Using classcraft as a tool for classroom management

It is not new for educators to employ a range of strategies for classroom management. Today, digital tools are becoming increasingly more popular in daily practice. Classcraft is an amazing tool for classroom management. It inspires students and engages them on a deeper level than many traditional strategies.

Behaviour management is a crucial part of becoming an outstanding educator. Ensuring students are focused and on-task means that learning remains at the core of their school experience. Helping them understand the importance of rules and regulations nurtures students as responsible, productive global citizens. Motivation is the key. Well-motivated students are naturally more engaged and willing to follow instructions, rules and steps for success.

Classcraft allows the teacher to captivate students, stimulate their attention and facilitate an engaging learning environment where behaviour is no longer an issue. Providing data, instant feedback and the opportunity for children to be innovative with their learning, it acts as a motivational tool that can directly impact learning and progress.

At face value, it simply rewards students with points, but underneath, there is much more at play. Its unique blend of gamification, collaboration and challenge breeds students who are hardworking, cunning and eager to succeed.

Classcraft is a journey, an interactive game with rewards and consequences, a transformation of teaching and learning and a tool to enhance teamwork. It’s also a lot of fun.

Students become fantasy characters and are assigned to teams with whom they have to collaborate throughout the year to keep each other alive within the game. The teacher (games master) can reward students for anything, for great effort or good behaviour by awarding them XP (experience points) or gold.

These can be used to up level their character and acquire new powers, that can be used in lessons, as well as to purchase new outfits for their avatars. Alternatively, HP (health points) can be deducted through poor behaviour, not handing in homework or failing to complete tasks. The children almost become competitive, collaborative Tamagotchi’s and they absolutely love it!

Interwoven in the game are many uniquely engaging features such as The Random Event of the Day and The Wheel of Destiny, where, once losing all HP, the student falls in battle and has to complete a forfeit before being introduced back into the game.

All outcomes and events can be tailored which makes it incredibly easy to personalise the experience for your students. Writing a page from a selected book, arm wrestling the teacher or becoming the door holder – are more light-hearted and enjoyable than missing a break. The most powerful feature by far is the Class Content Manager where activities can be set, resources saved and students can comment while displaying their work. By providing immediate feedback and rewards, all children become engrossed in activities. They even begin completing additional tasks at home voluntarily.

Classcraft can be used as much or as little as a teacher wants. Sometimes I have used it to just reward good behaviour and at other times I have structured whole lessons around it. Either way, the benefits were noticeable in both the long and short term:

• When rewarding students, the effort and productivity of everyone else in the class increased because they also want to be rewarded.
• Students developed collaboration skills, strategic thinking and camaraderie.
• Students could share work with their peers, inspiring each other.
• Students made great progress in reading, writing and SPAG.

Behaviour was never an issue. The focus shifted from ‘How can I get these students to engage?‘ to ‘How am I going to make them love the next lesson?’

By Thomas Edge