I've been hearing about people using these in the classroom (for management purposes) but I don't know exactly how. Do any of you use them (or know of any ideas?) They seem pretty cheap so it could be a good thing to pick up a few on my visit to the US.
I sort of feel like parents might be upset to find out a teacher was using a "pet" clicker as a classroom management tool.
I don't think they are used in a "dog training" kind of way (though I'm not sure exactly how it works in dog training, either.) Maybe as an attention-getting signal? I had never even heard of them before, but I did see a "clicker" on a classroom supply website that someone posted on this forum, so they must be being used for something in the classroom. In any case, I teach in Spain and I don't think they have "pet clickers" here so that association would not be present in the minds of my parents. I'm just curious if people have heard of ways to use these in the classroom.
Umm, maybe you could use them like buzzers? If you're doing group reviews, when they have the answer they could click the clicker? I don't think they're loud enough to get classroom attention.
I'm not sure kids would appreciate it either. If you're going to use an audible signal I would just ask for their attention politely.
Those are this type of clicker, a student responder. I have a classroom set. Some places require the students to purchase their own.
I'm certain that "clicker" in this case refers to the student responders, not the pet clickers. I would never use a pet clicker for classroom management purposes.
No, I think you are talking about actual dog clickers. Check out page four of this document. http://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/documents/Chapter9.pdf
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=dog clickers You can find them online here.
In case you're curious how they are used for pet training ... they become a secondary reinforcer. In the beginning, the trainer pairs the click with the primary reinforcer (food). Over time, the time between clicks and food delivery is lengthened systematically. The animal learns "a click means I did the right thing, food coming soon." The power of the clicker is that it allows for nearly instantaneous reinforcement (reinforcement works best when delivered immediately after the desired behavior ... otherwise, the wrong behavior gets reinforced because the animal keeps behaving). It is much easier for the trainer to get off a click than get food in the animal's mouth. Trained animals will perform for a certain number of clicks because they've learned food is on the way.
The only time I had to use one in the classroom was a signal for response when I taught DI, which I hated (both the clicker, and the program.)
I agree. We had a clicker for pets to help train our dogs (1 nice but getting mean. 1 was mean) to stop whimpering (at night..in the house). A neighbor was constantly calling the animal control on us for ALL the dogs in the area! We were trying to stop ours. The animal control was threatening to fine us. So we got this clicker supposedly only audible to dogs. But I used it and it hurts! I could hear it from up to 15ft away. We tested it. My dad walked into the room and kept pressing it uuntil I covered my ears. I did not know he was doing this. I would never do this to a child. I would not even use it on our dogs after this!
I'm trying to imagine what a room full of 16 year olds would do if I tried to motivate them with a pet clicker. I think they would probably think I had lost my mind.
At 16 I would have thought my teacher lost his\her mind if the has a pet clicker. (we had a clicker when I was in my early 20s)
I don't see the harm in using it as an attention-getter. I actually use a squeaky dog toy as one of mine. The kids love it.
99.99% of them wouldn't even know it was supposed to be for a pet! If you came up with a fancy name, I see no harm.
I heard of a sub who uses this, and the kids HATE it. But I teach 13 year olds and they kind of hate everything. But they let me know how much they didn't appreciate it.
I use lots of nonverbal signals in the classroom and a clicker (and, yes, I bought mine at a pet store) was one that my students always loved. I used it when we were reading together and I had passed out the books and gave them time to read through them independently. Then, when it was time for us to read together, I simply clicked the clicker. They all closed their books and pointed to the first word in the title. I was teaching kindergarten but I'd use it with other grades, too. Different nonverbal signals meant different things. My students always responded well and it beat raising my voice over theirs to give routine verbal directions.
Hmmm. I guess I would have to actually check out the sound it makes before deciding, though most people seem to be put off by the idea. It sounds like it would be better as a specific signal such as sevenplus describes, rather than an all-purpose attention-getter. whollyconsumed, now that you mention it, that was where I saw the reference initially! I have the book. Thanks, ku alum, for the explanation of its use in dog training. I can see why parents/students might not like the idea of it being used in class, with those associations. Though I was beginning to fear that it was an aversive signal rather than something to indicate approval. That would certainly be worse!
I don't think it's an unpleasant sound. It sounds like when you pop the little poppy-part of the lid on a jar of spaghetti sauce, but louder. I just think that it is meant for dogs, not people.
The one we had sounded like a high pitched hum. It is like the humming some people get periodically, like a buzzing in the ear.
