Back in the day, positive reinforcement was quite the buzzword. Although I do agree with the use of positive reinforcement in the classroom, I have recently seen another side to it.
To encourage good group behavior, I use the ice-cream scoop system. The students have four chances to earn a small scoop each day. When fifteen small scoops are earned, one large scoop goes up. When six large scoops are earned, we have a classroom reward. The first reward is usually an ice-cream party.
As we were returning from lunch one day, I overheard two boys talking. The class had just failed to earn the ice-cream scoop for lunchroom behavior, and one boy commented that he didn’t care because he didn’t like ice cream. This was too good of an opportunity to pass up. I spoke with him and asked him if the ice-cream reward was the only reason he was obeying in the lunchroom? Why should we obey school rules? We obey because it’s the right thing to do and it’s pleasing to the Lord.
Kids get so wrapped up in the “what’s in it for me” syndrome that they don’t see the bigger picture. Ice cream and other rewards are nice, but the real reason we obey is to please God. That’s more important than any reward someone could give you.
Do you use positive reinforcement in your classroom? How have you been able to help your students see beyond the reward?