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Responses to Merrill
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Responses to Merrill
Wordle Response to Classroom Managment 3
I remember many reward systems being used throughout my elementary years. A technique for motivation that I remember especially well is from my fourth grade class. My teacher had posters that she would put up around the room for the number of pages students read. The more pages we read, the more posters were put up, and the closer we were to a pizza party. This motivated me because I loved to read and was excited about a reward for doing it. Other students who were not such avid readers did not care as much about the posters.
ReplyDeleteI think this technique could be effective in motivating students today but may not serve the purpose teachers want. Some students in my fourth grade class just read for the number of pages instead of the content and I think this would be true today as well. I think that a reward system used correctly could be effective in today's classrooms, but would take much consideration.
A motivational technique that was used in our school to encourage reading was called EBS. I honestly can't remember what this stood for, but it was a reading program used throughout many grades in elementary. I want to say we did this through grades 3-6. This program motivated the students to read books and also comprehend what they were reading. We had to read books and then take quizzes over them online. By a certain time we had to read 35 chapter books and pass 35 quizzes as well. If we were able to accomplish this, there was an EBS field trip we got to participate in. One year we went to the state capital, another one I can remember was the zoo. They were always so much fun.
ReplyDeleteI was a student who did not find pleasure in reading. I did not enjoy it at all. Given this program and motivation, I read 35 books each year and attended the EBS field trip.
Although I think this was a good motivational technique for some, it could also be tough for others who are not very fluent readers. As a school, I think it is so important to consider all aspects of something like this. I always felt bad for the students who did not get to come along on the field trip. I think there could have been something done to revise this and make it possible for all students to have success and feel the sense of accomplishment.
In Elementary I remember my first grade teacher using an incentive chart to motivate us students. Every day before we lined up to go to the buses, our teacher would have us sit on the carpet and talk about our day. She would then compliment or give suggestions to each student. If that child had a good day they would receive a sticker next to his or her name and after their row of stickers was full (usually containing about 15 stickers) she would let them get something from the goodie box. The goodie box contained items like: stickers, pencils, and erasers. If the child had a rough day she was just tell the student why they didn’t earn a sticker, and that if they try extra hard tomorrow and are good then they might earn their sticker for that day.
ReplyDeleteI think that this motivational technique could still be used today, because I have actually seen it in a few of my field experiences. The children like this strategy because they want to do well in school and impress their teacher. The only downfall of this technique is that teachers should not use it as a bargain, but rather as an encouragement factor. An important thing to remember about this method is that the child is working towards a goal, and that goal shouldn’t be food but instead focus on something that contributes to learning.
The first strategy that came to mind was reading incentive programs. All throughout my elementary school years my teachers implemented these programs. One of the big ones was Pizza Hut's "Book It" program. After you read so many pages or books, you received a free pizza from Pizza Hut. I know this program is pretty wide spread throughout the country. The second reading incentive program we always did was for Six Flags Great America. You had to read at least 500 minutes, and you received a free ticket to Six Flags. I know this really motivated students to read because tickets to this theme park are about fifty dollars. This saved many families a lot of money. Some of my best memories of when I was a kid was going to Six Flasg with my family and my two siblings and I always got in free because of this reading program.
ReplyDeleteI don't feel like these programs are the best way to motivate students to read however. This really is not helping them be intrinsically motivated. Most students only read to receive the prize. I think programs need to actually change how the child feels about reading on the inside, to actually help them love reading. They can't just be motivated by a prize.
For some reason I don’t remember many reward strategies or techniques used when I was in Elementary School. There is one reward strategy that I remember well from Middle School, though. My middle school had a school store where you could buy drinks, food, and snacks. The store was open after school and during sporting events. Teachers could hand out ‘coupons’ that would let you buy something from the store, instead of using money. Teachers would give out the coupons if we received a good grade on a test, did well on an assignment, or just did something that they thought deserved a reward for. It was always kind of exciting to receive one of these coupons.
ReplyDeleteI’m not sure how effective this strategy would be in classrooms today. Some schools may not have school stores, and other may just not want to mess with these coupons. I’m also not sure how effective they would be on motivating students. It seemed like the same students would always get the coupons. I always wanted to do well in school, so I tried hard. The coupons were more of just a bonus to me. Students, who weren’t motivated, weren’t going to change their ways just to get a little coupon. Giving food as a reward isn’t something that I think should be a main strategy, especially with the rising child obesity problem. I think there are other strategies that we should use that could be more effective.
One that I can remember is in my 8th grade math class. Every time you got 100% on a quiz or test, you got to put a star with your name on it somewhere around the classroom. By the end of the year, there were stars everywhere, on all of the walls, overhead, door, ceiling, and desks.
ReplyDeleteI like this strategy, but I don't know if I would use it. By the end of the year, students became less motivated to earn a star. Yet, at the beginning of the year, it was exciting because you had so many places to show it off. Also, there were the smart kids who got lots of stars and then those who never got any (even though they might have a good grade, but just might 1 or 2 on tests/quizzes).
It would be interesting to see how elementary students would react to this reward system. Maybe, I could give stars for those students who improved from the previous test/quiz.
Lindsey,
ReplyDeleteI did the 'Book It' program as well. It was so much fun to get free pizzas, but I agree that these are not always the best motivational practices. Although they get children to read, they are most likely just reading to get the prize. However, along the way they may find a passion and love for reading. I think that is the hope of the teachers. I don't think they are so concerned about giving out the prizes, but I think they are wanting children to want to read and find enjoyment in it and this is their way of reaching that goal. The more you do something, the more you like it, or you get sick of it. Hopefully these reading programs help, but I'm sure there are more effective ways to get children to love reading other than offering prizes and rewards!
Natalie: I agree that the star reward system would be an interesting one to use in an elementary classroom. When I was reading about it in your post it almost seemed like it was too 'young' for 8th grade students. I think younger children are more motivated by the stickers, stars, etc but older students are motivated by something different. The older students might rather have a coupon or food of some sort.
ReplyDeleteMany comments on the blog this week indicate that external motivators were used in the classroom for student compliance. To paraphrase Lindsey, Lacey and Natalie specifically they indicate that the techniques they cited were not lasting motivators.
ReplyDeleteIf we could overlay Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene theory http://www.netmba.com/mgmt/ob/motivation/herzberg/ things like achievement, recognition, work itself and responsibility could all apply to school situations. Of course Herzberg studied adults in work situations, not kids in classrooms which could be looked at as opposites. However, maybe we are "paying" students with stickers or pizza coupons or gold stars? Do students equate these rewards in a similar way that adults regard their paycheck? Herzberg says that salary is a dissatisfier. Would these external motivators then ultimately negatively impact student's long term motivation or cause them dissatisfaction? Interesting question.
Motivation is a tricky subject and I believe that a teacher first must understand what they are motivating for...Is it short term or long term motivation?
Great posts so far! Keep up the great thinking!
The one strategy I remember from elementary school was for spelling. I'm not sure which grade or teacher did this but I remember it happening. For every perfect spelling text a student got, we would put but a star on the wall. Once we reached all the way around the room, we would get a pizza party. Another one I could think of was finding postmarks from every state during our study of the 50 states and their capitals.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this reward type system seems fun and exciting for students, I think it might get old. As one of the other students said, it may seem awesome in the beginning but fade out at the end. As a teacher, I think coming up with very small incentives throughout the year may help the students reach their goal. If I were to do this in my future classroom, some of the things I would need to think about would be age, skill level, and most importantly what the students motivation is and if this strategy would actually work for them.
Chelsea:
ReplyDeleteI have heard of programs like the one you talked about in your comment. At my elementary school we did something along the lines of 100 mins in so many days? I, too was a person that read to get to go somewhere or get something but did not find pleasure in reading. Like you said, you felt bad for those who did not get to go. I agree with you 100%. On the other hand I can see the opposite side as well. If students really want to achieve something they will work as hard as they have to in order to reach their goal. One thing I relate this to is getting in shape. If you really want to achieve that "beach body," you have to find what really motivates you.
As teachers, I think the bottom line is that we need to find what really motivates our students. One incentive may not motivate the other. Knowing our students and keeping our eyes open for key motivators is going to be essential for being successful in the classroom.
I remember charts on the wall or in a folder that showed progress with something like AR books. Especially if the charts were on a wall for the whole class to see, this method was motivational because your progress was advertised. At certain points we got awards or rewards such as extra recess. This program motivated students to read more books and score well on tests.
ReplyDeleteThis kind of motivation can still work in the classroom today. Students who do well are proud of their work and proud that it is on a chart on the wall. Awards are always motivational for younger students.
Another motivational strategy that I thought of from middle school had to do with spelling. Each week we would have a spelling test. After our very first spelling test we took, everyone who had gotten 100% got their name put up on the wall. From then on out, if you continued to get 100%, your name got to stay on the wall. If your name was already on the wall, and you didn’t get 100% your name would get taken down. Once your name was down, it couldn’t get put back up, even if you got 100%. At first I thought it was kind of neat to see my name up on the wall, where everyone else could see it too. Once my name was taken down, it was kind of embarrassing. I remember by the end of the year there were only 1 or 2 names left, and they received some sort of reward.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think this strategy would be very effective in classrooms today. Mr. Nielsen was talking about short term and long term motivation. This was definitely a long term motivational strategy. Once the students got their name taken off the wall, they had no chance of getting it put back up. They were then no longer motivated. The motivation was only there for those students who had gotten 100% every time, which were few. Like Anna said, I think it would be better to have multiple small, or short term, incentives throughout the year. Hopefully this would help the students to stay more focused on their current goals.
The first thing that came to my mind was when I was in seventh grade my teacher would throw us a sub party if we completed all of our work and participated in class. This would happen after we finished the unit we were working on. Everyone really enjoyed doing this; so it was a rare occasion if someone did not have their homework completed. I also think it helped us learn more because we all wanted to do well and be rewarded.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that this strategy is a good way to motivate students. I want my class to have internal motivation and do things to better their own education. Once you remove the reward system then there is nothing else that will motivate the students besides another reward. I think that we should focus our strategies on internal rewards so the students will continue to progress on their own.
Christy,
ReplyDeleteI have also seen this technique in my experiences. When I was volunteering in my K-1 classroom in high school the teacher used this. I think that it is a decent idea and you could continuously change the things in the "goody" box. Although I would only use this in lower grades.
When I first think of incentive programs in my education I think mostly of the behavioral strategy my second grade teacher used. We were a pretty energetic class and there were a lot of behavior issues. My teacher wore a tool belt and we worked on one behavior everyday. When she noticed you doing the behavior you were given a paw print and your name was put in a jar for a drawing at the end of the week. You were given a little treat if your name was pulled.
ReplyDeleteI think this technique would work still to this day. I think it is extreme, but if necessary for your classroom it works. This encourages better behavior from all students not just the problem students.
Lacy-
ReplyDeleteI have never dealt with a spelling incentive like this. I am not sure how I feel about it. Like you said it sounds neat to see your name and for everyone else to be able to, but when it's taken down it hurts. The fact that even if you get 100% it can't go back is odd. At the end of the year I am sure the two students felt great about having their name up on the wall, but the rest may feel like not trying since they can't be back up on the wall. I don't think I would use this in my classroom.
Throughout all levels of my education, there were several students, including myself, who found themselves unmotivated at times. Sometimes the teachers would recognize this, but other times it would go unnoticed. It was always easy to pick out the teachers who cared about his or her students because these were the teachers who noticed a loss of motivation in students. Unfortunately, the teachers who did not notice, were rarely able to get those students back on track and excited about learning. When the teachers noticed their students were losing motivation in the class, several of my high school teachers would organize meetings with every student. This was really only to reach those students they felt needed attention, but rather than singling them out, they felt it was best to touch base with every student; in case one fell under the radar. These meetings would be brief one-on-one time between the teacher and the student. The teacher would ask a series of questions about how the student liked the subject being taught, if he or she was finding time to study, work on homework, or point out specific problem areas that might be apparent. Usually a good, open conversation would occur between the two. This way, the teacher was able to touch base with each student and this showed the students that the teacher cared. When students feel that their teacher cares about their learning, students will be much more motivated to learn. Also, when the teacher knows the specific issues a student might be having, he or she is able to address those problems and work on fixing them.
ReplyDeleteAs a future educator, I will try hard to pay close attention to my students attention level, participation level, and seemingly motivational level. Even if it seems like students are getting the materials and stay on track, I might try to fit in a little time every once in a while to meet with each student individually to talk about what we are learning and whether or not my students are staying on track. I do understand that it is usually a struggle to find time for these kinds of meetings, but students usually have a minute of two to step aside and talk with the teacher. If I am able to organize these brief meetings, it will show my students that I do care about their learning and hopefully keep them motivated to learn.
Anna:
ReplyDeleteIt seems as though you and a lot of people remember a certain reward system as a tool for motivation. I agree that this can be a very effective way to keeps students motivated to keep trying their hardest in the class. But I also think it is important to ensure that students do not become on reliant for awards whenever he or she does well. This can become an issue when dealing with why students learn. Will every student remain motivated to learn because he or she wants to know more about the topic? Or will students simply begin trying hard only for the immediate rewards. Although students are still learning in both cases, I think it is important for students to want to learn for the right reasons too. I think these are some of the things we should all consider when thinking about our future as educators.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGreat comments about this question this week. Many posts touch on what Jennifer focused on in her post, namely, relationships. I had a guidance counselor tell me the first week of my teaching (21 years ago) that you can basically do anything to kids as long as they know you love them. Not speaking literally, what he meant was that once you have a positive relationship with students they will be motivated by your relationship with them. Just a thought...
ReplyDeleteKeep thinking about this topic and don't be afraid to comment more than twice! You are doing a great job posting meaningful comments.:-)
When I was in 3rd grade my teacher would put a picture of an apple up or any other object that went with a certain month. When the class was doing something good before lunch she would fill in and peace, and if we were good after lunch she would fill in another piece. When we got all whole thing filled up she would give us free time at the end of the week to do what we wanted.
ReplyDeleteI think this strategy would still work today, because students would encourage others to be good, and get their work done so everyone would be rewarded.
Caitlin, my Spanish teacher did the same thing with us in high school. Only as a class we had to average a B on our tests and we would get a food day! It encouraged all of us to study, and get good grades on our test. I loved it, and so did my classmates because we would always do them a Fridays!
ReplyDeleteAmanda-
ReplyDeleteWhen I was at Kittrell in Waterloo for level 1, all the teachers and paras had paws laws to give students for good behavior. Responsibility and citizenship were some behaviors that students would receive paws laws for. I think they were turned in for prizes or special parties for the class.
One of the techniques that I remember in elementary school was when teachers would make a chart and put everyones name on it. If you did something good or got a good grade then you got a mark by your name. After getting a certain amount of marks, you would receive a reward. The rewards consisted of candy, a sticker, or sometimes even extra time at recess. I thought this worked well for that age because many little kids are motivated by rewards. They try hard to accomplish reaching that goal.
ReplyDeleteCaitlin:
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. I think that rewarding studetns at that age with food for example is not a good idea. Just like you said, once that is taken away students will not have anythign to work toward. This could be used at maybe a lower grade and be successfull.