Type of Document: Photograph of behavior management document Date: 03/14/14

Time: 10:00 AM

What kind of document did you collect? I decided to take a photograph of the school-wide behavioral management card. This is called a character card. Every student has one and it is used as a way to reinforce or redirect the behavior of the student. It is a record of his/her behavior during a one-week period. What does this document show? Each character card has the name of the child it belongs to and the date. This will be for identification purposes along with allowing the parent to eventually see how the child did on a particular week. Additionally, it is a good record for the teacher to track a childs behavior throughout a long period of time. Along with the date and name, it displays a chart with five columns and two rows. Each column stands for a different weekday. The top row is called the above the line row while the bottom row is called the below the line row. An above the line is when children are behaving well and it is a positive reinforcement. The below the line is a redirect. This means that the child is behaving negatively and it will tell the child to change their behavior. Also, the card has letters to represent different behaviors. A C means that the child completes their work, F means that the child follows directions promptly or is on task, M means that the child moves quietly and safely, R means that the child shows responsibility and respect, T means that the child talks at appropriate times and levels. Therefore, to reinforce a child for being respectful, a teacher may say, Thank you for being respectful. You get an R above the line. The letter key on the card is great for when a substitute, the child or a parent is confused about the system. This allows just a quick glance to see either what the child is doing right or wrong. Additionally, the document has a space for the percentage above the line the child is. This basically is just the number of above the lines divided by the total number of marks on the card. If the child is at or above 85%, he or she will be allowed to go to Fun Friday. Fun Friday is a great motivational program that the teachers have for the last hour of school on Fridays. Finally, the card has spots for the student and parent to sign along with a space for any comments that the teacher may have Reflection: What are your thoughts/opinions about this document? I think that this document is great. I have been in the classroom and observed how my cooperating teacher uses it. The children are really motivated by this system. Another positive that I see in this system is that it isnt displayed for everyone to see. Each child has one at his/her desk, which allows more privacy and self-regulation. None of the other children can see their card unless a child decides to show it to a friend. This card promotes self-regulation because it is always at the childrens desks. They dont have to go look at the wall or board because it is always in their possession. A quick glance will tell the student how their behavior has been throughout the week. Another aspect that I really like about this card is that it opens the line of communication between the teacher and parents. The parents see these cards weekly so they can monitor their childs behavior on a week-toweek basis. Also, if the teacher has any comments on the childs behavior, she need only put it on this card and the parents will see it that weekend. I think that this is better than the more common Turn the card system for the behavior management because of the communication with parents that it allows. All in all, this technique for behavior management seems to work wonderfully and this is something that I will keep in mind for my future students.