When I first started teaching, our school was a PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports) school. I used our school PBIS motto: Respect, Achieve, My Personal Best (RAM) as a basis for the expectations in my classroom. Coupled with PBIS, I have implemented different systems to encourage positive behaviors in class. I always use whole class and individual systems.
Whole Class
Behavior Bingo
Behavior Bingo has been a great way for me to reward the whole class for expected behavior. The set-up is a 100 chart and little squares with 1-100 written on them. Whenever I observe the class following RAM expectations, I pull a small square and color in the corresponding square. Once all 10 squares in a row are colored in the whole class gets a reward.
I used to have the class brainstorm and vote on the reward. I found too often that students would get upset and it took a lot of time to collect and vote on ideas. A co-worker gave me the great idea of having everyone write down an idea and saving all the ideas in a special box. Whenever we get our bingo, I randomly pull an idea out of the box. This way, everyone’s idea feels like a possibility.
Individual
Behavior Punch Card
On an individual basis, each student gets a punch card with 20 spaces for punches. When I see a student showing exceptional RAM expectations, I use a hole punch to punch their card. Rewards are attached to these punches and are outlined below.
Reward Board
My students LOVE the reward board. Every time a student fills out their punch card, they get to pick a mystery reward from the board. The rewards are simple, non-expensive ways to say, “Hey, thanks for doing a great job in class.” Fan favorites include lunch with the teacher and pick the next brain break.
Brag Tags
Brag tags are something that I saw all over the internet, and decided to give a try. The idea is simple, but effective. Every student gets a ring with a tag that has their name on it. Throughout the year, students earn tags to add to their ring for showing positive RAM expectations. Students love to earn and collect them. It’s a simple way to keep students motivated to follow expectations. Tags include things like “Caught BEE-ing Helpful”, “Dino-mite Participation”, “Taco-bout Great Work”, etc. I have since changed the name to Swag tags.