Supporting Behavior Management with a Classroom Display Providing Immediate Feedback to Students

Managing behaviors in classroom settings requires clear communication of expectations, and consistent feedback to students about whether expectations are being met. These strategies promote mental health and support students with emotional or behavioral disabilities. Yet behavioral psychology literature indicates a significant gap between evidence-based strategies for behavior management, and implementation of these strategies in real classroom settings. We engaged school practitioners in examining and designing for the implementation challenges they face. This work focused on one of the most common classroom behavior management strategies, the token economy, and how it is utilized across special education and regular education settings. Using the approaches of action research and human-centered design, we explored the integration of pervasive computing technologies in classroom practices to address key implementation challenges. We present a resulting classroom display prototype, which we developed and deployed. We describe its integration into classroom flow, and discuss the role pervasive computing can play in promoting behavioral awareness and emotional well-being throughout the school day.