Educating Joy: Class Dojo, U-Bucks, Coupons

Monday, May 4, 2015

Class Dojo, U-Bucks, Coupons - Classroom Behavior System

I try my best to make sure that our classroom is a positive, safe, and fun learning environment. I track students' behavior using ClassDojo. Each student has a profile, complete with their own changeable avatar, and I give positive points to students throughout the day. Points are earned for behaviors such as completing an assignment, staying on task, using kind words, helping others, using the appropriate voice level, having Whole Body Listening, following directions, and having a positive attitude. To this day the class has earned more than 12,000 positive points on ClassDojo!

Negative points can be given as well, but I don't use them much unless the infraction is pretty serious or a child has been warned of their behavior. Of all points given this school year, only 1.3% were negative. We do use a quiet section of the room called "Australia" that we named after reading Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. "Australia" is not a time-out corner, but a place to take a break (the kids use sand timers to track their time), hug the Cheer-up Chicken, talk to the Tattling Turtle, write a note of apology, or reflect on decisions made.

Another great thing about ClassDojo is that it is in real-time. Parents can log on using the website or app and check in on their child anytime during the day to see how they are doing. Reports are also emailed to parents on a weekly basis.

For each point earned, students receive a U-Buck. Students save their U-bucks to purchase coupons. Coupons are like gold in the class as they allow students special privileges. Coupons include the following:

Cool Cat in a Hat

Lunch with a Bud

No Homework

Stinky Feet

Show and Share

Super-Duper Supplies

Line Jumper

Pet Shop

One coupon costs 50 U-bucks. On average, children earn enough to purchase 1-2 coupons a week. By the end of the year, a majority of students also become experts at counting currency!