CLASSROOM HELPER SYSTEMS

Teacher’s HELPERS, who rock!

In my English classes, some pupils are given various responsibilities, different students each day. I call them ” Helpers” -but they can also be called monitors/assistants if you wish and they have certain responsibilities.

Classroom jobs can help build a sense of excitement, community, and interdependence in a classroom from the very start of the school year. Classroom jobs also teach children responsibility. 

This way, the students learn that they are expected to take care of our classroom to ensure it is a safe and neat place to learn each day, even if they don’t love their weekly job. This is so important for students to see that they are an integral part of our class community and every job is important. They learn about responsibility and accepting responsibility even when it’s not a job they really want. When they do have a job they really want, they appreciate it even more!

Weekly, my students love class jobs, as my “helpers” and feel a sense of pride when they are allowed to complete them.

When meaningful tasks are assigned to these student-helpers, students, understand and are capable of my expectations, and classroom jobs become a fundamental part of our classroom. These students can be of tremendous assistance to us, teachers! 

Sometimes I hear from teachers who dislike having classroom jobs and feel like they’re just a big hassle. 

The primary purpose of classroom jobs is to transfer responsibility to students for keeping the classroom running smoothly, resulting in uninterrupted instruction. If your classroom job system is effective, you will never again have five kids waving their arms and shouting, “Ooh!  Ooh!  Can I do it?” because your answer will always be the same: “Are you my helper today?”

Any regular classroom task which you want to be performed automatically without your direct supervision should be assigned to the class helper of the day.

A few examples:

Paper Collector

Attendance Taker

Door Holder

Homework tasks Inspector

Windows/Blinds Monitor (opens and closes as needed)

Trash Monitor

Board Eraser

Calendar Helper

Computer Helper (turns off/on; could also be in charge of trouble-shooting for kids)

Bulletin Board Helper (helps changes displays)

Dictionary Helper (passes out/collects)

Lights Monitor

Door Monitor (makes sure it’s locked, lets visitors in when they knock)

Hall Monitor

Stickers Helper (if you use the System)

Recess Helper (carries materials out to the playground or the teacher’s material and/or bag to the teachers’ office)

Homework Helper (makes sure kids have the right assignments copied)

I like for my helpers to keep the same jobs for the whole lesson and day, wearing their special badges, of course.

I always explain what this role entails as part of my introduction to routines and procedures, during our first lesson.

Explaining the system to students on the first day of school is important, but it’s even more important to teach students how to do their jobs in whole-class modeling/practice sessions. 

I regularly make changes based on my needs and the abilities of my children. 

But the main idea is that each time we have a lesson the next student in that certain seat arrangement becomes my helper and wears the special HELPER’S badge, for everybody to know.

Before the lesson finishes, the day’s helper is asked to tell us the date and if they do that right they have the privilege to receive a special STICKER, to add to their collection!

They really look forward to that moment!

There are many occasions in our English class when a sticker may be a great reward idea. When a child has completed a module or project, they can be rewarded with a sticker to show off their new skills or knowledge. Being a successful teacher’s assistant is another occasion!

The real key to effectively motivating young learners, through reward stickers and helper’s special badges, is finding ways to motivate them all, especially those who have difficulties learning English. By offering special privileges to all the class assistants, in other words, all the students, this task is accomplished.

All in all

Research has demonstrated that engaging students in the learning process-the use of class “helpers” is one way to do so- increases their attention and focus and motivates them to engage in higher-level critical thinking. Instructors who adopt a student-centered approach to instruction increase opportunities for student engagement, which then helps everyone more successfully achieve the course’s learning objectives.