After watching the videos I have noticed that the response for scoreboard time is rather quick. I have fidgity kinders and we would be bouncing back and forth I feel too much. I give them a reasonable "wait" time, I now say wait for it (as I make a smile or frown, especially a frown becasue instead of mighty groan I get NO,NO, NO)!

I have a few (star) students who push it to the limit, and while I wait they will most often finally pull it toghether so we get a smile.

Bottom line is I feel I correct to many things in between smiles and frowns and feel that I a doing it wrong.

Annette:blush:

Annette,
If you feel like they need positives but are giving you negative behavior, rather than waiting for it, and allowing them to 'fix it' before you put the point on the sad side, just put the saddy-face mark on the board and THEN ask them if they'd like to practice it the right way...thus allowing you to put a happy-face mark on the board to balance it out AND giving them the opportunity to practice it correctly. Then they know you're serious, because you're actually putting the sad-face mark on the board, so it should cut down on some of the 'push you to the last moment' behaviors, and you're engaging that pleasure-pain, pleasure-pain that's just one more part of the brain you're engaging!
Here's a really good demonstration that Andrea wrote last week:

Hey All, I think we hit a kindergarten inroad with WBT. I moved from practice to the scoreboard is "on" and they new when to earn those smilies.

I also tried moving faster, from the smiles to frowns using the practice model all of you suggested. They seemed to really have a better understanding. The only thing I still have difficulty with is they (especially the star students I mentioned before) get upset and verbalize it even before I get to the frownie board with a loud NO NO! But we are doing much better - one family picked up their little one who has cried since day one and everyone gave her a 10 finger wooo for her good day note- oh yeah

Annette

I wonder if there's a way to be more subtle about it, so that it just 'happens' before they realize it? Can you keep the marker on you, like in a pocket, or wear a cute little apron or something so you have a pocket....then when you are going to put a frownie point you have already whipped out your marker and swiped a point on it before you say anything about it, so all they really have a chance to do is a mighty groan? (P.s. the new "clickable" Expo markers are good for that, because the big arm movement of removing the cap is gone. I just whip it out, click it with my thumb, and the point is on the board before they know what hit them!)

Or... you could somehow train them that if chaos ensues while you're on your way to the board.... then a frownie point will have to go on for that, too! That way they learn to definitely NOT give the NO NO NO!s.....

OR...to make it more positive...start giving them recognition for NOT doing the NO NO NO!s...for instance, if you give a saddy point, and then you point to the class to give them the cue, and they give you a big-shouldered, Mighty Groan...you could always give them a smiley point for how well they waited for your cue and for how Mighty their Groan was, or how BIG they lifted their shoulders...
That way you're pointing out when they do it correctly. Probably a mix of both, some frownies for doing it and some smileys for NOT doing it..will help nip that in the bud.