Card Flipping

Card flipping is a system monitored by the teacher in which each student has a set of cards ranging from green (good behavior), yellow (first warning), orange (second warning) to red (unacceptable behavior).  Each time a student acts in “unacceptable” or “offensive” behavior, the teacher has them flip their card.  There are usually repercussions for the student depending on what level their card is at.  At the beginning of each day each child starts on green.

PRO:   

• Gives children  a visual reminder- is there a way that you can do this less public?
• Immediate reaction to behavior

CON:

• Public humiliation
• Ruins a child’s whole day because they have a constant reminder that they were “bad”
• Some children may have a bad few minutes and they may need a break but there is not reason that just because a child acted in a bad manor for a few minutes during the day that he or she should be punished all day- if this event happens in the morning, the student most likely forgets about it at the end of the day and then has to be reminded again of their wrong-doing
• This method seems to “target” certain children- in other words some students are more likely to have their card flipped on a regular basis than others, thus the system loses value in the classroom

Ratings for Card Flipping:

• Reduce Public Humiliation: Often times this occurs right in the middle of class and a student is called out to flip their card in front of the entire class.  It is also on display for the entire class to see each person’s card... 0 stars
• Effectiveness:   It often times stops further “bad” behavior from happening throughout the rest of the day.  However there always seems to be a certain group of students who always flip their card, while others that never flip it... effectiveness possibly depends on the individual student... 1 star
• Student Acceptance: Towards the beginning of the school year flipping ones card can be a big deal and many students become upset when their card is flipped and don’t let it happen again.  However, as the year goes on many students may become more lax and not care as much if their card is flipped, causing them to be more likely to repeat the offensive behavior... 1 star
• Minimal Class Disruption: Since this is used in a public area of the classroom it often entails a student being called out in front of the class and leaving their desk to walk to the chart and flip their card.  Thus, this could account for a lot of classroom disruption and a loss of focus in the classroom... 0 stars