Evan Wolkenstein of Jewish Community High School of the Bay in San Francisco takes a telescopic view in his use of ClassDojo. He works backward from his desired outcome, asking the question “What kind of people do I want my students to be at the end of the year?” Wolkenstein’s 10th through 12th grade classroom is a place to not only learn material, but to learn great interpersonal skills for life. Evan believes one of the ways to bring this about is through cultivating active listening skills. Understanding the core concept — or the most important idea — of what you are hearing someone else say, builds the ability to reflect. Wolkenstein records instances when he observes his students’ applying this skill, and he rewards them for building on this somewhat ineffable quality. “The goal is listening to understand,” adds Wolkenstein. “The ClassDojo tool trains me as well; it helps me to remember what’s important to me.”
Hear more details on how Evan uses ClassDojo in his high school classroom:
Find more “Ideas from the Classroom” from other teachers, and see how you might be able to adopt new approaches to using ClassDojo 🙂