Behavior in Our Classroom

Our classroom discipline is a combination of APL (practical training for desired behaviors with retraining) and a Behavior Clip Chart.  At the beginning of the year, we "attend" a "Behavior Boot Camp" where desired behavior is specifically taught and practiced.  We can not assume that students know how to sit in their seats and listen to the speaker.  So, we teach them!  Each desired behavior has a task analysis connected to it (the steps it takes to perform the behavior effectively) and, when retraining, students are asked to recall these steps and show the adult what it looks like (ie sit in your seat, stand in line, listen to the speaker, etc.)  Here is the clip chart that we use:

Thank you, Pinterest, and all of the teachers who have created and tweaked this clip chart to make it what it is today.

If your child talks about "moving their clip," now you know what they're talking about!

When students exhibit undesirable behavior, they move their clip down.  Conversely, when student make good choices and exhibit desirable behavior, they move their clip up.  This immediate feedback for behavior falls in line perfectly with APL in that it is non-confrontational and re-directive.  Students continue to move their clips up and down the chart all day.  Rewards change frequently.  Sometimes we have punch cards that, when filled, reap benefits such as free books or special time with the teacher.  Other times, "purple cards" are used for immediate feedback and students get special prizes for good behavior.

It doesn't happen very often, but some unfortunate soul inevitably makes it to the "Parent Contact"/red portion of the chart for making a series of poor choices! If this happens, we fill out a Parent Contact form that outlines the choices made, the corrective behavior we have discussed, and asks parents to sign and return.  It looks like this:

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If you have any questions or comments regarding your child's behavior, please contact me at choffart@esu1.org or call the school at (402)287-9892.