I started using WBT 4 weeks ago and began using the scoreboard, it has been working well for my alphas, follow alongs and even most of my fence sitters, but the challenging students were still the cause of the frownies, so I moved to level two and introduced white practice cards this past week.

The kids have been good about staying in at recess to practice for 2 minutes and most parents have signed any notes that have gone home, but I have one parent who apparently thinks its a load of rubbish (or so I've heard from other students in the class).

I think I need to explain the strategy more to parents, and was looking for advice of what to say, or even better if anyone has a letter they sent to parents that they would like to share with me.

Thanks for you help in advance.

Hi,

Did you download the free ebook about practice cards? I believe there is a parent letter included in that book that may help you. (My copy is at school, packed up for the summer so I can't double check without going to the downoads, but I'm pretty sure I remember one. I know there is a version for you to send home that the parent signs when a student has to stay in to practice the rule and one that you send home when they have done well.) Check out the download if you haven't yet. Maybe it will have what you need.

Good luck!

Susan

Thanks for the tip slfloyd. I had downloaded the e-book, and like you mentioned they have the letters you send home for white and purple cards but unfortunately not one introducing the idea to parents.

I think there is a letter to introduce WBT and the methods to the parents. The way I would do it if you only have a single parent issue is to ask them to come in for a quick meeting and explain or show them using WBT how effective it can be. Show them that it isn't a punishment to make the students repeart and act out the rules, but an effective way to help them engrain the rules in their brain. You could also write a letter, but in my experience a skeptical parent will easily be won over by progress. At my school, I can also invite the parent to come watch a lesson. In China, the parents grasp onto WBT and love when their children can bring it home.

Jon

Dear P 6 and anyone else, as I always say I am no expert, but-I think you may want to give the score board a little more time. You said you started 4 weeks ago. Here is my experience. I gave the score board at least 3 months and worked that "challenging" group until their peers worked on them for me.

To tell you the truth, I have used ONLY the scoreboard all year, I have one particular student who is impervious. He is what WBT calls an independent. He has a Little group of followers who had to be independents and now want nothing to do with his antics.

Read the downloadable E book and check out the steps, you may want to NOT jump to practice cards so fast. But always remember it is your classroom and what worked for me may not work for you.

Keep in touch so we know how things go

I agree with Annette about giving the scoreboard more time. I guess I glanced over the 4 weeks time. I made the mistake in my first class of introducing the practice cards to early. The students didn't really understand WBT yet and weren't ready. I took it away and most of the class got better as the year went on. I brought it back in our second semester for a few students that had trouble with rules 2 and 3. The kids were much more receptive towards the end of the year and understood it much better.

Hey Annette,

Can you explain a little more about your Independent group and what you did to fix the situation? I would love to not have to use Practice Cards next year!

Liann

I tried practice cards when I thought I had WBT down. Took me 2 days to know that you must really have the scoreboard internalized in the entire classroom as a whole group.

Key word here is "thought", my students did not have a clear understanding that it took all of them even the independent ones.

So I made up a reason to skip cards and we went back to pure scoreboard. Those not helping with the scoreboard got 3 strikes. They then became an independent. I used the directions in chapter 18 of the E download. They were in a group by themselves and had to sit on an island off the normal carpet space. It was hilarious for about a day. Then the boys decided that was not fun, and left poor El Supremo by himself. He is still by himself. The boys are now engaged in earning and he only earns on his own scoreboard, with practice tickets and missed games, recess and fun activity time here and there. We will probably be the one child on his own until the end of the school year.

As for the others, we have not had any practice cards. I simply have to say "do we need to start our practice system" and I get a 99% no way. They work together to keep just the scoreboard (with lots of incentives from me of course. Oh boy mind soccer).

Annette

Thanks Annette,

that makes a lot of sense. I think I probably needed to keep using the scoreboard for longer, I guess I just wanted to try the next level out before the end of the school year, to make sure I wanted to use this management strategy full time next year.

I think I jumped to Practice cards, because I couldn't repremand individual students using the scoreboard, and I don't always remember to reinforce using the rules. We practice them at least one a day, but when it comes to a behaviour issue with a child often I still slip into the bad habit of reprimanding rather than reinforcing.

Do you think moving straight from the scoreboard to having individual groups worked better than doing the in between scoreboard levels of practice cards and guff counter?
Since using the practice cards, its the same 3 or 4 earning them, but they don't really seem to mind having to take a note home to parents (little accountability/support at home).

P6_teacher

Hi P~6 teacher~ I absolutely agree with sticking to the scoreboard and utilizing that longer. Remember that YOU are in control of the game~ and a big part of keeping the motivation going is by ping ponging them back and forth on the board. They should not know what is coming. The key is to not become predictable and "always" reward a certain way. Keep them on their toes. There are also other fun scoreboard tweaks you can do to change it up during the school year (students vs. teachers, boys vs. girls, fast vs. slow, etc). I encourage you to watch the Webinar that focused on Scoreboard strategies~ because as we always say~ it is a LONG year!
However, after you have being using the scoreboard and you are getting about 80~90% your students actively engaged and following the rules, that is about the time to incorporate the practice cards. You are right about the "practice" rather than "scold" mentality. Which is why the practice cards work so well with students that need just a little bit of "extra practice".
When it comes to parents~ I tell them about our management system at back to school night. I inform them that during the first few weeks of school we will be practicing how to follow rules and routines. I also explain to them that after we have had adequate time to practice as a class~ there may be some students who will still need more "practice" and that if they do, they will be practicing following the rules during their recess time. I tell them that if their child is needing this extra practice time, they will receive a note informing them of the rule that their child is working on, with a request to have their child spend some time practicing at home. I also explain to parents how important their support is and how much I value them. I stress to parents that a huge predictor of student success is parent involvement and that if we work together their child is guaranteed to be successful.
Of course by the time I actually have to use the practice cards, back to school night is long gone and they probably have forgotten what we talked about. Therefore I use my Weekly Report (a report that tells about what is going on in our classroom each week and then tells the parents how their child is doing) to inform parents how we are getting along in our management. The report tells the parents how we are moving along and gets them prepared for when we will be transitioning to individual practice time. This helps it not to be such a "shock" when we move to the practice cards. This dialogue really seems to help parents to have a deeper understanding of what we are doing and why we do it. I find that this helps more parents to be supportive and to "buy" into the system.
OF course there will always be parents who probably belong in the independent group themselves
, however, know that WHAT you are doing (changing negative behaviors) and WHY you are doing it (to increase student learning and to help "problem" students) is probably better than anything that child has received thus far and use that knowledge to empower you and to stand firm when you face problematic parents. Your are using discipline and boundaries with consistency, caring and fairness~ rather than scolding and punishment~ and that is the difference you will be making in a child's life!