The Benefits Of Using Technology To Track Student Behaviour

Technology is now employed in many areas of school life. It is used for registering attendance, reporting to parents, providing pupils with resources and even submitting assignments.When it comes to pastoral care, technology is a powerful tool for tracking, analysing and reporting student behaviour. The purpose of student behaviour tracking isn't about handing out detentions, but rather to improve and inform your pastoral care.

The Power of Data

Tracking student behaviour of some form or other is not new. A good tracking system means that students exhibiting negative behaviour patterns are identified and given the support they need as soon as it is required. It also means that pupils who only display concerning behaviour periodically are noticed and do not fall under the radar.Good pastoral logs allow pastoral staff to identify whether certain types of behaviour happen at specific times of day, in certain subjects or with particular staff. They also track significant pastoral events that can pre-empt negative behaviour, such as bullying or a bereavement, enabling staff to support the pupil from day one.

How Technology Can Help

Using technology to track behaviour provides you with key pastoral data in real time. Using the Boardingware app, staff can record incidents as they happen and teachers can see the update immediately, even during a class, which can make all the difference in the care given to a student. If a student learns of a bereavement one evening, it is not unreasonable to expect that they may not have completed homework. A real-time system could prevent a teacher from giving the pupil an unnecessarily hard time.Technology also means that long-term data is available instantly. Conversations with parents and other staff members can happen unexpectedly. By having all the information about an at-risk student available within a few clicks makes parent conversations up-to-date and useful, allowing them to create action points which are relevant to the student now.Pastoral incidents can be recorded in a number of different ways according to the action that is required. Pupils can be put on the watchlist, have an incident added to their profile, or have notes that are available only to certain teachers to maximise their privacy.However, the benefits of using technology go beyond what's happening on an individual day. Boardingware's powerful analytics tools allow staff to create lists and graphs to spot trends or peaks in certain types of behaviour. Data can be organised by type of incident or by groups of pupils, and student profiles can be filtered by date or activity. By diving deeper into data, staff can see which students may be experiencing personal issues by analysing their absences, disciplinary actions or participation in school activities.For more information about how Boardingware can assist in your pastoral care, watch a free demo or contact our team today.