One of the most controversial topics for teachers is the use of rewards and punishments in the classroom. There are many teachers who regard extrinsic rewards as an appropriate and effective way to manage behaviour as it motivates students. At the other end of the spectrum some teachers feel that they don’t’ want to ‘bribe’ their students and that they should be intrinsically motivated to do it on their own rather than behaving just to get the reward. The idea of using rewards should be considered at the beginning of the school year. There are many rewards systems that teachers use and it also depends on the level you are teaching. I have seen teachers use stickers, giving extra house points, extra ‘free time’. Marzano et al state that if you decide to use ‘tangible’ rewards then it is a good idea to monitor your use of them, making sure that your students don’t see them as a bribe (Marzano, et al, pg43). I have been into classrooms were the teacher had spent quite a bit of money on toys, pens, trinkets etc as a reward once students filled their star chart. I believe that if you start off showering students with rewards, they are going to expect it all the time and are most likely to only work for the rewards and behave just get the reward once they have received the reward and are back to zero stars I found that some students did not care about their behaviour or their work.
In terms of consequences, you must follow through whatever you have said to your students otherwise they are never going to take you seriously. Make sure you focus on the actual behaviour rather than the child and avoid getting into a power struggle with them.
Marzano et al relate to consequential learning as the “course of action taken when students go too far or push the limits or boundaries, it teaches students that their behaviour has resulting consequences and that these consequences can change for them if they choose to act differently” (pg 77). Every student in your class has a choice to alter their behaviour, the consequences of breaking the rules and acting inappropriately should be discussed at the beginning when rules and procedures are being created as a whole class. Jenny Mackay refers to the 5R’s in regards to consequences (pg 78).
RELATE the consequences to the behaviour not the person
REASONABLE consequences that are fair even though your students may not like the consequence.
RESPONSIBILITY- consequences need to teach students about responsibility. The choice of behaviour was the students and is therefore responsible for their consequences.
REPARATION is the opportunity to make things right. It enables the student to experience ‘doing it right’.
RESPECT- consequences convey respect for the person and maintain their dignity. A student can’t change who they are but they can alter their behaviour.
Furthermore teachers have found that students are becoming less accepting to an authoritarian style of teaching and teachers who cannot cope refer to the school’s disciplinary policies and procedures (Mackay, pg 1. ) it’s a good idea to become familiar with these polices and procedures but don’t become reliant on them. This authoritarian style of teaching and punishment is normally used if students have gone too far and have crossed the line, personally I have rarely seen this happen and the teacher is able to control the behaviour or situation.
Below is some links to resources on rewards in the classroom and teacher opinions on the use of rewards via you tube.
