Introducing ClassDojo: A Parent-Teacher Tool Made in Heaven

ClassDojo is an online classroom management platform and app where teachers can record and track student behavior, facilitate classroom activities, curate student portfolios, and engage in school-to-home communication. Student sign-in is simple with a class code, QR code, or username.

From the teacher dashboard, teachers can create original activities or use the toolkit to post class announcements, assign from the library, create random groups, and more. Depending on how they choose to set things up, teachers can share information privately or publicly, often displayed to the class on a screen or interactive whiteboard. It's possible to translate messages home into 30+ languages.

Along with points awarded or deducted for customizable positive and negative behaviors, teachers can assign activities to students to submit in the form of videos, audio, text, files, images, or drawings; once approved, these are documented in portfolios that follow students from year to year. 

On the home-to-school side, parents or guardians can create accounts to see behavioral and academic progress as well as to message teachers. Teachers can also choose to share classroom events and photos, giving families a chance to feel more connected to the classroom. Families who wish to bring the ClassDojo features into their household can purchase a yearly subscription that allows them to set goals and award or deduct points for their kids for things that the parents choose, such as completing homework or doing chores.

Teachers may find that ClassDojo is a transformational tool in their efforts toward fostering stronger parent engagement. This type of real-time communication with students, groups, or the whole class can help make behavior and learning expectations clearer and concrete for students and families. And the ability to translate messages into more than 30 languages allows all parents to get involved and stay informed. Plus, teachers can assign activities to the whole class, groups, or individual students, which allows for differentiation. 

It's important to note that the point system for behavior management could be problematic -- and even damaging -- depending on how a teacher uses it. Teachers should be sure to emphasize positive reinforcement and use the tool's public features in ways that support students' privacy and dignity. Even considering teachers' best efforts, some students might still interpret the system in more of an extrinsic way. The program's effectiveness depends largely on responsible and consistent use. Thankfully, teachers don't have to display the point system or use it at all.

In terms of ClassDojo's learning management, communication, and SEL features, they can promote a wider picture of students' daily experiences and provide transparency for teachers, students, and families. While teacher feedback for student behavior is useful, these additional features allow stakeholders to see a larger picture of progress over time, perhaps enabling them to see the connections between student behavior and learning successes. 

In addition, the chance for students to demonstrate learning and receive meaningful feedback in nontraditional ways may help teachers to better evaluate a student's progress. Overall, the program can be a valuable way to keep instruction more child focused, as a complement to a school's attention toward student academic skills and assessment.