ESL Reward System using Class Dojo
Class Dojo is my favorite positive reinforcement tool for the classroom. It’s easy to implement, fun, and adds value to your courses. Did I mention it’s free? Forget shuffling through slides or searching for an ESL reward system to motivate your student. Class Dojo allows you to streamline reward systems, build a class community, and engage with parents.
In a minute we are going to chat about adding a bit of Class Dojo magic to your online ESL classroom…
…but first skim through this video for a crash course in Class Dojo 101.
Why I Picked Class Dojo for my ESL Reward System
Skip this section if you don’t want to hear my love story with Class Dojo!
I first discovered Class Dojo while teaching Spanish. Even older students loved the cute little monsters. Soon, everyone’s hands were shooting up in class to earn those speaking points. They could trade their hard-earned points for in-class rewards like homework passes or treats.
Later, Class Dojo was even more effective in a martial arts school. With 100+ kids in our after-school program, we needed to encourage good behavior in the real dojo. We set up iPads and gave students the power to input their points. They could earn points for various behaviors around the gym. Class Dojo completely transformed the character development program and instilled great habits in our martial arts students. All of the kids were motivated and proud of their hard work!
This year, when I started private teaching, I remembered the positive effect Class Dojo had on my previous students. Naturally, I had to test it in online class. I wanted our online ESL class rewards to persist across multiple lessons.
It works well for older students that do not need a random reward throughout class. They can use the reward time after class to reflect and be proud that they had a great conversation or did exceptionally well with grammar in that lesson. The kids are loving earning points after class!
How to Set Up your ESL Reward System in Class Dojo:
Each student has their own monster. You can introduce the platform by creating a monster together in class. After they have a monster, you can reward points.
To display the monsters and points in class, just screen share or use the browser tool in ClassIn. If you have co-browsing, you can allow the student to click and add their own points. This is a fun way to let them self-evaluate!
(I only use Class Dojo at the very end of class.)
It is best to only use the positive points in class, but there is an option for negative point values. It can help if there is a major behavior issue. If you decide to connect parents on the site, you can choose to only display positive points to the parents.
After your student accumulates enough dojo points, they can trade them for rewards. I offer rewards for “Extra Game Time” or “Free Talk” class. My students have been very enthusiastic for our free talk lessons lately! Sometimes I let them trade points to redesign the dojo monster. You could work with the parents to give more tangible rewards. It is easiest to keep it simple and incorporate rewards during the lesson.
Other Useful Class Dojo Features:
Class Dojo has a ton of community building features to stay in touch with your students and parents. Each student can have a personal portfolio where you post their work. You can post photos of edited work or screenshots from class. There is even a chat feature to talk with parents. These communication features could work well if you need a way to send announcements to parents or share moments from class.
Though I have considered doing so in the future, I do not have parents/students connected with their own accounts yet. For now, I use it only for screen sharing the ESL reward system.
Check out this Big Idea!
Need concise videos to spark discussion in class? Check out the Class Dojo Big Idea video series, These quick videos cover a range of different topics such as Growth Mindset, Empathy, Moods and Gratitude. They come with extra activities, discussion questions, and take-home slips you can send the parents after the lesson.
In the Going Up ESL Curriculum, We make use of the Growth Mindset series in the second half of Level 6 Unit 11. We watch an episode at the end of each class and have a quick discussion. The Growth Mindset series covers thinking of the brain as a muscle, the power of yet, the magic of mistakes, and the wild world of neurons.
You can find all of the Growth Mindset Series videos, handouts, and activities here.
Here are some slides from our class discussions after watching the videos:
Infinite Class Dojo Stuff!
Head to Class Dojo’s teacher resource page and you will find a ton of free resources to start your dojo journey!
- Parent Introduction Letter
- Student Introduction Video
- Remote Learning Idea Guide
- Free Downloadable Decorations for your Backdrop!
The Decoration Pack from Class Dojo is now even more
!(Stationary, Bookmarks, Calendar Pieces, Certificates, Posters, Themed Monsters, Illustrations, Monster Alphabet, Class Posts, Zoom Backgrounds.)
It basically has everything!
