As I said in the previous post – Why a Computer Lab Rules poster is important? – you don’t need to be a behavior management master to understand how some good and established computer lab rules can help you regulate student behavior. After you are done with the computer lab rules, there’s still a lot you can do to improve the behavior of your students. Let me show you how.

Praise and reward

Praising students for what they have done well will motivate them to repeat that behavior. This will encourage the development of positive actions in the computer lab or classroom. If you do not praise your students, how can they know that what they have done is the right thing deserving a reward? Exactly! So, don’t be afraid to say a couple of (truthful) praise words every now and then, especially to a student that rarely receives praise or recognition or attention. Also, if you do a group praise, like “Wow, guys, you are all so focused and doing a great job!”, indirectly you are highlighting to anyone who isn’t currently focused that they are the exception and you will show them what they should be doing instead.

Another great thing is that students that receive praise for acting in a certain positive and helpful way, are more likely to repeat that behavior.

Rewards should be aligned with the goals and values of the computer lab classroom. They should encourage positive engagement, foster a love for technology, and motivate students to explore and excel in their technological abilities.

Computer Lab student praise and reward ideas:

• Digital Badges: Create and award special badges or certificates to students who demonstrate proficiency or achievement in specific technology skills or projects.

• Tech Guru/Master of the Week: Recognize and celebrate a student each week who has shown exceptional knowledge, skills, or leadership in using technology in the classroom.

• VIP Tech Access: Grant special privileges or exclusive access to certain software, tools, games or resources in the computer lab to students who consistently demonstrate responsible and respectful use of technology and good behavior. What I do in my computer lab is that I have 2 computers (out of 30) that have a couple of games installed (like Chicken invaders, oh I love this game) and students with excellent behavior that are done with their official lesson task get to spend the last 5-10 minute of our time playing a game. This idea was a real game changer for me!

• Gamified Learning: Implement a gamified system where students can earn points or level up based on their progress, achievements, or active participation in technology-related activities. In our school we use Class Dojo and the students love it. They get to level up, change monster avatars, get different certificates and it’s a lot of fun and big motivation for our elementary students.

• Positive Feedback and Recognition: Regularly acknowledge and praise students’ efforts, improvement, and positive behavior related to technology use. This can be done through public recognition, personalized feedback, or shout-outs during class. The feedback may be group, so you can praise the whole class, like “Great job, guys, you are all very focused”

Sanction

Unfortunately, sanctions and warnings are also very important when it comes to classroom management. If you do not have sanctions, then this sends out the message that rule-breaking behavior will be tolerated. Sanctions should be fair and consistent. If a certain type of behavior gets a student banned from using the Internet next time, then the other student doing the same thing should receive the same sanction, no matter what. Otherwise, the situation becomes unfair and the students will stop trusting and respecting you.

It’s important to note that any sanctions or punishments should be fair, consistent, and proportionate to the infraction. It’s also crucial to communicate and reinforce the rules and expectations of the computer lab classroom regularly to ensure clarity and understanding among students.

Computer Lab student sanction ideas:

• Verbal warning (pretty obvious, I know)

• Loss of Privileges: Temporarily revoke certain privileges, such as restricting internet access or limiting computer usage, for a specific period if a student repeatedly violates the rules

• Time out: separate the disruptive student from the computer and make them do something else like

• Extra Assignments: Assign additional computer-related tasks or assignments that are relevant to the class material, encouraging students to reflect on their behavior and make up for any disruptions caused. Example tasks I often give: a text formatting Microsoft Word exercise (like this one – Text formatting 4 exercises in Microsoft Word with instructions, click here to purchase), a math problem or a series of problems or a list and table to do in Microsoft Excel, like a list of 10 gifts the student wants for his/her birthday with prices and a calculation of total required money (like this activity – Microsoft Excel 5 BEGINNER exercises basic operations formulas formatting, click here to purchase)

• Temporary Removal: Temporarily remove a student from the computer and assign them alternative unplugged tasks or assignments until they demonstrate improved behavior. For elementary students up to 5 grade, I often give unplugged coding activities similar to the code.org tasks, or exercises to decipher something like a code, here is an example – Pigpen cipher many exercises on encryption and decryption and a poster or Crack the Binary Code A story from the year 2000 Tech activity and game.

In conclusion, effectively managing student behavior in the computer lab classroom requires a balanced approach of rewards and sanctions. By implementing a system of rewards, we can incentivize and recognize positive behavior, motivate students to excel, and create a positive learning environment.

Ultimately, a well-balanced system of rewards and sanctions not only shapes students’ behavior but also teaches them important life skills, such as accountability, self-regulation, and perseverance. By creating a supportive and structured environment, we empower students to thrive in the computer lab classroom and develop the necessary skills for success in the digital age.