Student Contributor: R. Burland
Having jobs in your classroom help builds a sense of community and responsibility within your classroom. The jobs help students feel included throughout the day and feel needed.
The idea of having classroom jobs helps the students and the teacher. Every student is given a job no matter how small. When introducing the jobs, explain the importance of each position. It is also important to explain to students that the jobs will switch, and everyone will have a chance to have every job. Example jobs include line leader, electrician, caboose, sanitation, librarian, pencil sharpener, attendance clerk and board eraser. Every week or once a month, students are given a new job. You can allow students to choose their new job, or you can choose it for them. You can pick the jobs based off what works best for your classroom or what your classroom needs. These jobs help keep the classroom running smoothly and organizer. From experience, I have noticed that students begin to take their jobs very seriously. They know these tasks are their responsibility and not their classmates.
This tool can be a preventative classroom management tool because it helps keep the classroom running smoothly. Students understand that their job is their responsibility and that they need to be done to have a supportive learning environment. This tool could also be used in the corrective stage if there are behavioral issues. If students are not getting along due to arguments over being in the front of the line or who gets to shut the lights off, having classroom jobs eliminates those conversations. Students understand that their jobs help their classmates as well as the teacher. This encourages them to be the best at their job to have a successful classroom.
More Information –
Tool Source: Ms. Moll – 1st grade teacher at KWH
I used this tool in my first grade classroom. The class consists of 22 students and is located in a suburban neighborhood. I think classroom jobs is a great preventive tool to use in the classroom. It helps keep the classroom running smoothly and the students love having jobs within the classroom. This tool helps build community and responsibility. In my class we have jobs to do with turning off the lights, bringing down the lunch bin, board eraser, taking out garbages, cleaning certain areas, etc. In our class, the students names all go in a jar and the teacher pulls each stick out and places it in the pocket of the job they will have for that week. The teacher does this every Friday so that on Mondays, their new duty will begin. The students love coming in on Monday and seeing their new job. This is an easy tool to set up and use. I have seen great success with this method and tool. The students learn responsibility and help make the classroom and cleaner and better environment. The students all are aware of what their job is. The teacher must go over what each job does before the tool is used so the student knows what the expectations are. If I were to make one adjustment, it would be to let students draw sticks. Some of my students would get upset if they got a job they didn’t like. But if they drew a stick themselves, they would realize it really is random and only fair to decide that way. Plus it would be more engaging that way. Just an idea. I will be using classroom jobs in my future classroom.
I used this strategy in a semi-rural 6th grade classroom. There are only 12 kids in total making it easy for everyone to be included. I really enjoy this management tool because the kids get very excited when they hear that they will be able to have a hand in how the classroom runs. At the start of each week, the students got to choose which job they wanted when their popsicle stick was pulled. There were twelve jobs for the twelve students. One of the main successes of this strategy is that all my students were able to participate, and no one was left out by not having a job. Sometimes the students may forget what their job was that day, but his/her peer(s) would remind them of what they needed to do when the time came. It can create a stronger classroom community since everyone is involved.
I used this tool in a fourth grade, suburban classroom. In this classroom there are 25 students, because there are so many students, they are learning that they have to take turns, and be patient. I enjoy using this tool and I know that the students get really excited each week. There are eight jobs total, the jobs are line leader, door holder, two lunch basket holders, paper passer, clean up crew, recycling , and technology. I believe that this tool teaches the students to be responsible and patient. At the beginning of each week we would draw eight students’ popsicle sticks and they would select a job that they haven’t had yet. This tool keeps the class running smoothly because all of the students know their jobs and when they need to be doing it. This is a very easy tool to use in your classroom, because it takes about three minutes to select students on Monday morning, and to explain the expectations of the job. Overall I think this tool builds a community within the classroom, and a sense of having the responsibility of a job. I definitely plan on using this tool in my future classroom.
Grade Level: 1st
Number of Students: 16
Suburban
This strategy was used each week for the students in my practicum classroom. There was a total of 11-12 classroom jobs and the students rotated each week clockwise. Some of the jobs were teachers’ assistant, lights, front of the line, back of the line, plant caretaker, calender, flag salute, and ball bag holder. The students really enjoy the idea and this gave them a sense of responsibility. Also, the idea of rotating every week with their jobs made it fair, and all students had a chance to experience a job. The students also created a strong community with these class jobs. I noticed that students will give gentle reminders to other students with classroom jobs, also I had students stick up for one another when there is a misconception about each student’s job. I enjoyed watching the student’s life skill of responsibility grow after having an experience in classroom jobs.