Experimenting in the Classroom: Class Dojo

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Class Dojo

Last year I posted about my clip chart and how I was going to keep track of clips by using punchcards for every clip. When students filled up a punchcard they were going to get a prize. Well...that lasted all of about two days. Ambitious would be the word I would use. Instead, I'm trying something very similar with a lot less maintenance on my part. Class Dojo.

I used Class Dojo last year with my clip chart, but I would use clips one day and Dojo another day and it wasn't very consistent. This year, I am using the clip chart only to clip down. My parents and students are familiar with the chart for behavior and it also shows evidence for when students repeatedly have classroom issues and the discipline can't be handled in class anymore.

Instead of clipping up, which my kids really don't seem to care much about anymore, I am using Dojo Points. For every 10 points, students will receive a prize. There are a few reasons that this should work better for me.

Just hearing the sound of someone earning Dojo Points changes my classes behavior. If your computer, iPad, or phone sound is on then earning points makes a sound. My kids automatically start doing what they know they have to in order to earn Dojo Points.
This isn't something that takes a lot of effort. All I have to do is press a button on my phone or computer.
It encourages my kids to keep exhibiting better behavior. The earning potential never ends with Dojo Points like it did with the clip chart. They can always keep earning points and prizes. That should be a huge motivator for my students.

I made some reward pages and put them on my bulletin board to remind students what they can earn. My first few students made it to ten points and the entire class got excited. This is so low maintenance for me and my students really seem to love it.