Encourage 

students to be productive in learning both at home and in school by

offering rewards. Rewards tend to create a feeling of pride and achievement
among students thus motivating them to be more productive.
Motivating your students to learn and to participate can be very hard. Some
teachers have their hands full with class management and they don’t even get to
teaching.
In order to stimulate learning and to motivate good behavior, lots of teachers
use rewards for students.
In this post I’ll start with the advantages of reward systems and why you should
use one. But watch out. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Some teachers and
educators aren’t a big fan of constantly rewarding your students. Reward systems
also have their disadvantages.
I’ll also show you some fun and creative reward systems you can use and 10
reasonable rewards to give your students. On top of that I’ll show you how to put
in work a good reward system.
Let’s dig in!

Advantages of a reward system

1. Appropriate behavior
Students conform to appropriate behaviors when rewarded either intrinsically or
extrinsically.
2. Increased motivation
Students will show interest and raise their participation in the everyday classroom
tasks, responsibilities and learning.
3. Joyful students
Incentives for students motivate them to be more productive because they create
a feeling of pride and achievement. Being successful makes you happy.
4. Boosted self-esteem
Every success story helps students become more self-confident. They are proud
and also encouraged to achieve another successful result.
5. Completed homework
The National Association of School Psychologists suggests that reward systems
help motivate students to complete their homework. It’s rather shocking that
without rewards, students don’t complete it.
6. Improved results
Rewarding students encourages and endorses school effort. They lead to
improved outcomes for students.
Disadvantages of a reward system
Before you jump into the reward systems, you should also know the
disadvantages.
1. Addiction
Students can become addicted to classroom rewards. This means that they won’t
study anymore without them.
2. Devaluation
After a while rewards are no surprises anymore and they come as expected. They
will lose their effect. Watch Dan Pink’s excellent TED talk on motivation for
more details on how reward systems can utterly fail.
3. Race against the clock
Students focus more on finishing an assignment to win a classroom price, instead
of learning what the lesson is meant to teach. Finishing it is more important than
to actually understand it.
4. Control and manipulate
Students might feel they are manipulated and controlled by you. This also teaches
the student how to manipulate.
5. Increased pressure
The more you praise students, the greater the fall if they can’t live up to that
praise and to your expectations.
6. Bribes
The line between bribes and rewards is very thin. Rewards can lead to the idea of
controlling your students. You’ll feel more powerful and use rewards as bribes.

Creative reward systems

On my search for creative classroom reward systems, I came across an interesting
Pinterest board: “Classroom Reward System”.
I picked out a few of my favorite reward systems to show you. Most of them are
for elementary school. Click on the images to open them!

How to put a reward system to work

School reward systems can help, but you can’t just try out something without
clearly thinking it through. Here’s how you best put a reward system to work.
1. Set class goals
Set class behavior goals that are achievable and measurable. For example: when
you raise your hand, all the students stop talking within 20 seconds. Let your
students participate in setting up those goals. It will motivate them more to abide
by the rules.
2. Define how you will use the reward system
This is the key to success. When are students receiving rewards? What are your
boundaries? Make your intentions clear. For example: students will receive a
reward when they help another student, they finish homework a day early, when
they participate in class.
3. Explain why you gave a reward
Give your students specific, genuine feedback attached to the reward. For
example: “John, you showed respect by letting Marc in before you”.
4. Give students a voice
Like I’ve said before, it’s important to let your students participate in choosing
rewards. To be sure that rewards are valuable and motivating for the students,
you can have a brainstorm about it. Let them put together a list of acceptable
rewards. You still have the final word!
5. Reward early
Just like giving feedback, rewards must be given shortly after the shown
behavior. In that case, students won’t forget what they did to deserve it and other
students won’t get suspicious.
6. Lessen the rewards over time
Raise your expectations for the student’s behavior in order to receive the same
reward. Students shouldn’t get addicted to rewards. They have to work because
of an intrinsic motivation. As students achieve success in your class, they can
learn to be motivated by their own achievements.
7. Give random rewards
Rewarding students randomly for their behavior and achievements keeps them on
their toes. They’ll want to be on task just in case!
I’ve shown you some reward systems, but there are still many more out there, on
the internet. Take a look at this website. I’m sure you’ll find some inspiration
here.
To reward or not to reward positive behavior in the classroom is a decision many
teachers struggle making. Some educators argue that reward systems are only
short-term fixes that encourage entitlement, while other educators believe that
reward systems help establish a positive classroom environment and can be
beneficial for all learners. Informal acknowledgement of positive behaviors
(praising children verbally or with a smile or high five) is typically thought of as
good practice—the source of contention for many educators are the formal
reward and acknowledgement systems that use tangible items or social
recognition to reward positive behaviors.
Successful students are happy students and in order to have a classroom of happy
students, teachers may use a reward system. Encourage students to be productive
in learning both at home and in school by offering rewards. Rewards tend to
create a feeling of pride and achievement among students thus motivating them to
be more productive.
Rewards can be used to increase motivation and performance on tasks that are of
low initial interest. On high interest tasks, positive effects are obtained when
participants are verbally praised for their work and when tangible rewards are
offered and explicitly tied to performance standards and to success.

Whether we like it or not, humans need motivation. As we mature, most of us

become intrinsically motivated. This means that we can motivate ourselves from
within based on internal desires to do something — such as reading because you
genuinely enjoy it and not just because you’re told to, or because you want to
appear smart to your peers.

This is a tough concept for little kids and even some adults. After all, many
people would not work if it weren’t for what they receive at the end of the week:
a paycheck.
Although it’s good to encourage students to become intrinsically motivated, it’s
also worth noting that extrinsic motivators are important, too. It will save your
sanity to accept that external rewards such as money, grades, prizes, and praise
will drive most of their behavior.

Children can be categorized as intrinsically or extrinsically motivated. Children

who are motivated intrinsically exhibit a desire to learn. Usually they pursue a
subject for the pleasure of learning or for a feeling of accomplishment.
Intrinsically motivated students tend to prefer challenging tasks and to understand
information in depth. They are more likely to choose projects that demand greater
effort than extrinsically motivated children who usually work to receive some
reward or to avoid a penalty. Extrinsically motivated students tend to gravitate
toward easier tasks and are inclined to put forth the minimal amount of effort for
the maximum reward. Even though children who enter school are often inclined
to be either intrinsically or extrinsically motivated, a worthwhile goal for
educators is to foster intrinsic motivation in children.

Many teachers believe that student motivation can be "jump started" by providing
tangible rewards such as stickers, candy or prizes. They assert that reinforcing
appropriate behaviors can have positive results since children tend to continue or
repeat an action that is rewarded. They state that some parents do not encourage
their children to do their best at school and hence the students are indifferent to
learning. These teachers insist that tangible rewards can help these students
develop a reason to apply themselves. They state that through the use of rewards
children learn to listen, to complete work, and to behave appropriately.

Others argue that rewards devalue learning and counteract the development of
self-discipline and intrinsic motivation. For example, when a child does an
assignment to get a piece of candy, you have not taught him or her the value of
hard work or learning. These opponents assert that tangible rewards produce
short-term changes and only serve as motivators if children want them. They
contend that the use of rewards fosters competition and the "What's in it for me?"
attitude; the more they are used, the more incentives students expect. They
maintain that rewards can have a negative effect upon student initiative and
performance because they are seen as bribes used to control, and that older
children in particular may feel insulted and/or manipulated when rewards are
offered. Critical observers point out that rewards have not been shown to change
behavior when children are left unsupervised.

One teacher reported: "I used to use tangible rewards because they had immediate
results. Now, instead, I use praise and positive feedback that is sincere, timely,
and specific. I believe the children cooperate in class because I respect them, and
because I impress upon them that what they are learning is important to their
future. Giving tangible rewards does not foster a sense of pride in work well
done. I worry about children who are accustomed to being rewarded constantly,
i.e. the first time my class played a game, the students ask, 'What do we get if we
win?' I replied, 'The satisfaction of knowing you did a great job.'"

If a teacher decides to use a tangible reward program it needs to be simple to

manage. Involving a student or students in selecting a reward can contribute to its
successful use. School supplies and/or foods that have some nutritional value are
preferable to candy, unhealthy snacks or prizes. Ideally, after the rewards are
given and the desired results are obtained, the teacher will modify the program by
raising his or her expectations, reducing the rewards and phasing them out
altogether.

Many teachers report that they prefer intangible rewards over tangible ones.
These teachers provide opportunities for their students to earn points or tokens
that can be exchanged for special privileges. Some examples are free activity
time, reading time, computer time, choosing a book to be read to the class,
assisting the librarian, extra recess, leading a class game, eating lunch with the
teacher, or having their picture taken with the principal (see Effective
Praise and Motivating Children). Also timely, sincere verbal comments like, "I
notice Ally is sitting down and ready to listen. I appreciate that." Written positive
comments such as, "100! Super work! On to division!" also serve to motivate
most children. Another example is when a teacher calls a parent to comment on a
child's progress. Or, when a class has worked particularly hard on a project,
having a surprise popcorn party can serve as a reward that promotes a feeling of
classroom community.

Rewards can involve a contract with an individual child, be offered to a class or

used to acknowledge a school-wide accomplishment. Counselors or teachers may
contract with individual children to extinguish inappropriate behaviors such as
fighting, not completing homework, talking out in class, or truancy. Having a
child or children participate in goal setting increases their interest in attaining it.
For a class-wide reward, the students may decide on a weekly goal; for example,
that each class member will follow the lunchroom rules without one reminder.
The intangible reward could be an extra fifteen minutes of free time on Friday
afternoon. Achieving a school-wide goal of reading one thousand books with
each student participating could be celebrated by having a special event for all
students.

To instill intrinsic motivation in children teachers need to create a

noncompetitive, caring environment in which each child feels valued, respected
and acknowledged (see Educator's Guide to Enhancing Children's Life
Skills or Successful Teachers). Cooperative learning that recognizes
improvement in each child is a way to enhance intrinsic motivation among
students so that classroom management is not dependent upon the use of rewards

- They can help in the long run by boosting motivation levels of employees

- They do not cost much.

- Even if discontinued they do not lead performance dicreasing.

At this point of the pandemic, assessments and grades continue to be controversial topics among school
leaders and other members of the school community. The questions generally revolve around the relevance
and implications of assessing and grading students while the global crisis continues to put security, safety,
and health of everyone, especially, the students, in danger. Transitioning to remote learning also made it
more challenging for teachers to gauge the students’ understanding of their lessons. 
Education is not the work of teachers alone. Collaboration and partnership play crucial roles in sustaining
learning at this time of the pandemic. Teachers, parents, school leaders, and external partners have to work
together to address the many challenging issues of remote learning. In the end, collaboration makes life’s
challenges not necessarily easier but more bearable. 
I have faith that sound planning, execution, evaluation, and recalibration of steps, we are already adapting to the
New Normal