At Jackie Robinson, there is a
behavioral program in place in which all staff in the school (custodians,
security guards, principal, vice principal, teachers, or anyone that
volunteers/works in the school) has Jackie Robinson bucks. Students can earn
these bucks for being a model student anywhere they are (playground, hallways,
classroom, lunch, etc). This is about the second/third week that the store has
been up and running and I have noticed a big difference in students’ behaviors,
school wide! I absolutely love this idea because it helps students remember to
be on their best behavior at all times not just for their teacher because they
never know who is watching them.
For example, on our half-day of
school, we ate lunch downstairs with the kindergarteners. Normally, at any
school I have worked at, lunch is a very chaotic time. However, these students
(including the older grades) were the most well behaved I have ever seen. I
always carry bucks on me so that I can compliment a student, mine or another
grade, for their good behavior. It’s impressive how well the program is working
so far. When I gave a student a buck, other students watched what that student
did to earn a buck and it had a ripple effect. When you acknowledge a students
good behavior, especially a student that has a hard time following the rules, I
think it is much more effective in promoting future good behavior.
In general, I think that this is
important because it is necessary to have a behavior program in place that is
school wide and does not only exist in the classroom. When teachers, staff and
students know the school wide behavior expectations, I feel like there will be
(as I have seen so far) less situations that cause distractions from the
learning of our students. I think that this is a case of a school working
together to find a program that works for the good of all members in the
learning community.
Yes, it is true that research has shown that positive reinforcement (e.g., praise) is more effective at shaping behavior than punishment. Instead of punishing the behavior you don't want to see, you are actively rewarding the behavior you do want to see. Can you think of other ways that you might do this in your classroom (e.g., through things you might say) other than just through the bucks?
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