Student Contributor: A. Williams
When you notice groups of students staying on task or not you can add or remove points. If they reach a certain amount they get a small celebration reward.
-teams of 4 are optimal because it’s two partnerships. Also, it’s small enough where everyone is accountable, but big enough that there’s not too much pressure on any one student.
-the teams have their desks together and sit together when other grouping is not in place.
-teams work together to earn points.
-the points are recorded on the board or on a chart so everyone can see them .
-only the teacher can award team points. However, I can invite another teacher to give their opinion on which team/s have earned points. This keeps other teachers from completely taking over your own system, but allows for some continuity.
-the team with the most points at the end wins a prize. If it’s really close, I might award two teams. Or, if one team staged a huge comeback, I sometimes reward them for turning the ship around.
-immediately after the winners have been named, move the students into new teams.
-the winning team is responsible for erasing all of the previous points from the chart. That way, it’s ready for a fresh start.
I believe this is a supportive stage strategy. I am rewarding points to encourage positive behaviors and showing what behaviors don't receive points nonverbally. I think this fits with the theory of Collaborative & Teacher Directed but leans more towards teacher directed. The teacher with some collaboration with students and other teachers, give out the points to the teams.
More Information –
Tool Source: Mentor teacher
https://teachthinkelementary.blog/team-points-for-classroom-management/
This Preventative tool had a positive impact on the students in my placement. There are 23 students in the third-grade class at my placement school. The neighborhood where the school is located is primarily suburban. My mentor teacher and I implemented this tool in the middle of the EWU quarter. We decided that this tool could be successfully implemented because the students were having a hard time working together and staying silent during instruction times. This tool allowed the students to take responsibility for their actions. They would work together to keep each other focused and stay on track. This tool also helped the students focus on their own behaviors. They would regulate themselves before blurting out or getting too distracted. Keeping track of group points really benefited the students. We kept a tally on the board so the class could see how they were doing, when they would lose a point, they would regroup with themselves and work harder to stay on track. Some adjustments had to be made for students who have a more difficult time staying focused, but even with the modifications all of the students really stepped up to this management strategy. This tool would be used for a month at a time. Every month the students would be able to move their seats and decide where the next best fit for their learning would be. Once the end of the month hit, the group with the most points would decide on a simple prize, and then move their seats with the rest of the class. During read- aloud the following day, the students who were in the winning group would receive their reward and could strategize with their new group on how they earned the most points. I was thoroughly surprised at how well the students took to this tool. My mentor and I plan on using this tool for the rest of the year!