Reward Me!

When I first think of reward systems, I think of B.F. Skinner and his rats receiving a pellet for pressing a bar.  Some reward systems I feel have the tendency of reducing humans to rats in a cage making us exhibit a certain behavior to receive some sort of pellet.  I think one way to not reduce humans to rats is by choosing effective “pellets” for the reward.  Candy and food are the usually fall back choices for giving rewards to children.  I have been guilty many times of rewarding children with candy to reward a desired behavior.  It’s widely available, cheap to distribute to a large group and usually received enthusiastically.  But does candy server as an effective reward?  I’m reminded of the saying, “make sure the crime fits the punishment” when providing effective discipline.  So what about rewards, shouldn’t they fit the behavior to be rewarded?  Perhaps giving children candy for being “sweet” to each other or rewarding them for trying a new food, (although still a stretch), could be seen as a fitting reward for these behaviors.  But I really can’t think of too many behaviors in school that would match up with a reward of candy.  The question is, is candy a good reinforcement for student behaviors?  I don’t think so.  The catch then in using reward systems is finding an appropriate reward that is meaningful to the student, but also emphasizes the desired behavior achieved.    

In my field experiences I have seen the classroom teacher reward the students with (poker) chips in a collective group bucket.  The groups consist of 4-5 students.  Students receive chips for individual behavior that goes into their group bucket from their teacher or for group behavior that again accumulates in the group’s bucket.  This reward system is very popular with the students.  There are chips flying across the classroom all day, or placed in the hands of the students, as valuable as gold.  I’ve seen student’s behavior turn 180 degrees to receive a chip for their group’s bucket.  It seems to provide some reinforcement to the students for exhibiting desired behaviors.  Unfortunately, I think the system is a bit random and allocation of chips for certain behaviors is at the discretion of the teacher.  It has never been made clear to me what behaviors are consistently reinforced by the chips, and what the point system is.  Sometimes a certain student will get two chips for just “trying”, and sometimes a student will get only one chip for completing correctly a whole worksheet.  This random system can work in the favor of the teacher, as many of the students are always trying to exhibit behavior that the teacher may recognize.  The system works on the “catch me being good” model.   I can see myself using a similar system, because I like and I think students like as well, to play games.   This method of receiving chips and then counting them up each week for the group’s prize of their choice (i.e., computer time at the end of the day, homework pass) seems like a game to me. 

But that may be the trouble with this system, it seems like just a game and the chips thrown in the bucket only seem remotely connected to the student’s behaviors reinforced.  So how do you find appropriate rewards so reward systems are meaningful.  What about stickers, free pizza coupons, extra recess time?  Ideally none of these rewards, I feel are as effective as the self-satisfaction for exhibiting positive behaviors for an individual. Unfortunately even adults rarely achieve feeling good about this type of reward.  It’s not that they can’t feel good about their own personal merit; it’s just that in our society we’re used to displaying our rewards in front of others.  Letting others know about our own personal successes is often more meaningful when we are recognized.  (Of course in the way we want to be recognized.)  What we probably really want for a reward is congratulations and acknowledgement from others first and foremost, even before our on self-congratulations.

If this is true, having students learn to praise and congratulate their fellow students will be key for an ideal reward system.  But alas we are only human and even though we want to praise our peers, the competitive bones in our body scream, but what about me?  Teaching then students to be honest “complimenters” and learn to be genuinely happy for other’s successes may be a key to the best type of reward system.  What an amazing trait to develop in children that will benefit them all through their life.  This method also is directly related to many of the behaviors to be reinforced which I feel will more effectively promote desired positive behavior.  This is achieved because most behaviors to be rewarded are promoting social behaviors in a school setting.  Having a reward system than that is based on social interactions between students can be a meaningful reward.