Engaging Students in Meaningful Work

Engaging Students in Meaningful Work

Students who feel connected to their school have higher motivation, improved academic scores, lower drop out rates and are less likely to engage in risky behaviors. Students who feel connected to school feel a sense of belonging and being part of the school. Engaging students in "meaningful work",classroom and/or school-based jobs to promote responsibility and autonomy,can improve students' feelings of "school connectedness" (Blum, 2005). Meaningful work is differentiated from service learning, which is defined as "a teaching and learning approach that integrates community service with academic study to enrich learning, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.”

A cardinal principle of youth development is meaningful roles for youth, and providing positive, contributing roles for youth behavior is clearly an evidence-based practice. This is supported by some important epidemiological research, though there are few randomized control group studies. Perhaps the most compelling study was by Sir Michael Rutter, a very famous British psychiatrist, who demonstrated that high risk students who were randomly assigned to one of twelve high-schools in London were much less likely to engage in delinquency, be absent from school and cause problem behavior as well as do better academic in schools where most of the students have meaningful jobs or roles each day or week at the school. An illustrated job from an American school site replicating the research and a data graph appear below.

What Can You Expect When You Give Students Meaningful Work?

When you give students meaningful roles and responsibilities in the classroom/school, it can help increase your "available time" for students, as "workers" take on jobs that you would normally complete. Improved classroom climate also occurs when students feel a sense of belonging in your classroom, which ultimately leads to less absenteeism and greater work completion.

Materials Needed/ Preparation Required

Selection of school-based jobs (Attachment #1) with job descriptions

Contract with behavioral expectations (Attachment #2)

Plan for evaluating student work, including

Chart for basic record-keeping

Informal observation

Meeting with student

Directions

1. Create a list of school-based jobs available in your classroom/ school (Attachment #1)
2. Developsimple job descriptionsbased upon school needs(Attachment #3)
3. "Advertise" jobs so students can apply for jobs that appeal to them
4. Select students for various jobs. NOTE- job selection should depend not only upon the student's interests, but also on the student's needs; students who need peer attention may be good candidates for jobs that involve working with peers, students who enjoy adult attention may be good candidates for jobs that involve working with adults, students who feel unsuccessful academically may be good candidates for tutoring work younger peers (as long as they feel successful with what they are expected to tutor), etc.
5. Review the job description with students, have students sign the contract for behavioral expectations.
6. Explicitly train students in the requirements of the job (model, role play, practice)
7. Evaluate the students' performance. Depending upon their individual needs/ characteristics, some students may be successful in a job for the entire year, others may require frequent changes.

Dose

Frequency may vary. Some classroom/ school-based jobs may need to be done daily, some two times a week, some once a week, etc. Students should be selected for jobs that fit their individual needs, i.e. students that try to gain negative peer attention every day should be assigned to a job that will allow them to gain positive peer attention every day.

Adaptations

• Meaningful work experiences differ in elementary, middle and high school. See attachment #1 for sample jobs at the various levels.
• Jobs can be adapted for students' developmental and cognitive levels. Adaptations can include having a partner, using a picture schedule, breaking a job into smaller component pieces, etc.

Problem-Solving

Regular evaluation should indicate whether students are successful in their jobs. Some students may not be performing well in the job assigned to them. Rather than immediately removing a student from a job, an effort should be made to determine why the student is not succeeding. A "goodness of fit" check should be done; does the job truly meet the student's needs, is the student capable of completing all the requirements of the job? If the job does meet the needs of the student, then ensure that the student has been adequately trained to complete all the steps involved in the job. If these factors have been considered and the student continues to have difficulty with the job, it may be appropriate to find another job that meets the student's needs.

When misbehavior occurs on the job, consider the misbehavior as an instructional moment. Try not to remove the student from the job, rather employ strategies such as "suspension" from the job, along with specific re-training around the area of the job in which the student engaged in the misbehavior.

Measurement

Following is a sample chart that may be used to track a student's work performance for a daily job. The chart may be completed by the job "supervisor" or could be used by the student as a self-monitoring form.

Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday
Stayed on task
Completed job assignment
Maintained professional attitude

References

Blum, R. (2005). School Connectedness: Improving the Lives of Students. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Resources

Chanko, P. (1990). Help wanted! Meaningful work and cool job titles can get middle graders thinking about the work world in new ways. Instructor, 115(1), 60-63.

Fletcher, K. (1996). The Mini-society workbook. Teacher Ideas Press, 27-30.

Nelsen, J., Lott, L., & Glenn, H. S. (1997). Positive discipline in the classroom. Rocklin, CA: Prima Publishing.

Romach, K. (2001). Help wanted: Kids who care. Teaching Pre K-8, 32(3), 58-59.

Shaw, V. (1992). Communitybuilding in the classroom. San JuanCapistrano, CA: Kagan Cooperative Learning.

Stefanou, C. R., Perencevich, K. C., DiCintio, M., & Turner, J. C. (2004). Supporting autonomy in the classroom: Ways teachers encourage student decision making and ownership. Educational Psychologist, 39(2), 97-110.

Attachment #1

Meaningful Work Ideas

“Today in History” Scholar: finds out about famous or not-so famous events that happened in the past on a particular day, which is used in the morning announcements or other events.
Action Models: are designated to demonstrate certain behaviors, skills or options in everyday routines at the site or during a lesson.
Activities Director: helps run activities for entertainment and adventure on the site.
Actors: perform plays, skits, or commercials for the site or classroom.
Ad Writer: creates commercials to promote events, slogans, or activities on the public address system, in newsletters, or to be performed at lunch, recess, or other events.
Administrator’s Executive Assistant: is appointed for a day or week to assist site administrators with delegated tasks and go to appointments with that administrator (except as prohibited by policy or law).
Advice Column Editor: brainstorms answers to school related questions from students, pending approval from a supervisor questions and answers are published in school newsletter/ newspaper
Advice Columnist: researches, writes, and publicizes solutions to questions that students have about topics of interest.
Ambassadors: visit other sites or parts of the community on behalf of the site.
Announcer: reads information or news on the public address system or closed-link TV system.
Apprentice: routinely assists adult workers for a set period (a week, a month) during lunch break or before and after school and in return receives training in some aspect of the adult’s role. It is useful for students for every adult to have at least one apprentice. Some young people will benefit from always being apprenticed to one adult or another.
Artists in Residence: create items of beauty for the site.
Assembly Assistant: helps set up gym, auditorium for assemblies (assists with bleachers, chairs, etc.)
Assembly Marshals: help align, move, and praise their classmates for orderly assembly during concerts, plays, ceremonies, and other large events.
Assignment Reviewers: summarize the assignments made that day for the whole class.
Astronomer: researches and reports on events in the nightly skies that are noteworthy, such as what will be visible or unique events.
Attendance Person: assist with taking attendance, takes the attendance to the office
Audio-Visual Aide: hangs up any charts, pictures, etc. needed for a lesson
Audio-Visual Artist: creates flash cards, charts, banners, placards, etc., including banners for PBIS Parade
Audiovisual Assistant: assists with technology (computers, cameras, LCDs, speakers, etc.)
Award Detectives: search for good ideas for recognition of staff, students, families, and community members for the school-community. They may search out certificates, prizes, gifts, silly ideas, activities, and other things that help recognize and honor good acts.
Awards Maker: designs, alters, customizes, and distributes awards printed or three-dimensional awards or trophies for actions or accomplishments, which may be commissioned by others on or off the site.
Badge Maker: design, alters, customizes, and assembles badges commissioned by others to be sold, given as gifts, or awarded.
Banker: helps keep track of any token economy system used in the classroom or site.
Banner/ Poster Maker: makes posters and banners advertising school events
Bazaar or Swap Meet Coordinator: helps set up, promotes, and takes down weekly or monthly trading events where students may trade baseball cards or other collectibles.
Bell or Chime Ringer: keeps the class bell at his or her desk. When the teacher wants the class’ attention, s/he gently rings the bell.
Best Buy Reporters: find out what site youth, staff, and families are wanting to buy and publish reports (gleaned from newspaper ads, shopping trips, phone calls, and web-investigations) of the best places to purchase the highly desired items.
Best Work Coordinator: collects classmates’ best work for the school display area. Ask your teacher the best way to do this. Put the items in the best work envelope. Ask your teacher for the words that are to be put up next to the work. Let the Display Person know that you are ready.
Billboard Executive: creates and puts up special billboards (which can be made from paper, cloth, or plastic) to promote school events, PBIS related slogans or other activities.
Binders Person: prepares (hole punch) and hand out blank binders or materials
Biographers: collect biographical information about site members (staff, students, and families) that can be shared in directories or histories.
Bulletin Board Coordinator: more than one student who plans and decorates one bulletin board in the classroom
Camera Operator: runs video camera used for site video station or recording of events.
Captain Calendar: tells the school or class every day the date and day and anything special about the day. If there is something special to remember, such as an assembly or a test, they mark it on the calendar and remind the site the day before.
Carpenter: helps build things for the site out of wood, metal, or other materials.
Cashier: takes money or script for snacks or items.
Chair Stacker: in charge of stacking the chairs at the end of the day
Chalkboard/ Whiteboard/ Overhead Eraser: cleans at end of the day
Change Maker: changes bills and coins for other currency or tokens for machines or services.
Cheerleaders: help organize praise, compliments, and enthusiastic boosting for teams or players. In cooperative teams or learning activities, the cheerleaders review T-charts and other items prior to the activity and give recognition for positive behaviors from that list during the activity.
Chorus Leader: stands in front of the class and models responses during structured lessons.
Classroom Custodian: leads students in cleaning up after craft projects or snacks, catches and cleans dirty desks
Club Officers: Students elected, by club members, to the offices prescribed in the club's constitution.
Coach: is someone who can help another learn to play a game or do an activity better.
Community Assets Manager: finds, records, and recruits individuals, businesses, or community organizations to help with tasks or activities important to the site. The manager also honors these “assets” for their good actions.
Community Builder Committee: searches out, selects one or more site members each week for some action that increased PBIS among site members.
Computer Programmer: enters data into the computer; creates separate files of names by categories for the PBIS Box.
Computer Tech: is in charge of setting up slide shows, etc. makes sure computers are uncovered and turned on in the morning, and turned off at the end of the day or during thunderstorms. Makes sure the printer has paper and ink. Cleans keyboard and monitor. Inform teacher if problem with computer arises.
Computer Technician: assists technology staff with basic cleaning and upkeep of school computers, turns on and shuts down classroom computers
Concessionaire: helps run snack services for students.
Consumer Reporters: investigate which products, services, or activities provide the best value for money and publicize that information.
Cook or Chef: helps prepare snacks or food items for events or activities (as permitted).
Copier Assistant: makes and delivers copies to staff
Cross-Age Tutor: teaches people who are younger.
Current Events Searcher: brings in a current event from the news once per week to share.
Custodian’s Assistants: help the building custodians with delegated tasks.
Daily Honors Reader: reads any Daily Honors written by classmates.
Data Entry Assistant: enters class-wide peer tutoring data into a computer for the class.
Data Processors: compile the data gathered from turned in tokens
Decorations People: prepare and hand out materials to decorate binders
Demonstrators: help instructors model how to use or do some task.
Detectives: identify where problems are happening that threaten the physical, social, or emotional safety of youth, staff or families using a community:oriented problem solving strategy called SARA (Scanning, Analyzing, Responding, Assessing).
Display Case Organizer: designs display for case based on monthly themes
Display Chief: Sets up areas for group displays.
Display Collector: takes the new best work from your classroom and puts it up at the public display area.
Display Decorator: helps design and arrange display cases, boards, and other areas.
Display Person: is in charge of displaying materials on bulletin boards in the classroom or school, and changing the displays every week.
Door Holder: holds the door open, locking or unlocking it if necessary.
Door Monitor: opens and closes the door as class comes and goes
Ecologist: researches, identifies, studies, promotes, and shares ideas that will improve the ecology of the site such as conservation of energy, better ways for heating and cooling, traffic flow of people and vehicles, waste management, and recycling activities.
Editor: proofreads and corrects draft and final copies of written assignments.
Emergency Dispatcher: helps with any emergency or urgent situation.
Entrepreneur: creates and markets a product that can be sold at the student store or for various site fundraisers.
Environmentalist: keeps track of recyclable materials; organizes recycling center
Equipment Manager: helps set up and take down equipment for events.
Facilitator: opens and closes meetings, calls on others.
Fashion Models: demonstrate tasteful fashion or accessories for fellow site members.
File Clerk: goes with the Display Person to help take down the old display, then returns items to their owners.
Filer: helps teacher or staff file teaching materials and books onto shelves and teacher files.
Film Crew: films important school events, interviews school staff, etc.; edits the film and prepares for viewing
Fire Marshall: checks the site or classroom for safety each day.
Flag Carriers: carry the federal, state, school, and classroom flags for rituals and events.
Flag Crew: assists in raising flags before and/or school.
Flag Salute Leader: stands at the front of the class, school, or video camera to lead the flag pledge in the morning.
Flash Tasker: is an individual appointed for the day to do anything that requires an instant response.
Folder Clerk: prepares (hole punch and fill if needed) distributes and collects the folders after the activity to store in one safe place.
Food Writers: research, write about, speak about, and promote trying foods that taste good and are healthy choices.