Record-Keeping Systems for Student Behavior

Daily records help you administer short-term consequences.

Students don't give a hoot in hades about long-term consequeces. We have all heard teachers deliver brilliant oratories about the benefits which students will reap from diligent study, and we have all seen those words go in one ear and out the other.

Daily records help check against sexual discrimination.

When I meet a class for the first time, I sometimes expect the girls to behave and the boys to misbehave.

But when I keep close count, I usually find several kids listed in all four permutations.

Daily records help check against racial discrimination.

When I meet an integrated class for the first time, I sometimes expect the White kids to behave and the Black kids to misbehave.

Here again, I usually find several kids listed in all four permutations.

Do you wish to administer rewards or negative consequences on a daily basis? If so, then you might need a system for recording students' behavior on a daily basis.

Now for three systems:

Each bad student signs the book.

I learned this system while working as a teaching assistant. Here's how it works:

Keep a notebook on a table in the front of the room. Tell any misbehaving student to sign that notebook after the first offense or add a check mark after each subsequent offense.

Here are some disadvantages:

- Some students abuse the system. A misbehaving student might go to the table and only go through the motions. I have also known a student who was fond of forging signatures of classmates whom he wanted to get even with.

- The spotlight is on the downside rather than the upside. One misbehaving student decided that he might as well open up a savings account. So he added 8 check marks to serve for his next 8 offenses. And here I was hoping - and I thought he was hoping - that there wouldn't be 8 more offenses!

Each good student signs the blackboard.

I learned this system during student teaching. Here's how it works:

During study time, scan the room for students who are being studious. Give those students permission to write their names on the board.

Here are some disadvantages:

- Isn't the object to get students engrossed in their work? Then it is self-defeating to interrupt students who are engrossed in their work!

- The approach isn't as positive as it may seem at first glance. Aren't you hoping that all 25 students will behave? If you succeed, then you will either have to (a) reinforce only those who behave well for the longest time, thereby neglecting to reinforce the others, or (b) reinforce all 25 students, thereby creating a stampede of 25 students going up to the blackboard.

The copyright of the article Record-Keeping Systems for Student Behavior in Classroom Discipline is owned by Thomas Robertson. Permission to republish Record-Keeping Systems for Student Behavior in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic