My chosen reward is the use and implication of stickers within a school environment. I have seen it used effectively in many schools I have worked in and it has many strengths, but equally its draw backs. Reward systems are in place in order for the children in a school to understand what is being asked of them. “Rules alone do not guarantee good behaviour; they should be related to rewards and sanctions” Arthur. J & Cremin. T (2010, p.136). This supports the active use of rewards that will have a positive effect on the children’s behaviour and subsequently, their work, knowledge and understanding. Particularly though, in the context of stickers.
Strengths
I believe that a potential benefit to children is that children may react positively …show more content…
There is one major weakness to the use of stickers and that is the potential over-use of the reward. “Teachers who consistently praise students for doing what is expected, diminish the importance of the praise” (Canter, 2010, p. 20). It will make the children think that it is an automatic part of the lesson and will not attempt to strive in order to receive one. In contrast to this, Ritz et al (2013, p. 10) states that "Other teachers noted that they award stickers to students who demonstrate behaviour that exceeds the regular classroom expectations". Instead of praising the ‘status quo’. The teachers are able to praise the children’s outstanding achievement. This may have an effect on the children’s intrinsic motivation as well as their self-confidence. It also stops the children from learning what good behaviour is. This will therefore have a negative effect on the children’s work. Furthermore, Fox (2000) explains that a strategy that might work for one child may not work for another. I have worked with children who were completely uninspired by the idea of a sticker. This could be down to the age of the child or his mentality towards behaviour. Another flaw I have found is age variations. Stickers worked very well in year 1, but I have also been into a year 5 classroom. Within this environment, the use of stickers was non-existent. This could be down to the children losing interest in the potential rewards that ‘stickers’ entail. This argument is supported by Beadle et al (2013) who debate that when children get to a certain age, the reward systems should be revised and have more worthwhile rewards on offer. Furthermore, this is when intrinsic motivation would really take over from the conventional use of stickers in the classroom. Intrinsic motivation is a negative argument when analysing the effectiveness and application of stickers. Negatively it can be seen as a step up from stickers as a way of promoting
Strengths
I believe that a potential benefit to children is that children may react positively …show more content…
There is one major weakness to the use of stickers and that is the potential over-use of the reward. “Teachers who consistently praise students for doing what is expected, diminish the importance of the praise” (Canter, 2010, p. 20). It will make the children think that it is an automatic part of the lesson and will not attempt to strive in order to receive one. In contrast to this, Ritz et al (2013, p. 10) states that "Other teachers noted that they award stickers to students who demonstrate behaviour that exceeds the regular classroom expectations". Instead of praising the ‘status quo’. The teachers are able to praise the children’s outstanding achievement. This may have an effect on the children’s intrinsic motivation as well as their self-confidence. It also stops the children from learning what good behaviour is. This will therefore have a negative effect on the children’s work. Furthermore, Fox (2000) explains that a strategy that might work for one child may not work for another. I have worked with children who were completely uninspired by the idea of a sticker. This could be down to the age of the child or his mentality towards behaviour. Another flaw I have found is age variations. Stickers worked very well in year 1, but I have also been into a year 5 classroom. Within this environment, the use of stickers was non-existent. This could be down to the children losing interest in the potential rewards that ‘stickers’ entail. This argument is supported by Beadle et al (2013) who debate that when children get to a certain age, the reward systems should be revised and have more worthwhile rewards on offer. Furthermore, this is when intrinsic motivation would really take over from the conventional use of stickers in the classroom. Intrinsic motivation is a negative argument when analysing the effectiveness and application of stickers. Negatively it can be seen as a step up from stickers as a way of promoting