A Classroom Management Tool That You Can "Count" On!
I'm not really sure what this thing is. It is some sort of a clicking counter that I occasionally use when I have a student that is having some major issues with blurting out. I use this counter to measure actual data to see if behavior modifications are successful. It is also much better to cite actual data rather than to say a student is constantly interrupting when discussing behavior with parents or administrators. I added a sticker to it and dubbed it the "Yacker Tracker".
I now know that this is called a handheld click counter and can be picked up for anywhere between $2 and $10 on Amazon. At the time I wrote that old post, it was just a tool that I used occasionally to collect behavior data. I never announced to the class that I was using it or what it was for. I just wanted to avoid conversations about behavior that contained judgement. I wanted to keep to data and facts.
Undercover Boss
- A student will be the Undercover Boss each day.
- I will select a target behavior and write it on the board.
- I will secretly tell the Undercover Boss who the mystery student is.
- The Undercover Boss will use the click counter to count the targeted behaviors of the mystery student.
We did announce who the mystery student was at the end of class. You may want to do that in a private conversation, but for us there was no consequence, or trouble involved with the game so it felt like it was fine to just say who the mystery student was. I did not choose a student that was having a hard time with the target behavior for the first time. I don't think it even matters which student you choose because the fact that it is a mystery makes all of the students pay more attention to their behavior. They were helping each other out with reminders as well, which was awesome. I spent no time talking about behaviors which made me a very happy teacher.