How to Have Effective Behavior Management

Before we dive in to some methods, in order to run a smooth classroom with effective behavior management, you need to have a procedure for everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING. The first few weeks should be spent sharing procedures, practicing procedures and informing students of what is expected for each procedure (ex. how to turn in work, how to line up, what to do when they are done with their work, what is the pencil procedure, how to walk down a hall, classroom jobs and more!) When you think they’ve got it, do more!

Grab my free checklist of routines and procedures for you to review with your students the first few weeks of school and after long breaks!

You will also need to remember that the key to whatever procedure you are trying to instill, you must be consistent. If you are not consistent in your rewards and consequences, students will try to test the limits to see how far you will go.

ClassDojo for Behavior Management

Here are some of my positive and negative points.  When a student has a “Bad Choice” I usually attach a note to the parent to explain what had happened.

Classroom Store

Another motivator is that I tie the Classdojo points to my classroom economy. Students will cash in their points to “shop.”  Now, I know teachers do not make a lot of money and I surely don’t want to spend the little that I make on a classroom store.  But….

Have you ever thought about asking for donations?  During my back to school night, I explain that as they clean their child’s room, I’ll be happy to take any toys off their hands.  I don’t think I’ve bought an item in 10 years!  I even have parents who have come and gone still donate!  It’s a win for the students and a win for the teacher! 

Also, in my store are Classroom Reward Coupons.  These are low prep, no money items, like sitting in the teacher’s chair or lunch with the teacher.  These are great incentives that are FREE.  If you would like to read more about how I use them for my effective behavior management, you can click over to How to Use Classroom Reward Coupons and LOVE it!   There is also a freebie set to get you started there.

“You Earn Recess”

OK, this one is a bit deceitful, but I don’t let the children know that!  I make a banner in my room with the letters spelling out YOU EARN RECESS.  Of course you can just write it on the board as well.  

Each time the noise level gets above my liking, I remove a letter.  Or if someone is making a bad choice, I remove a letter.  It’s amazing how children all start to work together to keep their peers accountable!  If all the letters are gone, they lose recess. 

Now I chose this saying for a reason.  I fully believe that children should have recess.  It’s a long day so they need to get out and work off some of that energy.  

I chose this saying because it’s LONG.  I can make a statement to the class knowing that we will never get through all those letters!  It really is genius.  It has worked with some of my toughest classrooms.  I think I’ve only had to take away one recess from a class in the 5 years of implementing this process.  This is a great behavior management tool. 

If you’re interested in this technique, you can find some themed banners HERE.  

This app is wonderful for volume control!  It is very user friendly, colorful, and has a great visual for students.  I also tie this in to my Classdojo with students earning points, but you could use whatever system you have in place.  I place this on my ipad and showcase it on my board. 

For this app, you can set a sensitivity level, background theme and dial theme to customize for your needs in the lite/starter version.  If you pay to upgrade, students will earn stars for not setting the timer off during a period and remove stars for being too loud.  I upgraded because I like that feature.  If they students have stars left at the end of work time, then they earn Dojo points!

Another one of my favorites for a whole class reward are these reward posters!  The teacher chooses a poster from the multiple options available. She then places the numbered puzzle pieces over the poster – I usually use ticky-tack.  

Then, when the class does something good, I will have the student call out a number and remove a piece of the puzzle.  The fun is that the students don’t know what the reward is until most or all of the pieces are removed so they are always thinking about what that reward could be! 

I L-O-V-E using these reward posters in the classroom as my main behavior system or in conjunction with an individual reward plan.

Blurt cards are great to use when your students are in groups.  You simply place as many cards as needed in the center of the group or on your board in a pocket chart.  I usually start with 5 cards.  

Each time someone blurts out or an undesirable behavior occurs, I remove a card.  That’s it.  No acknowledgment, no talking to the student and definitely no stopping of instruction.  It’s amazing how well this will work.  

If you Google blurt cards, there are many cards that show up!  Some are even available for free on TeachersPayTeachers! 

I hope you have found something useful to try for effective behavior management.  I obviously don’t use all these techniques at once.  Depending on the class, I have found that some tools work better than others or for a certain time period.  You may get lucky and be able to use one method all year!  Whatever you choose, be prepared and be consistent! 

Have you used any techniques that have been effective for you?  I’d love to hear it!