I’m starting a new blog series called, Teacher Snacks. Why?
- Teachers are often on the hunt for bite-sized applicable information they can apply to their learning setting immediately.
- Kids need snacks, and teachers need snacks too. I LOVE snacks – and really all food…
Teacher Snacks will offer short and concise information about topics and issues related to classroom instruction and student learning.
So, let’s get started.
Today’s Snack on the menu: Positive Behavior Rewards
You don’t need to implement an entire curriculum or program to reap the benefits of positive reward systems in your classroom. Utilizing positive behavior rewards as a classroom strategy is a way to communicate your expectation for behavior and reinforce it for further compliance. “Rewards” can often simply be a praise and a smile. Follow a few steps, and you’ll be seeing more compliant and desired behavior from your students.
- Identify the behavior you want to reinforce. For instance, transitions between classroom activities.
- Teach the expectation explicitly and in easy-to-understand steps (5 steps MAX – 3 is better).
- Model the expectation – demonstrate and role-play! (Doesn’t need to be Shakespearean here – just something that SHOWS what you want to happen.)
- Practice – EVERY student practices the behavior with a specific cue that you will use every time (consistency is key). For instance – “Time to switch” is something you can remember easily and from which the students can extrapolate exact meaning.
- When you see students complying with the expectation, NAME the behavior and give a praise. For instance, “Good job Johnny for putting your book back on the shelf.” Or “Sam, you’re awesome for plugging your device back in like that!” It’s fine to simply say “good job” sometimes, but it’s much more effective if you actually name the behavior you are trying to reinforce. -These are examples of effective VERBAL rewards. I’ll write more later on tangible reward systems for kiddos who need a little extra support.-
- Finally, CONSISTENCY is essential. This routine and your cue needs to be used in the same way every day. Most importantly, ALWAYS find a way to say loud and proud, for all to hear, that you like what you see.
Until next time, stay hungry my friends.