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Reward Systems. Joshua Yardley, MA. English Language Fellow j osh.yardley@gmail.com Madura Young Learners Workshop, April 2013. Questions I get asked here:. How do I motivate my students? How do I encourage my students to speak English? How should I punish my students?.
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Reward Systems Joshua Yardley, MA English Language Fellow josh.yardley@gmail.com Madura Young Learners Workshop, April 2013
Questions I get asked here: • How do I motivate my students? • How do I encourage my students to speak English? • How should I punish my students?
Teacher Beats Students Over Exam Issue Bogor. Six students in North Bogor received bruises and cuts after they were assaulted by the teacher in a fit of rage following their failure to prepare for an examination. The incident, involving 10th-graders from vocational school SMK PGRI 3 in KedungHalang, is just the latest case of a teacher using violence to win the compliance of students and instill in them a sense of discipline. -Jakarta Globe, April 3, 2013
What do I remember from school? Likes Dislikes • PE • Recess • Sitting next to the window • Uniforms • Report Cards • My Principal, Sister Dorothy
My recommendation Be proactive Not reactive
Benefits of reward systems • Build self esteem • Teach independence • Visualize progress towards a goal • Make life enjoyable
Steps of developing a system • Identify the problem • Create a chart • Select the reward • Follow through • Celebrate!
Dual Function Promote good Behavior Promote good Performance
Homework Club All students start in the homework club. Students who don’t turn in homework get removed. At the end of the week or month, the remaining students receive a reward.
Politeness Punch cards Students carry around their own punch cards. They receive punches for turning in homework or good behavior until the card is full.
Class Cash Develop a classroom currency, possibly with bills of varying denominations. Choose rewards that are worth varying amounts. Students can spend their cash quickly on cheap prizes or save for bigger items.
Best Behavior Bowl Every time you witness good behavior or the entire class completes an assignment on time, add a ping pong ball to the bowl. Once the bowl is full, have a whole class party.
Behavior BINGO Every time the entire class completes an assignment on time or you witness good behavior, choose a numbered piece of paper and cross that number off this 10x10 chart. Once you have 10 checked boxes in a row, either vertically or horizontally, the whole class gets a reward.
Reveal the Reward Choose a prize and write one letter of the prize on a separate card. Hang the cards so the letters can’t be seen. If everyone does their homework or does well on a test, turn around one letter until the reward can be seen.
Token System Explained The token system is effective because it DOES NOT require: • you to track each child’s behavior in order to penalize or reward • the entire class to ‘behave’ in order to be rewarded • you to punish those who did behave due to actions of those who didn’t • the same behavioral standards for everyone • students who are frequently in trouble to get all of the reinforcement • any money to be spent on candy or prizes • the staging of elaborate rewards • a complicated class helper system (tokens assign many job privileges) • class time that should be spent on academics • a lot of maturity in students: even preschoolers can participate
Set up • Find 10-20 tokens per student • Give each student a PIN and write the PIN on the token • Sort tokens in a container • Find a separate bag to collect the rewarded tokens
Introduce it • Brainstorm a list of good classroom behavior with students. • Tell them when you see this, you will put a token in the bag. • Tell them you will not award one every time, but it will be a surprise. • Tell them you will not do it if requested.
Use it • Recognize good behavior directly. • Add tokens periodically throughout the day. • Pull tokens periodically out of the bag for special privileges.
Privileges • pass out art supplies • take a message to another room • work a problem on the board • participate in a role play • hold a book, poster, chart, or other prop while you teach • call the other students to line up • run irregular errands • choose a read-aloud • complete small tasks for other teachers • monitor behavior when you are briefly out of the room • bring you something from another part of the room/school • carry things in the hall • sit in a special seat • read from texts to the class • serve as group leader for activities