Classwide self-monitoring interventions are effective approaches that can be modified to fit most classrooms, as they do not take much of the teacher’s time or attention, they improve students’ skills, and they increase students’ feelings of responsibility for their own actions. Through classwide self-monitoring, students are trained to recognize their own behaviors and compare them to the rest of the class. This intervention follows the behavioral principle that the very act of paying attention to one’s own behavior and comparing it to a norm has the potential to change behavior.
PHASE 1 – PREP
In order to get started with group self-monitoring, first decide how to modify the basics of the intervention, as it is recommended that they be adjusted to fit the needs and skills of the class.
- Define target classroom behaviors. Choose 3 positively-framed, simple to remember guidelines for students to follow.
- Schedule the intervention time. This intervention is designed to be implemented during one portion of the day, such as a specific class period.
- Become familiar with the rating scale. Performance will be classified into 5 categories: Excellent, Very Good, Average, Below Average, and Totally Unacceptable.
- Select suitable class rewards. For the first few days of the intervention (Phase 2), all students will be rewarded if the teacher determines that they earned 4 or 5 points. Rewards may be free time, popcorn, etc. The third phase will include more long-term rewards, such as extra time on the playground or a class party.
PHASE 2 – ROLL-OUT
After having customized the areas described above, begin teaching the students the intervention. Give students a copy of the Classroom Behavior/Student Self-Rating Form, which can be found at Intervention Central. After introducing the classroom behaviors to be monitored, describe the rating scale, then review and begin the teacher-rating process.
- Monitor the entire class’ behavior during a pre-scheduled time
- Assign a class rating on the scale of 1 to 5, making sure to teach and model what acceptable behaviors look like
- Reward the entire class if they earn a 4 or 5
PHASE 3 – BEGIN STUDENT SELF-MONITORING
After about a week of teacher-led monitoring, turn the activity over to the students. Now that the students know what behaviors look like at each point on the rating scale, they will be able to track their own behaviors and compare them to the class’ behaviors.
- Prompt the students to monitor their own behaviors on the rating form at the end of each designated class period. They are to measure their own behaviors and the whole class’ behaviors.
- Determine the whole class’ behavior rating. Randomly select one of the target behaviors and survey the class by a show of hands to find out what number they rated the whole class’ behaviors. Use this information to determine a majority rating.
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Calculate daily points earned by the class. Give your own, teacher rating for the whole class. Then, calculate points to reward similarity between student and teacher ratings of the whole class as follows:
- The majority rating number plus 1 bonus point if the teacher rating matches the majority rating;
- The majority rating number if the teacher’s number is divergent by 1 point;
- No points if the majority rating and teacher rating diverge by 2 or more points.
- Plot cumulative points and dispense rewards. Have the class work toward earning their reward. Show points class has accumulated on a graph displayed publicly in the room, so that students are aware of their progress toward reaching their class’ reward.
For more information about this intervention, visit Intervention Central.