Bright Ideas {Class Dojo for Center Management}

I'm so excited to be sharing another Bright Idea with you all but I've got to say, I can't take credit for this one at all!!!            
                                               

I'm sure most of you have heard of Class Dojo and maybe some of you have even used it...but do you really know how awesome, fantastic, and terrific this free classroom management tool really is???

                                                   

No, seriously!?!?!

It is A-MA-ZING!!!

You see, I've taught for 13 years now and classroom management has always been my strength.  I've had lots of different types of kiddos through the years and have used various plans and strategies to successfully manage them.  And then this year I got a totally different crop of sweeties.  So I was forced to reconsider the way I did things.  The main management issue that I was having seemed to occur during center time.  Early in the year I mentioned it to my principal and he said, "You should check out that Dojo thing that Miss B is trying."  Well I'm an action kind of gal so that night I created an account and set things up.  It couldn't have been easier and I just have to tell y'all...it truly saved my center time!  My kiddos are so engaged, on task, and productive and it's really all due to Class Dojo!

Basically, it's a system that rewards points for positive behaviors and inappropriate ones.  You can customize behaviors and tailor it for your class and their needs.

 I award points on my iPad mini and I keep this screen up on the SMARTBoard.  I also keep the sound up so that when some receives a point they hear a little ding and when a point is taken away it's a little dong, haha! (My kids don't miss a beat when they hear the sound but it could be distracting for some...just a little FYI!)

 There are other helpful features like behavior reports, which show the frequency of behaviors.  You can print and share reports with parents.  They can sign up to receive updates from Dojo too!  Plus this is great data to use in conferences, SST meetings, etc.

 Just to try to further motivate my kiddos, our top point earner (sometimes there is a tie) gets to wear this necklace around school.  It gets lots of high fives and congrats from other teachers in the hall!

And the top point earners get their picture posted on the Class Dojo Star poster (nothing fancy but they LOVE it!!!)

So if you're looking for something to to help you make it through the last weeks of school (we're down to 16 days...happy dance) or if you're already thinking about next year, please check out Class Dojo.  I promise it is worth it!!!

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