So you want good behavior in your classroom??? Read This!

The “Good Behavior Game.”  The name just sounds inspiring, doesn’t it??  What teacher out there doesn’t aspire to have good behavior all day every day in their classrooms???  The answer: none.  Every teacher we have worked with always asks the question, “How do I get my students to behave all the time?”  Now, the term ‘behavior analyst’ probably conjures up images of magic wands and magical pixie dust that we can sprinkle on your students to get them to listen all of the time.  Sadly, if the field of behavior analysis possessed such magical remedies, we would all be very wealthy.  And we are not.  So instead of magic wands, let’s chat about the Good Behavior Game.  Not exactly magical pixie dust, but a pretty close second J

 

So what is the Good Behavior Game?  We are so glad you asked!  It is a classroom management system that is set up like a team competition to promote positive behaviors amongst students.  Teams of students earn points for engaging in certain positive behaviors (Determined by the ruler of the kingdom. Yes you, the teacher).  Teams of students then win rewards (more on this to come).  And how does it work exactly?  Let’s walk step-by-step through the process.

 

Steps to Implementing the Good Behavior Game:

1. Divide your class into teams.  Special note: some children may need to be on their own team(s).
2. Determine the criteria for awarding points.  How often can teams earn points?  What behavior(s) are points given for?  When can they cash out their points and get the reward?
3. Develop the classroom rules.
4. Develop a reinforcement menu with the potential rewards that students can earn.  Make sure to post the menu so students are always reminded of what they are working towards.  
5. Make sure you plan an activity for the students who do not earn the reward.  You don’t want those students to sit idly while the others are participating in the reward opportunity.
6. Explain to your students how the game is played, and let them know when they will be cashing in their points.
7. Play the game!

 

Helpful Tips (because we love to be helpful J):

1. Think about if you’d like to have only one winner of the game (ultimate winner style of play) or can there be multiple winners).  If you play the ultimate winner style, then whoever earns the most points wins.  If you play with multiple winners, you’ll set a point goal and whichever teams reach that point goal wins.
2. You can do daily rewards or a weekly reward.  Think about your students and how frequently they need to earn reinforcement to stay interested in the game.  You could also do daily rewards with multiple teams, but a bigger weekly reward for the ultimate winner (the team that earns the most cumulative points over the course of the week).
3. Play for shorter increments of time.  Don’t play the game throughout the whole day.  Pick an activity or a chunk of time to play.  Repeat daily.
4. Pick a time of day for the winner(s) to earn their reward.  Plan it into your daily and weekly schedule.
5. Pair awarding points with behavior-specific praise so students know exactly why they’re earning points.
6. On the first day of playing the game, try to make sure every student earns the reward so they can taste the goodness J  This will keep them wanting to play the game!
7. Have fun!!!