Classroom management app raises student engagement

Classroom management systems are becoming more popular.

LiveSchool is one of many new classroom management systems that teachers are using to monitor and track their students’ learning and behavior. On its website, LiveSchool is described as a “breakthrough app for teachers and schools that takes the paperwork out of behavior tracking and many other daily classroom management tasks.”

The website also lists various statistics that show how important it is for teachers – and their students – to improve their classroom monitoring:

• When classroom management increases, student achievement goes up 20 percentile points
• 50 percent of teachers said they currently spend as much time dealing with behavior issues as they do teaching
• 77 percent of teachers said they’d be more effective if they could reduce classroom disruptions

How does LiveSchool work?
The app’s website explains that LiveSchool was designed to incorporate the U.S. Department of Education’s recommendations for improving school’s culture, which are: clear expectations for student behavior, common tracking methods used by all teachers and consistent outcomes in response to student choices.

Teachers can use the app to record behavior, track attendance, see what homework assignments are due and monitor how students are doing in other classes. Teachers can also give “behavior bucks” to reward students for good behavior, which they can redeem for field trips or other incentives.

By improving their classroom management and student motivation strategies, teachers were able to save approximately two hours each week, which adds up to 2,448 hours in the typical school year (equivalent to a full-time teacher). The app also makes it easier for teachers to spot trends so they can identify students who are struggling and respond to behavior problems earlier.

Jamie McGee, a staff writer for the Nashville Business Journal, reported that the app is currently being used in 45 schools and 15 states. It plans to expand into more schools and add additional features over the next 12 months. At the end of January, the app announced that they had raised $1.65 million in equity to expand development and marketing.

Classroom management in the future
As an increasing number of technologies make their way into the classroom, it is important to implement solutions to ensure students use them safely and productively.

Faronics’ Insight Software allows educators to manage the computers on their network by monitoring network security and whitelisting appropriate websites. The most recent version of the software allows students to use their iPhones to connect to online classroom activities, and teachers to open chat windows with individuals or groups who are logged into the school’s system. This helps educators make sure that their students are being productive, and also allows them to respond more efficiently to questions and other issues.

Sid Chambless, executive director of the Nashville Capital Network, told McGee that there are more than three million teachers across the U.S., and noted that the market for classroom management tools is between $500 million and $1 billion.

What do you think about teachers using classroom management tools to monitor and engage with their students? Let us know below!