Students with behavioral and emotional disabilities spend less time on academic instruction due to their behavioral disruptions, contributing to the academic difficulties these students face. Classroom management strategies, in the form of positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), incorporate principles of applied behavior analysis to shape student behaviors through the use of motivation and positively reinforce good behaviors. A strategy often used in PBIS systems is a token economy. This column provides practitioners with a strategy for implementing a token economy using ClassDojo, a web-based classroom management program available for computers and mobile devices.
BolickC. M.CooperJ. M. (2006). Classroom management and technology. In EvertsonC. M.WeinsteinC. S. (Eds.), Handbook of classroom management: Research, practice, and contemporary issues (pp. 541–558). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
FilcheckH.McNeilC.GrecoL.BernardR. (2004). Using a whole-class token economy and coaching of teacher skills in a preschool classroom to manage disruptive behavior. Psychology in the School, 41(3), 351–361. doi:10.1002/pits.10168
5.
FisherW.PiazzaC. C.BowmanL. G.HagopianL. P.OwensJ. C.SlevinI. (1992). A comparison of two approaches for identifying reinforcers for persons with severe and profound disabilities. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 25, 491–498.
6.
Grunwald and Associates. (2010). Practitioners, technology and 21st century skills: Dispelling five myths. Retrieved from Walden University, Richard W. Riley College of Education website: www.WaldenU.edu/fivemyths
7.
HammondsL.MathersonL. H.WilsonE. K.WrightV. H. (2013). Gateway tools: Five tools to allow teachers to overcome barriers to technology integration. Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 80, 36–40.
8.
JohnstonJ. M.FoxxR. M.JacobsonJ. W.GreenG.MulickJ. A. (2006). Positive behavior support and applied behavior analysis. Behavioral Analyst, 29, 51–74.
9.
KazdinA. E. (1977). The token economy: A review and evaluation. New York, NY: Plenum.
10.
KlimasA.McLaughlinT. (2007). The effects of a token economy system to improve social and academic behavior with a rural primary aged children with disabilities. International Journal of Special Education, 22(3), 72–77.
11.
KumpferK. L.AlvaradoR. (2003). Family-strengthening approaches for the prevention of youth problem behaviors. American Psychologist, 38, 457–465.
Maclean-BlevinsA.MuilenburgL. (2013). Using Class Dojo to support student self-regulation. In HerringtonJ.. (Eds.), Proceedings of World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications 2013 (pp. 1684–1689). Chesapeake, VA: AACE.
14.
MacMillanD. L.FornessS. R.TrumbullB. M. (1973). The role of punishment in the classroom. Exceptional Children, 40, 85–96.
15.
MaggJ. W. (2001). Rewarded by punishment: Reflections on the disuse of positive reinforcement in schools. Exceptional Children, 67, 173–186.
16.
O’BrienC.AguinagaN. (2014). Using Class Dojo with an interactive whiteboard and iPad projection to promote positive behavioral interventions and supports at the classroom level. In SearsonM.OchoaM. (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2014 (pp. 2931–2933). Chesapeake, VA: AACE.
SidmanM. (1999). Coercion in educational settings. Behaviour Change, 16(2), 79–88.
19.
SimonsenB.FairbanksS.BrieschA.MyersD.SugaiG. (2008). Evidence-based practices in classroom management: Considerations for research to practice. Education and Treatment of Children, 31, 351–380.
20.
TruchlickaM.McLaughlinT. F.SwainJ. C. (1998). Effects of bonus contingencies and response cost on the accuracy of spelling performance with middle school special education students with behavior disorders. Behavioral Interventions, 13, 1–10.
YellM. L.MeadowsN. B.DrasgowE.ShrinerJ. G. (2009). Evidence-based practices for educating students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
