Classroom Management
In theory, I oppose classroom behavior charts–that is, until I need a quick fix to correct and document poor behavior. You see, it’s complicated.
Some teachers are fierce advocates of behavior charts. Others see them as the modern-day version of the dunce cap. However, like me, I think most teachers have a complicated relationship with systems like clip charts and green-yellow-red charts. We don’t love them, but they work (sometimes), and we’ve got to have some way to control and correct unwanted behaviors. But what’s the deal? Are they effective, or are they harmful?
When it comes to classroom management, there are silver no bullets and no one-size-fits-all answers. But as with all things in education, the best decisions are ones that are thoughtful and well-informed. To that end, let’s examine the pros and cons of classroom behavior charts.
Pros
1. Behavior charts can help children monitor their own actions.
Children are naturally impulsive. Today a student told me he “accidentally” roundhouse kicked my storytime chair. I explained to him that there is a difference between an accident and being impulsive. An accident is when you did not mean for something to happen. Impulsivity is meaning for something to happen but not taking time to think about the consequences.
Classroom management charts give students a chance to think about their actions. Done right, they serve as a teachable moment for the whole class. Instead of using them as a punishment, teachers can use behavior charts as reminders. “You did not think before you roundhouse kicked my storytime chair. I am going to put you on yellow because yellow means slow down, and I want you to slow down and think so that you make a better choice next time.”
Children who stay on green can be praised or rewarded for using good decision-making skills all day. Students who find themselves on red clearly need some extra help from mom and dad to help them make better decisions, so a note home or a phone call will be necessary. The key is using these charts to guide, not punish, students. Albeit, missing out on a reward or getting a note home will feel like a punishment to most students.
2. Behavior charts give clear, simple warnings.
Behavior charts could also be called warning charts because, under most systems, students are given two or three warnings before there are any consequences for their actions. This is age-appropriate and fair. These kinds of charts allow teachers a simple way to warn students about unwanted behaviors and to keep those warnings visible to both the teacher and the student throughout the day. This eliminates arguments and guesswork. The student doesn’t have to wonder how much farther he can push it because he knows exactly what will happen if he misbehaves again–he can see when enough will be enough. And the teacher doesn’t have to wonder just how many times she has told her student to stop talking because she can see she has told her twice already.
3. Behavior charts work.
Student behavior is at an all-time low. The kids are out of control, which sometimes makes teaching impossible. And that isn’t fair to the children who are behaving and eager to learn and who are missing instruction time due to disruptive behaviors. So, while, perhaps they aren’t ideal, the main reason teachers use behavior charts is that they work–at least most of the time. Often all it takes is a simple, “I will clip you down…” to put a stop to unwanted behaviors. That’s a powerful tool for restoring order, and that is in everyone’s best interest.
Cons
1. They can be shaming.
Probably the biggest argument against behavior charts is that some people feel like they publicly shame students. That’s a valid concern. I’ve seen kids forced to wear a red, yellow, or green card around their neck at the end of the day to indicate to mom and dad (and everyone else in the car-rider line or at the bus stop) how that child behaved during the day. Even when kept to the classroom, some kids are ultra-sensitive about being singled out or about having to make the “walk of shame” to the chart to clip down. For some kids, this kind of public humiliation can cause anxiety which makes school a place of discomfort and learning difficult. Even for children who tend to behave, the fear of their teacher clipping them down or moving them to yellow might cause significant anxiety.
2. They might have the opposite effect.
Then there are those children (sadly, even very young ones) who revel in the attention of getting called out–for any reason. They strut to the board and proudly clip down like they are being given the medal of honor. This not only rewards their bad behavior but might cause other students to seek out the same kind of negative attention.
3. Behavior charts are often a short-term solution to a long-term problem.
In some cases, it might be unclear whether a behavior chart is changing an unwanted behavior or just stopping it for the moment. Do they teach good habits and decision-making skills or merely shame kids into temporary cooperation? What’s more, if a child’s issues stem from emotional struggles or a lack of maturity, or if a child is a neuro-diverse learner, behavior charts may not address the root issues. A teacher may gain control over her class momentarily without teaching good habits and lasting lessons in self-control that will ultimately benefit her and her students more.
Once a staple in elementary classrooms, educators are calling behavior charts into question. What makes them so complex is that they often work well for controlling classroom behavior–something teachers desperately need and students deserve. On the other hand, they might also cause some students anxiety, making learning difficult, and perhaps not even having a long-term effect on student behavior.
Unfortunately, there are no easy answers and few things that work for every kid in every situation. The good news is that teachers and teaching systems do not have to be perfect. As long as students know they are loved and that their teacher’s ultimate goal is their academic and emotional well-being, and as long as teachers are sensitive to students with deeper issues, classrooms will always be a place of growth, respect, and learning–even if that sometimes happens imperfectly.
