Please know…I am a FULL supporter of doing whatever (developmentally appropriate) behavior management system that works for YOU and most importantly, your students. This is simply an account of my experiences and the evolution of my own behavior management plan.
Before I even had my own classroom, I learned, through obsessively reading teacher blogs, all about using a clip chart as a classroom management tool. I was sold immediately. My experience with behavior management charts had been where students started on “green” and only had the option to go down—flipping a card or moving their bus to the yellow or red stoplight. I LOVED how a clip chart promoted making SMART choices and allowed students to have the opportunity to change their choices throughout the day so they weren’t “stuck” below green. However, after 3 years of using a clip chart, I have noticed a trend.
The same students clip down and the behavior doesn’t change.
After we have a discussion (again, as privately as possible) about their behavior, we will work to problem solve collaboratively and allocate an appropriate consequence. Then, they can place their clip back on “Ready to Learn”.
I use these fictional stories to start discussions and reflect on appropriate. Here’s one tool I use to promote collaborative problem solving:
