Hey yall! Happy hump day!
Well, the countdown for summer has been officially on this week...only 27 days left!
However, that also means that student behavior tends to get a little cray-cray! So its that time of the year where you pull out the big guns.
Enter Class Dojo!
I heard about this site last fall when I was in between jobs. I thought the premise was really awesome, but in the hectic-ness of finally getting a job and getting everything together for my classroom, I completely forgot about it! But after my kiddos' awful behavior the week before Spring Break, I just knew I needed to change things up a bit and remembered this little gem!
So I signed up my kiddos and we have been rockin' it out this week! I saw immediate results in my littles' behavior. Seriously!
So, in case you've never heard of Class Dojo before, let me break it down for you.
You start out by adding your kiddos to your class. Dojo gives them some adorable little avatars!
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| Pardon the blue boxes...gotta protect my babies! |
Throughout the day, students can either earn positive points or negative points. Here are some of the things my kiddos get points for:
And yes, I take points away for whining. Harsh? Maybe.... Effective? YES!!!
Whining is seriously a huge pet peeve of mine and I have no patience for it.
I keep my Dojo page up on our ActivBoard all day, so students can see how they are doing. I will usually add or take away points myself, although I may make a big deal of having a student give themselves a point {especially if its one who struggles in earning points!}.
In my class, we have been using a clipchart all year. Students start on green and can move up to blue or purple, or down to pink or orange. I wanted to coordinate the Dojo points with our colors, so they would be familiar with the meaning.
Now, we have been starting out at zero points. If a student ends the day still at zero points, that would give them an orange day, which is the worst. That's right....they have to earn a green, blue, or purple day! No more gimmes! 3 points gives them a green day, 5 points a blue day, and 7 points a purple day. Only 1-2 points gets them a pink day and 0 points or less gets them an orange day.
But its actually not that hard to have a good day, because I give points out left and right. In fact, I've had many students on blue and purple this week, and only 1 has gone home on pink! What, what?!?!
Want to see my favorite part???
At the end of the day/week/month, you can see your students' track records!
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This is my whole class report. Check that out! So awesome. They have earned 295 positive points so far this week, and its only Wednesday!
This is a student that is always on her best behavior :)
And this is a student that usually struggles every single day! Whoo-hoo!
Check out what he earned points for today....
You can also print out reports and send them home, although our school has our printers on lock down right now, so I won't be doing that. Or you can enter parents' email addresses and then Class Dojo will automatically send them their child's report at the end of the day!
Awesome, right???
So, let me ask again.......do you Dojo???
I love Class DoJo...So do my kiddos! They love surprising each other by changing their avatar at night. There giddy when they walk in just waiting to see the classes reaction to their new picture. I use the timer and countdown for many activities, too!
ReplyDeleteJenny
Owl Things First
I love class dojo! I like your system with tying it to colors and reseting points daily. Right now I have them trying to earn 20 by Friday to do something fun that day.
ReplyDeleteNatalie, Dojoing my class is on my to do list. You have inspired me to set it up NOW because I am having a tough time with behavior. THANK YOU!
ReplyDeleteCamille
I just started this in my classroom last week. My kids love it. I don't leave it up but I am thinking that might be a good idea only because some of my little stinkers need a little nudge. I am hoping that seeing the points that everyone else is getting, will be the nudge for them.
ReplyDeleteKrystyn
Ms Richards's Musings
I started the year with a clip chart as well. Then I moved to class dojo in January. I had been reset them everyday and having spontaneous "celebrations" throughout the day for students who are doing positive things. We made essential agreements together as a class and students voted for what they would like to earn/lose points for. Of course, I added my own. I have whining on mine too! We also have some of our school attitudes on ours as well to align to our PBIS language in the building.
ReplyDeleteI noticed a couple of weeks ago, though, when I forgot to reset them that my students are more motivated when I don't reset them everyday. Especially my harder to manage students - if they have a really good day - they don't want to lose those points and start over. So I have developed a celebration of sorts called Fun Friday that I have modified over the years. Students can earn certificates/responsibilities for making good choices. Students who have higher points can take first choice at the job board or can win a certificate for good integrity. I definitely do not use a prize box or anything. It's a lot of verbal recognition and trying to build them and each other up intrinsically.
I have the points up on my smartboard but most of the time the only thing my students can see is my lesson or the schedule. Of course they can hear the "ping" and "pong" when students earn or lose points. I don't necessarily announce what it was for or who it went to so students have gotten in the habit of say "Good Job, Good Job" with a double clap if they hear the "ping" and "C'mon let's go, c'mon let's go" if they hear a pong. Then during transitions, before lunch, and at the end of the day we look at the points and we reflect. We reflect on what went well and what didn't go so well. If one particular student was really struggling I make sure I have that conversation individually.
I love being able to use my iphone as a "remote." Love this!
Miss Ice
3rd Grade Sprinkles