I know that positive peer pressure can be great in a classroom and my hope was that the students would remind each other to follow the rules to earn points on the scoreboard. But my students have started to call out each other rudely in class and it is causing more problems than it is helping. Now a student feels like everyone hates him or gets mad at others when they remind him to follow the rules. I have talked about how to politely remind peers, but just telling them hasn't helped. What should I do when this happens again? Do you have any suggestions how I can improve our class unity and make kids feel more like one team?

Thanks for your help.

mipson;

I'm sure that some others will hop on in with a suggestion or two, but here are my thoughts....

First, your students should not be shouting out rule reminders to anyone. It should be led by you, chosen by you, at a time, tone, and volume chosen by you. If you want to remind the class of the rule, just call out, "Rule #" and have the kids reply with the rest of the prompt. It sounds like your class is now looking to add to the disruption by calling out the rule reminder and therefore, feel they shouldn't be corrected themselves! Wrong! I would suggest going back in Monday and stating that it is you, and only you, who is the rule reminder. Anyone shouting out rule reminders other than you will earn you, the teacher, a point on the scoreboard. Also remind them that your classroom is to be a positive experience/environment for everyone and any member who does not honor that idea, is themselves, a rule breaker (Rule above all rules: Respect Everyone!) and may need practice of THAT rule!

Second, is it truly just one student who is breaking the rule(s) all the time? If so, how long have you been using the Scoreboard only? What grade? It may be time to break out the practice cards and give those particular rule breakers an opportunity to practice the rule(s). Do you feel that this is deliberate rule breaking? If not, practice is definitely the way to go (and even if it is deliberate, I'd try practice cards first before going the next step...)

Third, I'd suggest you try to meet with the rule-breaking/offended student(s) outside of class time and talk to them about their feelings, their perspective of the "problem", and what you, as their caring teacher, can do to help them be more successful with the rules. Let them know you are on their side, you know they can succeed, and you are there to help them do it. You will be amazed how much a listening ear, an open door policy, and a little compassion and grace will impact your students, at least it seems to work for mine (inner city, disadvantaged, single parent home, troubled MS youth). You may find out very helpful information as a result of your friendly conversation with these kids - perhaps a seat change is in order, there are other students who set the offender up to fail (through negative comments etc), or there are other issues you didn't know about previously.

Fourth, remember this: WBT is all about the long-term big picture. Yes, you need to know, understand, and even respond to the daily details (like this situation), but you also need to keep in mind the big picture. Keep doing what you are doing. Re-read the WBT materials, read the additional information here on the forum, and remember that with WBT, you have all the information and strategies you need to be successful. Hang in there, and keep us up to date with how it's going in your classroom.

Esnover has very good suggestions, as always.

The problem may be that you are misusing the Scoreboard. We never make marks as a reaction to individual behavior, unless that behavior is positive (and that is a rare use of the Scoreboard.) Instead, you point out general misbehavior ... "oh, I've got several students who are not on task" or "Too many students are talking to their neighbor" It should never be possible for students to know who is causing the negative marks ... because we want to avoid the situation yo describe. In addition, if students are calling out and criticizing anyone ... that, in itself, is breaking a rule ... rule 2, 4 and 5. To stop this, have students practice the wrong way to respond when you make a negative mark ... "I'm going to put a mark under the Frownie side ... and I want you to pretend like it is the imaginary student Johnny who is causing the problem. Say things to Johnny that you really wouldn't say ..." Then congratulate them on excellent negative behavior and then practice the positive behavior you want. So, to sum up, use the Scoreboard for group behavior and practice the negative behavior that you want avoided ... if you have negative individual behavior, and have been using the Scoreboard for at least a month ... then go to the practice cards to target individuals ... see "Levels" above and the "free downloads."

Thanks for your suggestions. I do try to just mark a "Frownie" when there are several students misbehaving, but sometimes when several people are talking, the whole class knows who those several students are. I think that I will practice role playing with my students. I also do need to talk one on one with some students. I will see how this next week goes! Thank you.

Hope you had a great week. I have found that it is hardest for me to change my own behavior! I have had the experience that you are having. When I took a look at what I was doing, I realized that I focused too much on the negative. I needed to reward more frequently so that the frownies became more frequent and not as "harsh". Explain to the class that the frownie is a reminder that we need to practice more! My biggest mistake is when I do not put enough points on the board. The class becomes focused too much on the game and I become way too frustrated.

One way to encourage the behavior that you want is to comment on the students who are doing things "right". Give a smilie for that behavior and if too many students are still not following your rules, rebound with a frownie Sometimes a "double whammy" helps these students get with the program.