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Teacher Toolkit: Marble Jar Reward System

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How Punch Cards Can Simplify Classroom Management

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Teacher Toolkit: Ticket Reward System Elementary

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Teacher Toolkit: Tickets Reward System (High School)

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Classroom Management Strategy: Whole Group Reward System

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How to use Class Dojo for your Class Store: My Classroom Management System

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Developing Intrinsic Motivation through Choice

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Developing Intrinsic Motivation through Choice

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Developing Intrinsic Motivation with Choice

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According to Vocabulary.com, the word “intrinsic” is an adjective that means “belonging to a thing by its very nature.” Some synonyms for intrinsic are: essential, built-in, constitutional, inherent, integral, inner,…

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100 Squares Reward System - The Teacher Toolkit

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Responsible rewards: using the “now-that” principle with students

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Responsible rewards: using the “now-that” principle with students

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Truth For Teachers - Responsible rewards: using the “now-that” principle with students

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In last week’s Truth for Teachers episode, I explained why ‘reward’ isn’t a bad word and argued my case for why they can be an integral part of your classroom practice. I talked about how a district administrator criticized me during a surprise walkthrough and why I think that teachers, of all people, know how detrimental it is … Continued

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As I wrap up one year and start looking forward to the next, I use it as a time to reflect on what did (and didn't!) work. Reassessing classroom management strategies is always part of that thought process and student rewards play a big part.

If I'm being completely honest, I have always had a small jar of Skittles sitting on my desk. I would plop a few on a random desk as a small reward. However, times are changing! Some schools have banned candy and food items now (I recently worked at a school that had a very specific snack list, and no candy was ever allowed), COVID precautions have eliminated this as an option, etc. Never fear! There are lot of other fun and creative ways to tap into our students reward system that don't involve candy.

While there are a lot of intrinsic and immaterial options to reward students (and those should be the cornerstone of your classroom management incentive plan), tangible student rewards can be a fun and effective part of your classroom management system too. I've rounded up some of my favorite ideas here!

Why Do Rewards Work?

There's often the misconception that rewards are a form of bribery, but our brains are naturally hard-wired to like rewards and dislike negative consequences. When we encounter something that brings us pleasure, our brain releases a hormone and neurotransmitter called dopamine. Once this release happens, it creates a brain connection between that item, the release of dopamine, and resulting positive feelings. It is this connection that motivates us to seek out the pleasurable event or item again and again. It's this brain science and biology that make rewards effective.

Since we know that our students are created to respond to rewards, then finding ways to use them in the classroom is an excellent way to increase student motivation, engagement, participation, and growth. We can do this in the classroom through both individual and group rewards to promote teamwork.

Individual Rewards

Individual rewards are very effective because each student has the power and ability to reach his or or her own goal. Students can set short-term or long-term goals and they alone have the ability to earn the reward.

It is important that we do not base individual rewards on actions that are outside of our students' control. For example, it is not fair for a student to lose a reward opportunity because their parent did not sign their daily folder. While most students could take their folder to a parent, pen in hand, and get a signature, there are some students that cannot. Parents who work nights, are ill, or struggling with problems of their own might not get to signing the folder. This is not the fault of the student and there shouldn't be a negative consequence (i.e. the loss of reward) for those situations.

Group Rewards

Group rewards can also be an effective tool in the classroom. When there is a goal that requires group effort, then a group reward is perfect. These are a great way to teach teamwork, to reinforce that actions affect others, and to build a sense of belonging.

However, there are times that group rewards can actually be a detriment to a student. When the goal singles out one or a few students who are not capable of meeting the goal, then a group reward can actually do more harm than good. Think, for example, about pressure a student may feel when the entire class earns a reward only if everyone makes an 'A' on the spelling test or if ever student turns in their homework for a specified period of time. For those students that have never made an A on a spelling test before it can impose severe stress and anxiety.

Instead of focusing on a specific result, think in terms that are achievable by the group as a whole. Some examples might include the class walking quietly in the hallway, excelling as a whole in their specials classes, meeting a STEM challenge, or the class exhibiting kindness towards others.

Setting Up Rewards

Unfortunately, we aren't all Oprah, and setting up a class reward system is not as easy as just announcing that everyone gets a car. 😉 Setting up rewards in your classroom takes thought and intentionality.

Here are some tips for setting up rewards in the classroom:

1. Keep the goal or expectation clear and specific.

2. Communicate the opportunity to earn a reward from the beginning.

3. Give students a way to track their progress toward meeting the goal.

4. Make the goal attainable - you don't want them giving up before they ever start.

Managing Rewards

As you think about setting up the reward system in your classroom, take time to think about how it will be managed on a day to day basis. You don't want to be spending precious teaching time overseeing, calculating, storing, or organizing classroom rewards. If it's too cumbersome you are not going to be consistent with it. If it's too difficult for students to use, then the motivation factor is gone.

I suggest choosing a system that allows students to keep track of their progress through points, tickets, tokens, or some other means. While you as the teacher still control when these items are given out, the student bears the responsibility to keep track of them, tally them, and choose when to redeem them. You can help students with this by giving them an easy way to keep track of everything.

This can be as simple as letting an app like Class Dojo track points for you, giving students a zip-lock bag with their name on it to store tickets, or taping a stamp card on the corner of each desk so that you can easily add points. I do tend to keep this tracking private. On the other end, it can also be as involved as a full classroom economy system in which your students collect a classroom currency, keep a running balance of credits and debits, and shop at the classroom store. There's so many options in between too! Whatever you choose, just make sure it works for you!

Individual Student Reward Ideas

Now for the fun stuff... reward ideas! These can be used individually or as part of a bigger reward system. Remember that the goal is to find something that brings pleasure to your students, so offering a variety or choice of multiple rewards helps to reach more students. Choose what works best for you and your students. (Some links may be Amazon Affiliate links. I earn a small commission for each purchase you make.)

Late homework pass

Desk Pets (These are ALL the rage!)

Bring the Picture of the Day picture from home

Write in pen for the day (If you want to get really crazy, let them use your Flair Pens!)

Shoes off day

Choose a vinyl sticker (my kids LOVE earning these)

Wear your slippers/socks in class

Sit at the teacher's desk (or consider implementing a VIP desk)

Sit in the teacher's chair at your desk

Bring a special object to school

Be class photographer for a day

5 minutes extra recess/centers/technology

15 minutes of free choice at the end of the day

Switch seats for the day with another student

Lunch in the classroom with a friend

Lunch with the teacher

Help change bulletin boards (my students love using staple removers!)

Good phone call home

Positive note home

Choose your class job

Get first choice at recess

Wear a hat

Sit with a friend

Visit the treasure chest

Sweet treat

Help the principal/nurse/cafeteria/PE/front office

Principal for a day (This is a BIG reward!)

Read to or tutor younger students

Extra library visit

Take care of the class pet

Extra reading time, Book Tasting, or a read-a-thon

Choose the read aloud book

Receive a brag tag

Class store "money"

Choose a pencil

Be first in line for lunch

Be first in line for dismissal

Lead a class activity of their choice

Donuts with the teacher before class starts

Class or Group Reward Ideas

Extra recess

15 Minutes of free choice time

Special escape room activity, STEM challenge, or other favorite class activity

Popcorn and movie (or short brain break videos)

Karaoke time (class sing-along using videos online or discs)

Popsicles

Have class outside

Lunch in the Classroom

Class picnic outside

No homework night

Special art project or directed drawing (We love Art Hub for Kids!)

Decorate the class door or a bulletin board

Reading in the dark time (read with flashlights or finger lights)

Extra read-aloud time

Open mic time (let students share a joke, a poem, or just thoughts about life)

Bring a game from home

Wear a hat day

Extra technology time

Class kickball game (or challenge another class)

Teacher 20 questions (ask the teacher anything)

Dress the teacher day (students get to vote on your outfit from choices you provide)

Listen to a Podcast

It doesn't take a lot to tap into that internal student reward system. I hope these tips and ideas give you inspiration for student rewards in your classroom. Have fun with it and I'm sure your students will find something that they are excited to work for.

What Students Rewards Would You Add?

Do you have favorite classroom rewards? We'd love to hear about them! Join us in our FREE Inspired in Upper Elementary Facebook group.

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Student Rewards: Beyond The Skittles - Teaching with a Mountain View

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As I wrap up one year and start looking forward to the next, I use it as a time to reflect on what did (and didn't!) work. Reassessing classroom management strategies is always part of that thought process and student rewards play a big part.

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This Ultimate List of PBIS Incentives contains over 350 items to inspire your PBIS rewards program. Sort by tangible, recognition, or privilege.

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A Powerful Strategy for Fostering Student Motivation 

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A Powerful Strategy for Fostering Student Motivation 

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A look at how to adapt a well-established technique for boosting student motivation in distance learning or hybrid classrooms.

Tapas Biswas / Alamy Stock Photo

Whether in person, virtually, or in some blended or hybrid model, many teachers are finding it more difficult than ever to keep their students motivated to learn. If you're a new teacher this year, student motivation can be an even tougher nut to crack. I've found it helpful to revisit ideas I explored during my teacher training, and one that has been helping me through today's unprecedented circumstances is the ARCS Model. Developed by educational psychologist John Keller, ARCS highlights the importance of attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction in stimulating learners and maintaining their focus during learning activities.

For educators looking to improve student motivation, evaluating whether these elements are present in learning is a good place to start. From there, small steps can be taken to apply each element with the help of both tech-based and traditional tools, which can make a notable difference in motivating students and improve outcomes.

Like all of us, students are more willing to invest their time and focus when they are interested in a topic. Likewise, sitting through the same routine lesson structure day after day can quickly lead to disinterest.

Perceptual arousal: Capture interest with the element of surprise or uncertainty. Storytelling, humor, and active learning experiences are proven ways of grabbing students' attention, but what about entering text upside down or in code on a slide, posing the opposite point of view from what is expected, or changing the environment, like switching up your Bitmoji classroom background? Give students a jolt of educational caffeine when their attention wanes.

Interest arousal: Stimulate an attitude of inquiry by posing challenges or novel ideas. Project-based learning fits in here, as students are often driven by the desire to solve problems, explore, and create. Explore using shorter-term thinking challenges and brainstorming events that push kids to consider ideas beyond the ones you present.

Variability: Following the same structure day in and day out can quickly lead to boredom, so mix it up. With kids on devices for much of the day, opportunity for variation is at their fingertips. Have them experiment with a new tech tool you've been hearing about, or ditch tech altogether and give kids a screen break from time to time with interesting paper-based instruction or projects.

In order for students to want to learn, they must feel that what they're learning matters to them. Understanding how a new skill or information is applicable to or will help them now or later on in life can make a big difference in motivation.

Relate to goals: Be explicit in connecting what students are learning with when, why, or how they can use this in the world beyond the classroom. Help students consider and define their own goals, and support them in making connections between their goals and what they're learning.

Match interests/familiarity: When possible, allow learning methods to align with students' interests. Author and professor Christopher Emdin, creator of the #HipHopEd social media movement, has integrated science and hip-hop to motivate high school students with great success. Understanding students is key to ensuring relevant instruction for them.

Confidence

When students believe they can succeed and feel positive about their achievements and potential, their confidence increases and motivation improves. Clear directions, useful guidance, and consistent formative feedback help students know what is expected and how to make progress.

Success expectations: Build a positive expectation for success. Enable students to take knowledgeable ownership of their progress by providing them with the steps they need to take to succeed.

Success opportunities: Facilitate successful learning by supporting or enhancing students' belief in their competence. Help students strike a balance between effort and results by giving the opportunity to achieve success through varied and challenging experiences that build upon one another.

Challenge students to find success while thinking outside the box with a digital escape room. Explore the many great ones (including some that are free) from Breakout EDU or create your own.

Personal responsibility: Provide students with personal control over their success. When people feel their success is based on their own efforts and abilities, rather than on external factors like luck or the decisions of others, their confidence improves. Present choices when possible so that students can select the path for which they feel most prepared.

Satisfaction

To sustain optimal motivation, learners need to have positive feelings about their learning experiences and accomplishments. Satisfaction can come from a sense of achievement, value, or inherent joy in the act of learning; from external reward systems or praise; or from the belief in a sense of fairness.

Intrinsic satisfaction: Provide opportunities to apply new learning in personally meaningful ways and foster personal recognition. Allow students to showcase their efforts to increase a sense of accomplishment and share the positive benefits of their learning.

Rewarding outcomes: Positive reinforcement and motivational feedback can lead to extrinsic motivation that many students desire. Grades, privileges, certificates, and other tokens of achievement can provide motivating recognition for efforts. Likewise, feedback from peers, teachers, parents, and members of the community at large can be highly satisfying for students who have put forth effort and want others to know.

Fair treatment: To feel satisfied, students must feel that there was equity in the objectives, activities, and grades in a learning activity. If they suspect favoritism, bias, or unfairness, students are more likely to be turned off and lose the motivation to learn.

Try this: Elicit student feedback often. Create a quick feedback survey with Google Forms to share with students regularly or to include with major projects. Surveys-anonymous or not-can often give quieter voices a forum in which to be heard and can tune teachers and other students in to perspectives other than their own.

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A Powerful Strategy for Fostering Student Motivation

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A look at how to adapt a well-established technique for boosting student motivation in distance learning or hybrid classrooms.

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5 Ways to Design Effective Rewards for Game-Based Learning

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5 Ways to Design Effective Rewards for Game-Based Learning

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5 Ways to Design Effective Rewards for Game-Based Learning

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Photo credit: Institute of Play Learning by playing games can be a powerful way to teach. Just as drama coaches set the stage for a play, smart teachers set the stage for game-based learning. I use these five easy elements in my classroom to get my students ready to learn as they play.

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4 Strategies to Increase Student Motivation in Mid-Semester

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4 Strategies to Increase Student Motivation in Mid-Semester

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4 Strategies to Increase Student Motivation in Mid-Semester

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Students are often excited at the beginning of the semester, and then their enthusiasm wanes, but teachers can help them stay focused.

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Whole-Class Reward Tracker - Digital Reward Charts

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Celebrate classroom successes with a set of fully digital classroom reward charts.

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In a classroom setting, there needs to be rules and regulations. The children need structure and they cannot be allowed to do whatever they want. There are rules in life that need to be followed and the best place to learn these rules is in a classroom setting. Positive discipline will help the teacher gain…

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Four Student Rewards That Encourage Intrinsic Motivation – And Don’t Cost a Thing

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Four Student Rewards That Encourage Intrinsic Motivation – And Don’t Cost a Thing

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Positive recognition is essential in establishing a harmonious and productive classroom culture. And, rewards for positive behavior don't have to be anything fancy (or expensive). Avoid being the teacher who relies on candy for everything with these ideas for student-centered rewards that only require the investment of a little time.

Individual sharing

Underneath any shyness or indifference they might show, kids really do enjoy sharing their passions with their friends. Invest some class time in rewarding performance or behavior by giving students the floor for a special show-and-tell or a presentation designed to introduce classmates to more esoteric hobbies they enjoy with which others may not be familiar. Even just the ability to share an online video of their choosing (previewed by you, of course) can work. Five minutes of a cat video on YouTube can pay big dividends in piquing other students' interest in self-expression.

Creature comforts

Every child wants more freedom. Regimented classroom norms are important, so students appreciate when they are allowed to deviate from them. This can be as simple as allowing students to sit on the floor during group or individual work, offering the option to take their shoes off or listen to music while they work, or (for elementary classes) the occasional pajama day. Depending on your level of trust and the clearances you've obtained, you can also allow chosen students to work in other areas of the school, like the library or a lab.

Positive feedback

When I was in the classroom, one of my favorite rewards was to send a surprise positive text to a parent when warranted. The parent always appreciated it, and the student would come in the next day telling anyone who would listen about what happened when they got home the previous day. It got to the point where students would try to negotiate the sending of such a text to coincide with when they would be asking their parents for a new phone, a raise in allowance, or a release from grounding.

Believe it or not, most students even appreciate positive feedback from school administrators. See if you can get your principal to stop by to offer some quick encouragement and reinforcement. Again, the principal will probably be as pleasantly surprised as the student(s).

Choice

Educators are increasingly recognizing the value of incorporating as much choice into the curriculum as possible, but you may want to consider holding some decision-making power back to use as rewards. Frame such a system as students who have demonstrated the right amount of maturity can be trusted to choose their own assignment/book/project or other relevant option. Of course, you can also reward students with the ability to simply choose with whom or where they sit.

Interested in enhancing your classroom management skills to boost student motivation? Check out our comprehensive guide on Classroom Management Tips for Motivating Students.

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Four Student Rewards That Encourage Intrinsic Motivation - And Don't...

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Positive recognition is essential in establishing a harmonious and productive classroom culture. And, rewards for positive behavior don't have to be...

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For much of the ten years I spent as a classroom teacher, I thought that motivation came in only two flavours: extrinsic and intrinsic. I saw a binary distinction between them. Extrinsic motivation (the 'bad' flavour, in my mind) was all about compliance, sanctions, and rewards handed out by others; meanwhile intrinsic motivation (the supposed 'good' one) seemed like some kind of utopia. It seemed to be a rosy world in which my students and I would be ready for whatever challenge came our way, driven by pure interest, enjoyment, and sense of deep satisfaction in everything that we did.

Or so I thought...

Years later my wonderful colleague, Rob Coe, introduced me to self-determination theory (as part of our work on the Great Teaching Toolkit: Evidence Review). As a result, everything about my understanding of motivation changed (a somewhat regular occurrence that comes with working with Rob!).

Self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2008) distinguishes between two kinds of motivation. The first is autonomous motivation, wherein an individual has a sense of volition or control-which may stem from intrinsic or extrinsic factors. The second is controlled motivation, in which an individual feels pressure (either through explicit rewards or punishment, or through internal feelings like guilt or shame) to think or behave in particular ways.

Now, as a teacher who wanted their students to enjoy my subject, I'd always thought of extrinsic motivation as somehow negative. I had interpreted Ryan and Deci's description of it as "behaviours done for reasons other than their inherent enjoyment" (for example, for a reward, or to meet a pressing deadline; Ryan & Deci, 2020) in a rather reductive way.

Indeed, when seen through the lens of self-determination theory, the monolith that I thought of as extrinsic motivation might instead be further divided into more specific, tractable concepts.

External regulation: behaviours are the result of rewards and punishments that are externally imposed. (I'm motivated to drive under the speed limit because I know there are harsh punishments for exceeding it.)

Introjected regulation: the partial internalisation of extrinsic motivation. (I'm motivated to go to the gym first thing in the morning-not because I want to, but because I don't want my gym buddies to judge me for skipping.)

Identified regulation: seeing real value in a particular activity. (I'm motivated to attend a committee meeting for a voluntary organisation because I think it leads to a good outcome.)

Integrated regulation: identifying with the value of an activity or task, and feeling that it aligns with interests or values. (I'm motivated to help with a mountain rescue on a rainy morning because I love the outdoors and enjoy helping others.)

As I thought more about extrinsic motivation in these four ways as part of my work for EBE's Behaviour and Culture Programme (more information can be found here), the practical implications of these forms of regulation played out in my mind. In schools and colleges, a key aim of most teachers and leaders is to help students develop autonomous motivation and become self-actualised learners who plan, monitor, and regulate their own learning.

So, what does the evidence say on the matter of using extrinsic motivation to encourage and develop this ideal of autonomous motivation?

Three ways to promote autonomous motivation

Autonomous motivation (characterised by a feeling of volition) is promoted when individuals feel that three basic needs are met: autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

Autonomy refers to an individual feeling that they choose their behaviour and that it is aligned with their values and interests. For example, an interesting experiment published in 2010 compared the effects of two different approaches to homework. During one unit of work, some high school students were given two options for the homework tasks they were to undertake; the other students were given no choice. In these experimental conditions, providing students with a choice had a positive effect on their feelings of intrinsic motivation to do homework and on a sense of competence about the homework, as well as on subsequent test performance (Patall et al., 2010). Anyone who has looked after children may recognise this strategy of asking which vegetable a child would like may be more successful than asking whether the child would like vegetables or not...

Competence means feeling capable of producing desired outcomes and avoiding undesirable ones. Much has been written about using 'desirably difficult' (Bjork & Bjork, 2020) tasks that help students feel a sense of accomplishment. A desirably difficult task is one that is sufficiently challenging for a student at their current state of knowledge, understanding, or skill. It may be different for every individual-for instance, a desirably difficult challenge for a poorly organised student might be to get to class on time with the correct equipment. As such, if a teacher wants to support students' feelings of competence using this approach, ensuring that tasks are 'pitched' at the appropriate 'challenge point' is paramount.

Relatedness means feeling connected with, and mutually supported by, other people. Such relatedness can emerge when students feel that their teachers genuinely like them, respect them and value them as individuals (Bao & Lam, 2008; Niemiec & Ryan, 2009); simply taking steps to get to know students as individuals, or to help them know and connect with others (peers or teammates, for example), can be powerful.

Clearly, there is neither a single nor simple recipe for supporting students to develop such feelings of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. But any teacher who wishes to help improve their students' extrinsic motivation can do well simply by using these as a starting point for consideration. The evidence shows these three factors are linked to increasing students' motivation-which can itself be a powerful (and positive!) thing. As we might expect, students who are motivated to study, learn, engage, and succeed are more likely to do so (Coe et al., 2020); we shouldn't shy away from the idea of extrinsic motivation (as I did all those years ago!), but see the value in it and feel empowered to use it to support students.

References

Bao, X., & Lam, S. (2008). Who makes the choice? Rethinking the role of autonomy and relatedness in Chinese children's motivation. Child Development, 79(2), 269-283.

Bjork, R. A., & Bjork, E. L. (2020). Desirable difficulties in theory and practice. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 9(4), 475-479.

Coe, R., Rauch, C.J., Kime, S., & Singleton, D. (2020). The Great Teaching Toolkit: Evidence Review. https://evidencebased.education/great-teaching-toolkit/

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2008). Self-determination theory: A macrotheory of human motivation, development, and health. Canadian Psychology, 49(3), 182-185. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0012801

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2020). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation from a self-determination theory perspective: Definitions, theory, practices, and future directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 61, 101860. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CEDPSYCH.2020.101860

Niemiec, C. P., & Ryan, R. M. (2009). Autonomy, competence, and relatedness in the classroom: Applying self-determination theory to educational practice. Theory and Research in Education, 7(2), 133-144.

Patall, E. A., Cooper, H., & Wynn, S. R. (2010). The effectiveness and relative importance of choice in the classroom. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102(4), 896.

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In this blog, we provide considerations and tools for teachers seeking to improve their students' motivation.

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What motivates students to learn and reach goals?