A Classroom behaviour system that works every time.
The Zoneboard
This is used in some primary schools in the UK, however it could be used in all education settings where there are young children and even used in a domestic setting.
The zone board.
This is a simple idea which gives children the opportunity to improve their behaviour and attainment. It allows children who are getting themselves into trouble to make better choices before it's too late
Gold – this is for outstanding acts of kindness, extreme effort, or a consistently good attitude for children who struggle with behaviour. It is very difficult to achieve gold but a teacher should ensure that every child manages at least one climb to gold in the school year.
Silver- this is for extremely good behaviour, or an exceptional piece of homework, a good effort with behaviour or a kind act to another. I have on occasion put the entire class onto silver if they've been good on a school trip or tried particularly hard on sports day.
Green- This is the place where the children stay at the start of each day. This is a neutral place which suggests good behaviour.
Amber – This is a warning area which says that the childs behaviour is heading in the wrong direction. The beauty of this is that the children can still climb back up to the green if they make the right choices.
Red – This is for serious misendemours. Be it swearing, out of control fighting, acts of deliberate cruelty to fellow pupils or equivelent. Usually there is a sanction for landing on this area of the board, such as a letter home to parents or being sent to the headteacher.
The red and gold should be extremely rare zones for children to find themselves. There should be a lot of praise for any child who reaches the top (A certificate to take home) and perhaps a small gift depending on how the teacher likes to do things. (I had a 'gold box' in my cupboard which contained little games, pens stickers sweets and so on. If a child got to gold, they were able to select their prize.)
Zone board tips.
Each childs name should be laminated, preferably with a picture of themselves or a picture of something they really like. It should be done at the start of term so it's the first thing the children see when they enter the classroom.
Certificates for silver and gold. It may seem like a fiddle, but it's well worth doing. If you foresee a lot of children going onto silver and gold each day, it may be worth photocopying the certificates on to paper, but for the more infrequent occasions, go for card to make the certificate extra special.
Treats and sweets. This is entirely up to the teacher, some teachers like to have little gifts to award good behaviour or attainment, whether it's stickers, crayons or yoyos, whatever you do ensure you're being consistent. It's not fair if a child on gold one week gets a colouring book and pens and the next child only receives a small sticker!
Consistency. One child's climb to gold might be because she achieved 20/20 in her spelling test for the last 10 weeks, another child might climb that high because she managed to get through the day without punching anybody. You as the teacher know your class and you know how to differentiate your reward system according to the needs of your class.
Good luck!
