Class Dojo, is a superb online behaviour management system. It allows you to create your own class and award each child points based on their behaviour. Signing up to this site, takes 5 minutes and from the demonstration it is very easy and simple to use.
Once registered I could create my own class and for the purpose of this demonstration have used false names, for a Year 1 class, as I may use this on Final Professional Placement (FPP) and thought it was a good idea to test out! You can input the names of all the children in the class onto the system where they will remain throughout the year. From the picture below, you can see I have awarded a point to Anthony and to Emma for their hard work. This system is a very engaging and interactive way of maintaining classroom behaviour. To award the point I just clicked on the child's name and chose the reason for giving them a point. I would show my class the different ways of earning points as it is an excellent way of reminding them of how to behave in the classroom. I would also create a set of rules with my class to enable them to suggest ways in which points should be earned.
Similarly, in terms of sanctions, children can have points deducted from their total if they behave in an inappropriate manner. Again personally, I would give children a warning before deducting any points in order to give them a chance to rectify their behaviour.
I found that I could click on a pupil in the class and see their progress throughout the week, displaying how many positive points earned and how many negative. This gives the class a breakdown of each pupil, and also can be applied to Mathematical skills, for example Data Handling.
I also discovered that reports would be automatically e-mailed to parents every Friday. This is an extra feature of Dojo and allows parents to see children's progress in school.
Overall, Class Dojo is an excellent tool. It can be operated using an iPhone or iPad and allows me (as the teacher) to be with the children and not at the keyboard! As a teacher it can often be difficult to provide individual feedback to a child's parents or carers on a daily basis. This software allows parents/carers to keep track of their child's progress and reward where appropriate.
My only issue with the software is that it doesn't allow for those families who do not have access to a computer. My suggestion for this would be an easy way of printing the weekly points awarded so each parent/carer is given an equal opportunity to view their child's progress. I also didn't come across any certificates to award the children for their good behaviour. I would do this with the following certificate created below. This would have a "Little Monster of the Week" and the reason why they were revealing the award.
My only issue with the software is that it doesn't allow for those families who do not have access to a computer. My suggestion for this would be an easy way of printing the weekly points awarded so each parent/carer is given an equal opportunity to view their child's progress. I also didn't come across any certificates to award the children for their good behaviour. I would do this with the following certificate created below. This would have a "Little Monster of the Week" and the reason why they were revealing the award.
To find out further information about Class Dojo, I will try and implement this on my final teaching practice.