How I Use ClassDojo at the Middle School Level

1. Track Points
2. Connect with Parents/Guardians
3. Punch Cards
4. Homework Passes
5. Agreed Upon Behaviors

I have been using the classroom management tool Class Dojo for close to three years. It is a free, online resource to track student behavior, as well as communicate with parents, share photos, videos, newsletters, events, etc. with the classroom community, and harbor a growth mindset approach to learning. I have heard many wonderful things about how Class Dojo is used at the elementary level in place of or in conjunction with clip charts, but many people ask how I use it positively in the middle school classroom.

I teach 7th and 8th grade Language Arts. I introduce Class Dojo to my students on the first day of school. My new 7th graders usually don’t know what it is yet, but are intrigued by the cute green monster and possibility of “earning points” (even though they don’t know what the points are for and what earning them would mean!).

I love teaching this age range for that reason- they are true ‘tweens.’ They are in between child and adolescent, and still get excited about earning points and rewards, and are intrinsically motivated by these rewards! I have a 5-step process I use to engage my students in Class Dojo!

1. Track Points

I begin tracking the students’ points as soon as they enter the classroom on the first day of school. They begin to wonder what the sound means and who is earning the points. I explain all about the website, process, and rewards for positive behavior. I very rarely ‘take away’ their points on Class Dojo. I feel like the students have earned those points for positive behavior, and will only use a ‘Need to Work On’ point when a student has not changed unsafe or unacceptable behaviors in class. I also send home the Class Dojo parent sign up sheet on the first day of school so that the parents will learn about the program.

2. Connect with Parents/Guardians

Each parent/guardian receives their own unique code linked to their child’s account to view information on behavior and any messages, Class Story posts, or notes that I share using Class Dojo. This is sent home on the very first day of school along with my syllabus and our junior high packet. All of these documents require a signature, which helps me know that the guardians of each student are aware of the use of Class Dojo in my classroom, and what features it provides as far as parent interaction and teacher feedback.

If I have just one or two parents who do not log in to Class Dojo and create an account by using the unique code sent home, I may give an incentive to help the student remind their parent to sign up. I have awarded extra points to that student and the class as a whole once we have reached 100% parent engagement. If a parent/guardian does not want to log in and interact on Class Dojo, that is absolutely their choice and I respect that. I do not hold it against the student or the class in any way. I use the messaging feature and Class Story posts quite frequently and also use it to send reminders about field trips, homework assignments, upcoming quizzes or tests, and even snow day announcements. It can be an easy way to reach the members of your class when you are out of the classroom!

3. Punch Cards

Each student receives a punch card like the one pictured above. I usually print on colored cardstock and always laminate the cards. Middle school students are sometime less organized than we would like and the extra bit of protection on the card will help with its longevity. I usually punch their cards on Fridays (although some of my students will tell me that I am prone to forgetting to punch Dojo cards and need reminders!). This is a great visual way for students to know how many positive Class Dojo points they have accumulated and how many more points they need to earn in order to gain their reward.

4. Homework Passes

Once a student earns 100 positive Dojo points, they earn a homework pass. This pass is only good in my class and its use is limited to teacher’s discretion. I will also allow the students to exchange these passes in for a bonus 5 Dojo points if they do not want to skip a homework assignment. I have found that homework passes work just as well as any other extrinsic or materialistic reward- and they are free for me! I love my students and my job, but I didn’t want to go broke trying to find things they would like to earn in exchange for good behavior.

5. Agreed Upon Behaviors

I always show my students what the behaviors are on Class Dojo that I have outlined for our class, and make sure we all agree upon those before moving forward. I have edited the behaviors over the last few years. I used to give positive points for being on time and having homework done, but realized soon after that these are behaviors that should be expected of middle school students (especially my 8th graders who were students in my classroom the year prior). I do not take points away on Dojo for not having homework done, so I decided not to award points for homework. The students agreed that their grade is their reward and it should be separate from their classroom behavior, which is what Class Dojo is for. I think it is important for students to feel as though they have a voice in the classroom, and by agreeing upon the behaviors as a group, this gives them ownership over the points they can earn and their own behavior.

I hope this short list of information about how I use Class Dojo in the middle school classroom has been helpful! If you have any questions or want to learn more, please reach out to me via email or Instagram!

meganglidden@gmail.com

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