emails or Wildcat cards informing parents of good things I see their child doing.
ReplyDeleteI have tried several different reward systems over the years. This year my primary system is the bucket filler board. Each child has their own bucket and it also ties into my stop light system. If they have a green/great day they get a warm fuzzy. They can also earn warm fuzzies for "caught being good situations". After their bucket is full they get to pick a treasure from my treasure box. Each day I give my kids bingo stamps in their agenda binders based on the stoplight system. The parents sign to show they've seen how their child's day was, be it good or bad. I also use Box-It. Students, cooperative groups(tables), and the whole class can earn a box-it. I also award outstanding academics/behavior this way. Every time someone gets a box-it their name goes into a drawing. At the end of each week I pick 5 names. If it's a student or group they pick a treasure. If it's the class they vote on a reward. No matter what I try to teach my kids first and foremost that they should always respect themselves and others whether they are going to recieve an award or not. With parents e-mail and agendas are my primary source of communication.
ReplyDeleteVickie, like you I really appreciated the last words shared in his book. We are in this profession to make a positive difference in the lives of children. I think I use praise spontaneously with my students each and every day. It isn’t something I script, but something I feel. Like Susan I can be a pretty good actress and younger students appreciate and are motivated by these antics that accentuate the positives. In my small group setting I experience very few discipline problems, and this is something that really enhances their learning experience in my opinion. I do have a “treasure box” that I allow students to choose items from at times when I want to recognize them for something they have done that is deserving of reward. For the most part it is a whole group type of reward. I find times when all are working their hardest to reward them. My time with them is limited and this is a plan I can live with, and is not time consuming. There are times an individual student gets to choose a reward from the prize box based on some sort of exemplary behavior. Last week I gave all my Reading students smelly stickers for their work ethic, and of more than 30 students only one said thank you. They were very pleased with the stickers and showed that, but didn’t say thank you. That one student chose from the “treasure box”, and then all were handy with thank you. We have now discussed that without a thank your prizes will be confiscated. I never believed in taking back what I give, but to encourage good manners I think I can make myself do that. Like Linda asking for a reward is not acceptable in my classroom.
ReplyDeleteIn my class, we talk about "Super Sizing" your attitude. Instead of cards or lights we have fries. If all my students keep their fries for the day they receive a "Happy Meal." Ten "Happy Meals" earn them a treat. It is usually a bake good. Students also get a green, yellow, or red stamp at the end of the day, in their agendas, so parents know how their day went. If I have continuous issues with a student, I contact parents by phone immediately. I also started sending out 10 positive notes/emails a month to parents. These notes just let parents know how proud I am of their child's behavior in class. Finally, give verbal praise, however, after implementing some of Ron Clark's rules, the students have done a wonderful job of taking on that role. They often encourage each other and praise each other for good deeds, innovative thinking, and showing leadership qualities.
ReplyDeleteI love Jen's method for rewarding behavior. The "super Sizing" your attitude is great! Earning the "Happy Meals" seems like something that the students would really enjoy and relate to. I really liked reading your post... Very original!
ReplyDeleteIn my classroom students receive praise as a class by doing five things; respecting self, respecting others, respecting classroom, working quietly, and following directions. Each classroom is assigned and artist, example Whitt’s Warhol, and their artist receive stickers on a chart for everyone to see. When a class fills their line in the chart they earn a prize. I give the students five prizes to choose from so they can pick something they enjoy. Luckily most students choose something art related so it ends up being a prize for me to watch them enjoy also. As far as individual praise, I am constantly encouraging and praising kids for out of the box thinking and hard work. This praise may be verbal, written on a little note (for students that do not want other students to see they are being praised) or even a quiet gesture. I email parents to let them know when students have done something fabulous or will send notes home. I certainly have not done as well with parent contact this year as I would like. I used to make at least 5 phone calls or emails a week, but I need to work harder this year to get those numbers back up.
ReplyDeleteMy reward system is similar to that in the art room (we stole from e/other!). Students have 5 rules: 1) Come in quietly, 2)Be respectful 3)Handle all materials and instruments with care 4)Listen and learn 5) Participate positively. There's a note next to e/rule and if they get a warning, the note is turned. If they get another warning, the note drops. They must have 4 whole notes up there at the end of class. If they do, then the "conductor" for the day gets to move the class note (also named after musicians, for example, Mrs. Jolliff's Jacksons- aren't you lucky, Valorie?) up to the next line/space on the music staff. They must get the note to the top of the staff by the end of the year in order to get a prize/party.
ReplyDeleteAs with everyone else, verbal praise is important, I find that when I get REALLY excited about something a student did well, it not only praises the student, but also re-engages the class if any of them are off-task or struggling to focus. If a class/student does something EXCEPTIONAL, I like to write a note to them. I especially like to make a big deal when the whole class works together to make a great day, b/c in music learning to be part of a group is SO important- working together to make the best sound, keep the same rhythm, perform multiple rhythms at the same time, sing in rounds, etc. I do need to get better at calling/contacting parents regarding specific students; my main mode of communication with them is email.
I would say that use verbal praise the most to help achieve the desired behaviors of my students. I especially like to praise groups of children by saying things like… "I like how quietly the blue table is working, etc." I find this helps those children who are less likely to be praised for their behavior to be included in the group praise. This immediately makes the other tables quiet down and work harder. I also use marbles in the jar to reward group behavior. When the class gets a certain number of marbles they receive some type of treat that they vote on as a class. I do try not to overuse praise so that is loses it meaning and so when I do praise the kids know I am sincere.
ReplyDeleteThe rewards system in my classroom has varied year to year depending on the group of students I have. This year I have a couple different things going on. I have a marble jar for the whole class. When the class is doing something well…sitting quietly, coming into the classroom silently, if they all do well on a spelling test, etc. they earn a marble. Once they have 15 marbles in the jar, they earn the party of their choice. I also have a BINGO chart on the wall. I use this more for individuals. Students who turn in all of their homework by interims or grade cards get to write their name on the BINGO chart. If I pull the letter and number that their name is on, they get to choose a reward. Malley shared with me that she had a Wii party with her class this week and she got me really excited about trying that! I can just imagine how excited her kids were to play Wii at school!
ReplyDeleteI also use praise on a daily basis. Verbal praise is very effective, especially when other children are around to witness the interaction. I also like to send notes home randomly about how a child is doing or what tests/quizzes a child has aced or done really well on. I put this right in their agendas so the child is able to look back and see the note anytime they want.
I keep parents up-to-date on their child’s behavior by marking the faces on the bottom of the agendas every day. If there has been an issue I make a note of what has happened specifically so the parents know exactly what is going on with their child at school.
I praise my students on a daily basis. I have mentioned (several times) that when we work on the smartboard, students get cheered on and when they do something correctly, we give them a "woop woop" or "hey, ho, hey, ho!" If someone answers a question at their seat, I like to give them a round of applause (clapping in a circle). I also like to give high fives or "hit the rock." I have also given a couple of students a little piece of paper saying "Star Student" then write on the back what they did to receive that award. I like to have parents see that their student is doing something great in the classroom. If I have a student who had to pull a puzzle piece (lose recess time) I write in their agenda what they did to lose time and the parents have to initial so I know they read my comment. I feel like there is more I need to do as far as setting up awards and praise in my classroom and for others to see in the school.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I have noticed over the years is that students change over the years. What may have worked one year will not work the next year. Building up their confidence is an important reward I use in the classroom. Many students lack confidence in themselves, they need someone who believes in them. Since I travel around alot I usually use their recess as a punishment.
ReplyDeleteLike most other people, I have a class store on Fridays where students can purchase small toys or treats. I also use verbal praise, and like Belinda, I find it's amazing how quickly others will start doing the right thing to gain my attention.
ReplyDeleteThis year's agenda has a small green, yellow, & red face on each day. I've gotten in the habit of circling the appropriate one each day. I also send a weekly evaluation on Fridays with my newsletter. Once parents get "trained" to look for it, it is quite effective.
In fifth grade, we also send home a newsletter from all classes, instead of one from each class. We have put a calendar on the back of tests, quizzes, parties, events. This part has been well-received by our parents and they are putting it on the frig for reference. (several said so at conferences) Verbal praise is the most used praise system in my room. We have, in the past, sent out Wildcat grams on postcards and while it took a long time sometimes to find positives, each kid got one in the mail. This was a great way to reach my own personal kids as well. A math teacher that all three of mine had sent one for each test they got an A on or sometimes if they just had the highest score. They could have quit after sending a couple, but the math teacher did it all year long...they were on Chris's and Kara's graduation tables. They were proud of those! I would like to see more of that from me. I have some of those old cards and I need to make more positive calls home. I have done that in the past too! The parents are surprised and thankful.
ReplyDeleteI do several things for behavior. Each period comes into class and they work as a table each week in getting homework completed, daily science activities, behavior in class, and just being prepared. Each table picks a table marker by voting on the person at their table who would be the best leader, and then they as a whole group name their table. These cards go in a crate at the middle of the table. How they do this is they are competeing against the other 3 tables in class in earning points for the week. The table at the end of the week with the most points earns the prize. Now, I have just started now after reading Ron Clark's book, now we are challenging each period, and I have 5 of them for Science against each period. If a class has everyone in their period do all of their homework, or behavior in class is great, they receive a point for their class period. I have 5 pennants in differnt colors with all 5 class periods on them. At the end of Thursday, whichever period has the most points, their pennant will hang outside of my classroom for Friday. The students wil look to see which period won, and that is the period that will receive the baked goodies from me on Friday. I have noticed that only one or two students now are not doing their work compared to five or six. I"m hoping that this week it will get better.
ReplyDeleteAs far as keeping parents in formed, I am on the phone or email constantly just like my other 5th grde teachers. I feel at the 5th grade level we as a team are very good at keeping parents involved with their child's grades and behavior.
So, again I am late adding my comment, but I really do enjoy reading what everyone else is doing at their grade levels, it kind of gives me an idea of what to prepare even our youngest kids for...in preschool we do a lot with verbal praise, but it too is very specific. For example, a student says thank you when given something, we would say, "I really appreicate the way you used your manners and said thank you", we want them to know exactly what they've done so they'll do it again. We also use very specific reminders, we have a Five Star listening system that we practice all the time, so that eventually I'll say "ok, I want to see five star listeners". My students have Five Star listening charts that they get stickers for and when they are full they get a prize out of the basket to take home. I do communicate behavior through notes home, and I do have a standard note that lists poor choices that I'll send home if a child is having a really rough day.
ReplyDeleteMy reward system is two fold. I have a public reward system in that I offer verbal praise on a daily basis for appropriate behavior and excellent work. I also have been inspired by Ron Clark that students need a pat on the back from time to time to let them know personally that their efforts are being noticed and that they need to keep up the good work. I also feel that a personal praise is often more meaningful that the show of letting the entire class experience the praise. As far as letting parents know, I use our school building's "You've been noticed" cards or send home Wildcat Grams in order to share the praise with parents. I also find using emails as a great way to communicate with parents.
ReplyDeleteI try to get my kindergarteners to see being a student as their job, just like mom or dad or grandpa have jobs,so do they. Then I try to work good behavior into the mix by letting them know what their responsiblilities are as students. They are to do their best, learn all they can and help others learn in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteWhen someone is doing a good job I say "I like the way Carrie is doing such a good job at being a learner today, quietly working at the red table." I hope this makes them see the importance of school, that it is an important job.
I do not think you can praise too much if it is for a real accomplishment and just not to make students feel good. I believe Students know when the praise is not authentic and then praise loses its power.
I also make good behavior a class accomplishment. I make a big fuss when there are no time-outs or the class has worked well as a team.
I do not communicate good behavior to parents as swiftly as I do bad behavior and I want to change that. I think sending a card home with the student for the parent with a positive comment about the child's day or accomplishment would be an easy way to start.
ReplyDeleteHow do you set up praise and awards in your classroom or area of the building that you work in? Like all teachers, continual verbal praise is given in my classroom. Although I do love Kathy’s idea of a special place to publically display good work/growth, it is a bit challenging at 5th grade with 120 kids for individuals to be praised on a bulletin board. However, I do whole class praise by charting which class has turned in homework for a certain # of days, etc. Later, we will display blue ribbons in Study Island by class period. I use Data Binders to praise students when they show growth. They also get stickers on their charts when they have improved in an area.
ReplyDeleteHow do you keep parents informed on their child’s behavior? First, I keep track of all of this in a binder. Emails and phone calls occur almost on a daily basis. It is my classroom policy that if a student does not turn in homework he/she must fill out a “Missing Assignment Report” and then they immediately call parents to let them know. It is time consuming but I do feel it has made a difference in my classes. I like Kristy’s idea of setting a personal goal to contact parents more with students’ positive behaviors-I personally would like to start sending more wildcat grams. I did manage to send one to each student last year if we did not meet with his/her parents during conference week and student’s loved that.
I enjoyed reading everyone’s responses to these questions. I offer praise both publicly and privately. I send kids down to the office to “show off” great tests or good pieces of writing. I have papers posted for each subject area with students’ names that have done well on tests. Everyone has their name on one of the lists and they like to try to get their names on all of the lists at once. The class has group table points with a prize from the prize box on Friday. Students who stay on green all week get something small on Friday as well. The class earns “baseballs” for compliments and every baseball = an extra minute of recess. However, like many others have noted, I do not want the students to feel like they are owed a prize. If you ask me for a prize, I will not give it to you… My students will tell you that they do not behave just to earn a baseball or get a compliment, they do it because it is the right thing to do. (This has been drilled into their heads by me since the beginning of school!) I must also say to go along with this that we did start making sure everyone says thank you when receiving something in my class this year after reading Ron Clark’s book. I really felt like I would have a tough time taking something away after I had given it out, but my students were the ones who thought it was a good idea after I had mentioned it to them. Sure enough, about a week after we started, one of my students forgot to say thank you after picking a prize out of the box, and I had to ask for the prize back. Later as we were walking out of the building, I told the student I was sorry for taking the prize back and hoped he was not too upset. His response? “It’s not your fault Mrs.G. I was the one who didn’t say thank you!” Since then, I have had a very polite group of students. All 21 students said thank you when I passed out their treat bags from me at our Fall Party, and that my friends, has never happened! I wished I would have done this years ago!
ReplyDeleteAs far as keeping parents informed of their child’s behavior, I document the color of their card at the end of each day in their agenda along with a brief explanation if their card was pulled. Notes home have been known to get “lost”, so I often email parents with new information. I am much better at emailing parents regularly than at calling, but I do email parents with both good/bad behavior and/or grades. I recently emailed a parent right after grading one of her daughter’s reading theme tests because she had shown such improvement and said how proud of the student I was and I knew the parent would be proud too. I got a wonderful email in return thanking me for this and it only took me 3-4 minutes. I need to do this more often. We all like to hear how wonderful our children are! I will also walk out with the students at the end of the day if I know parents are picking them up in the loop or in the cafeteria and keep parents informed that way. I like the idea of sending Wildcat Grams and did this last year. I feel like I need to have them out on my desk where I can see them to ensure that I remember to do it!