Principal talked about her vision and plan for school discipline. Fairly usual plan, but she feels clip charts don't jive with it. I hate those damn things, so I'm happy.
Google “clip chart” and you’ll see tons of images and info. I just did it and couldn’t even decide which link to share because there are so many.
Interesting article from Education Leadership on why clip charts are detrimental to student growth: http://www.ascd.org/publications/ed...l76/num01/Tear-Down-Your-Behavior-Chart!.aspx
I have been on a soapbox for years about the ineffectiveness of using public discipline policies in classrooms...what do I know...only taught for 40+ years
Good for your principal! I’m glad many at my school gave them up this year as well. I never got on board with that trend, so I’m glad to see it go.
The only thing I can think of is the privacy option. I think we sometimes err in fussing too much over student behavior.
I don’t do Dojo or any other formal system. I handle behavior as it comes up with logical consequences. I give random rewards and lots of praise for positive behavior. I build relationships with my students and teach and enforce my expectations. I don’t see the need to make it complicated.
Not exactly sure. I do remember my district some years back instigating a “card system”. Similar to Clip except a pocket chart was used with kids names on pockets. Colored cards were inserted in each student’s pocket which denoted behavior status. It was “showy” which many administrators like because they can “see” discipline. Of course, nothing changed regarding students’ behavior except now everyone in the room and anyone entering knew the bad and good kids. Many students would ramp up their behavior as soon as their color changed; a way of getting back at the mean teacher for embarrassing them in front of peers. In addition, wear a flack vest should you catch one student but fail to catch another for the same behavior. It is interesting that research done in hundreds of classrooms shows time on task and cooperation are a by-product of the teacher and not displays of neon.
If you're going to ban that with reasons, that's one thing, but this type of thing should be announced well before the start of the school year. Instituting a discipline plan only to change it mid-year is counterproductive to establishing norms, procedures, routines, and rules during the first weeks of school.
I think this may be what is bugging some teachers. They began the year with one system, announced it to kids, parents, etc. Now it's gone. I wasn't using a chart, but if I did have to change, I can only imagine the frustration. It's one thing to decide something isn't working in your own class and make a change, it's quite another to be forced to change.
I think it would have been easier if it was started at the beginning of the school year. To have to start all over again with a new system is a real pain. I'm sure the principal had a good reason for doing this but she should have been proactive and gotten her act together in a timely manner.
Is that just a primary thing? I just moved from fourth to first, and everyone kept nudging me towards having a system like a clip chart. They didn't suggest clip charts specifically, but they recommended things like popsicle sticks that would be moved from jars with a smiley face, straight face, or frown face, depending on behavior, or some other step-by-step system for inappropriate behavior. I just kept pushing back on it and never did implement such a system. I'm using roughly the same system I used with the intermediate grades (which is individual consequences as needed, relationship-building, and conferring to problem-solve with individual students), plus the thing where the whole class earns a letter towards a phrase and then we celebrate as a class. I didn't want to do the letter thing either, but that was my way of compromising on not doing something more like a clip chart. Why is that people think primary students can't be successful with the same plan that works for intermediate students??
Yeah, it is a pain once kids have been told something and admin changes it on them. It happens too much in some places. I hated those charts w/ a passion. The 1st time I saw them used I was in a school working as a counselor. I was working with those kids who totally melt down. Telling them to flip a card did no good. They'd throw themselves on the floor and throw some major fits! I had never seen it before and was shocked at the reaction kids (like them) had. They caused more problems than they were worth. I am glad I never had to teach using them.
I am a pretty solid child of the 90s (graduated '02) and I don't recall anything like these. There were consequences and such, but I only learned of these things in college, a semester off hired by my uncle as a nanny. My little cousin would come from school with some information regarding colors... I thought it was odd then. I actually have no qualms about classroom embarrassment on those things (I figure if you were being a beast, yes, everyone knows it). My issue is they waste my time and don't change behavior. Most kids don't really clip down to any significant color or frequency, so that means the charts are about the kids on red all the time. Which means they probably need personalized behavior tracking.
Yes, I remember the year I 1st saw them was 2000. The total beasts wouldn't even be embarrassed (lol). They just went from 0 to 100 in seconds flat. I did not understand their usefulness at all.
Yay, I am not a fan of clip charts. It's more effective to focus on relationships, and give natural and logical consequences.
I worked with a teacher who hung on what came home with her child each day - it would always be discussed and dissected. I just shook my head then, and I am grateful that they "weren't a thing" when my child was in school.
We got a note my kid punched someone-- we discussed that, yes. I don't care if my first grader wasn't walking correctly in the hall. I mean, I do, but do I have to be notified?
This makes me feel a lot better about my classroom management. I've never liked clip charts, and even when I've had them (CT when student teaching + my co-teacher last year), I never used them. This year we have a super improver chart based on whole-brain teaching, but even that has fallen by the wayside over the past couple weeks. I just forget to give rewards! My first year was a struggle, but I feel like I did ok with management looking back. I had (and still have) pretty good relationships with my students. I had a few high-fliers in terms of behavior, but we had BIST in the building for those kids and it worked well for the ones who really needed that discipline structure. I never needed anything other than calling home or taking a few minutes off recess for the rest. I feel like there's this pressure to have a "System" in place for behavior management, when really so many behaviors can be mitigated with clear expectations, relationships, and logical consequences on a case-by-case basis.
I wonder if it's part of the whole data love. We document everything, look for patterns in everything... is it any surprise it slid over to behavior? And while I think most would agree that any behavior tracking tool is just that--a tool-- these systems seem to fulfill that need to "prove" we are watching things.
I'm a 90s baby and my 4th grade teacher used the “card system” @Loomistrout mentioned above and even now as an adult I still feel lots of negative emotions towards that teacher for many reasons but that pocket chart full of cards was one of them. Public humiliation does not create a safe learning environment and as everyone has stated it does not improve behavior. All it did for me was ruin my already non-existent self-esteem as a student and what made it worse was that I was never told what I did wrong I was just roared at to turn my card. I wasn't a problem student I never got past a warning but I guess that teacher sure loved to pick on me. Anyways, behavior management classes at my college teach students to not use those card systems, or clip charts (even the "kinder" ones that allow students to start in the middle then move down or back up as the day progresses). PBIS is what research has proven to be most effective when dealing with behavior issues and in my experience it was true.
I'm not a fan of the big loud PBIS systems some schools do, but I've recently found myself appreciating the focus on a few specific traits. I think the goal of any behavior system should be to eventually not need it. Training on a few things and moving on seems the way to go.
Jammy, I am sorry your teacher made you feel so bad in 4th grade. I think most people had a teacher or 2 who were not the kindest people on this Earth. Anyways, I hope this tone comes through to you OK...I had to smile thinking I was a child of the 60's and teachers used rulers back then. There was a 4th grade teacher who would hit your knuckles with her ruler if your penmanship was not slanted at the correct angle. I had the most beautiful penmanship that you can imagine for years. I lost it after No Child Left Behind. I had to write too much too fast! ( Brainstorming, modeling) Anyways, we don't even teach cursive up here anymore. 1 thing I learned from that experience was that I really never wanted to be like that!
