Creating a warm and welcoming classroom is about more than discipline. While you’ll want to address problems and come up with solutions for students who disrupt class and don’t play well with others, rewarding and fostering good behavior is a must as well. Not only does offering praise or a tangible reward reinforce that good behavior in an individual student, it shows the class how much you value good and kind behavior as well.
Offer Rewards, not Bribes
The ability to pick from a prize box should be given as a reward for great behavior, not as a bribe for students to perform or behave. Allowing your students the opportunity to earn points, stars or other symbols and then turn them in for a tangible reward can be a powerful motivator. Not sure what to provide as a reward? A comprehensive kit makes it easy, just set up and grant access as your students earn prizes.
Peer Based Encouragement
Give your students a forum for encouraging each other; feedback and praise from a fellow classmate can be a powerful reinforcement tool. Provide a way for kids to nominate someone for a weekly award and require them to state not only the name of their candidate but why they deserve to be that week’s star student. Reading through the submissions can give you valuable insight into how your class interacts and what qualities stand out most to them. Offering a badge or ribbon to wear on Friday can be a powerful reminder of what a child’s peers really think about them, and is a way to reinforce preferred behaviors.
Intangible Rewards
Some of the most motivating and effective rewards and reinforcers you can offer won’t cost a thing – just your time. Taking the time to praise a student in front of his peers, parents or other teachers goes a very long way. Make sure you are looking for the good in every student – and when you catch them “being good,” point it out to them and to the class. It’s as easy as saying “I really like the way you shared your pencils, Sally” or “It was so nice of you to help Katie clean up the blocks” takes only seconds, but is a powerful motivator for your young students.
Give Responsibilities
Make sure your students are all responsible for the care and upkeep of the classroom and your shared space. By regularly assigning jobs to students and rotating them through the different responsibilities, you foster a sense of ownership and caring and make it more likely that your kids will take care of their space.
