Student Contributor: R Markofski
This tool is a great way to create a community that supports each other and teaches social emotional skills for our students future. The tool is a jar that is used to shout out fellow students who are showing character traits that should be celebrated.
This tool is used to shout out students who are doing great things on a day to day basis. Here is how it works: We have a mason jar in the front of the classroom filled with slips of paper. Students add to this collection by recognizing their fellow students who are showing traits like respect, gratitude, humor, caring, etc.. and then writing the name of the student they would like to recognize on the slip. Students are given time to read through their slips during breakfast everyday. This idea was created by our students and made for a great way for students to feel cared about by their peers and teacher.
I put this tool into the supportive phase because students are supporting their follow peers by recognizing their character traits/actions. This servers as a form of motivation to continue acting kindly in the future without being a reward because no on expects to get a slip every time they do something kind, but it adds reassurance their kindness doesn't go unnoticed. This also ties into corrective because students can be reminded when they are speaking inappropriately of their peers "Is that something you would want to read on a respect jar slip?, or was it unkind?" This allows for students to correct their behavior along the way. The theory of influence this relates to is student directed. This is because students are the ones who add to the jar and the ones who read the slips from the jar. As the teacher I simply gave the expectations and they directed everything else about it.
More Information –
Tool Source: This idea came from a discussion we had after reading "The Name Jar" in my placement classroom.
