Behavior charts have been around for a long time.
When I was a kid, behavior charts showed up in two forms. One was the graph that hung on the classroom wall that displayed our gold stars. The other was more impromptu: having your name written on the chalkboard for poor behavior, followed by up to three check marks for continued poor behavior.
When I became a teacher, behavior charts took the form of a pocket chart with rectangles made from colored cardstock. The most basic form included green for good behavior, yellow for one transgression, and red for more than one transgression. Variations on this type of chart can include blue, orange, and other colors to allow students a greater number of transgressions before they receive serious consequences. Another variation is to allow students to earn their way back toward the green card.
I used behavior charts during my first three years of teaching. (After all, who can resist a pocket chart?) Here are some things I observed:
Behavior charts are public. They can be seen by every student in the room, which can expose students who struggle regularly with their behavior to ridicule, shame, or embarrassment.
Behavior charts (usually) discourage improved behavior. When teachers use behavior charts in the typical way, students do not have the opportunity to recover card colors with desirable behavior. Students who know they are going to face consequences that they cannot avoid will feel unsafe, and their attitudes will deteriorate. This leads to more poor behavior.
Behavior charts emphasize compliance. They are usually hung in a place of prominence in the classroom, easily reachable by both teacher and students. Consequently, student and teacher attention is frequently focused on them, which means students are looking at a chart showing each student and their consequences for poor behavior that day. Students may try to avoid poor behavior in order to avoid consequences, teaching them that compliant behavior is highly valued.
Behavior charts take valuable time away from teaching. While poor behavior takes time away from teaching, changing a student’s card on the behavior chart takes additional time. It also puts additional focus on the student and the poor behavior, increasing the shame and embarrassment the student feels.
The goal of behavior charts is to control student behavior using external consequences, mainly fear of punishment and public shame. They pit teacher against student. Many teachers feel that this is the only way to address poor student behavior.
But there is a better way.
We can teach our students to control their own behavior, virtually eliminating the need for behavior charts. We can eliminate the presence of fear and shame in our classrooms. We can increase student engagement. Our classrooms can be a source of joy.
Join the Classroom Management Revolution.
The Classroom Management Revolution is classroom management coaching for teachers. It is a six-month program where I teach you the tools to help your students learn self-control and help you discover the joy of teaching.
Join me for a free information session about The Classroom Management Revolution on Saturday, February 21 at 2:00 p.m. EST or Saturday, February 28 at 2:00 p.m. EST (or both!)
The Revolution begins March 1.
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