I want to share a struggle.
I have written before about ‘candy for rewards’ in the classroom – A Candy for Your Thoughts?, and my challenge with this is on a couple of levels: first, unhealthy, sugar-filled treats are seen as a reward for doing things correctly, being good, or essentially is giving prizes for (good) behaviour. I have also written a piece on my struggles with book clubs rewarding students based on the volume of books they read – I Blame You Twitter. I have seen students (and my own children) intentionally select easy books to ‘win’ and perpetuate the notion that reading is something that needs to be incentivized. I have been well indoctrinated by Alfie Kohn, Daniel Pink and others who raise the concern flag over rewards, and passionate Canadian edu-bloggers like Joe Bower and Chris Wejr who have regularly challenged the use of rewards in school.
I can remember rewards working for me in school. I struggled with reading, but I recall a reading-fundraiser to raise funds for the Multiple Sclerosis Society where family and friends sponsored me to read books and if I hit a certain number (I think it was 20 books) I got a certificate — I read for those months like I have never read before. I also can remember engaging in social responsibility initiatives like raising money for prominent and worthy charities, knowing that if I reached a certain level I would get a free Frisbee or Yo-Yo. But, shouldn’t I have read because of the pleasure of reading? Shouldn’t I have engaged in charity to support the community? I’m not entirely sure I would have done either with such fervor if it were not for the incentives. And, I’m also not sure if I would have studied so diligently every Thursday night for the Friday spelling test if I didn’t know a star on the board, at the front of the class, was on the line each week.
I am currently pulling together a presentation for the upcoming TEDxWestVancouverED around my parenting wishes for my own kids’ schooling. I keep coming back to this idea that I want learning to be the prize for them.
I wish that I could say that I was more intrinsically motivated. And, keeping the learning as the prize makes perfect sense in theory, and is a worthy goal, but for me it has always been an ongoing struggle.
Are others sharing this same challenge?
cultureofyes.ca 
Yes…all the time with my kids…If you read 50 books you will get a reward…I hear groans from them….it never works. They never buy into it, or any other reward system at this age. The are 9 and 11! Instead, I try to focus them on reading for interest, and provide time to read. One child loves reading but has to do it on his own time and own way (instead of reading for 20 mins a night, he will read for 3 nights a week for about an hour or two at a time). I try to entice them via their interests and often I will start reading the book to them, and then one of them may choose it himself.
Basically, when I get on the parental rampage to make sure my kids know their math skills, are good readers, and get them to do extra homework, they tell me, “Mom, we work hard, we’re good students, so let us be”.
I get it. They need to be internally motivated and I need to let them be. I don’t think rewards work at this age, and I think it is all about finding interests and passions and becoming autonomous learners at this point. I also believe that being internally motivated is developmental and needs to be nutured by giving our kids and students the time to be with themselves, to go inward and think about their lives, and to not be chaperoned to so many dance, swimming, soccer, music, art programs. We fill them with so much “stuff” …..does that stuff really matter? We are creating the generation of “hyped up” kids.
I am part of this problem. My 11 year old just finished a fairly intense season of ski racing…and now, he doesn’t know what to do with himself. ” What are my interests? What can I do now? I am bored on the weekend.” he lamented.
I told him this is time to regroup, spend time with himself, think about his dreams and his interests, keep a journal, and just be. He needs to struggle with whom he is and what he wants to do and where he needs to go and I need to let him struggle. My first instinct….”what program can I put him in for spring…maybe I should put him in a track and field club? A biking club? A basketball camp? Lifeguarding? Then I just stopped…..stopped.
It is okay to let our kids struggle to find who they need to be and stop throwing programs at them, or stickers or gummy worms. They need to learn to intrinsically motivate themselves and to struggle with their identity. Rewards do not work. But the process of learning, growing, and thinking about their learning and having conversations about their learning, and their ideas works. Basically, it’s letting go, and letting our kids develop and become who they need to be! A gummy worm helps along the way, now and again, but we need to move our learners to a much deeper and more profound level.
Thanks so much for adding to this conversation – a really convincing comment. It is very challenging as a parent not to over program. Again, this was easier in theory than I am finding in reality. I want to expose my kids to opportunities – so if the neighbours are doing it – shouldn’t we be doing it too? Congratulations on finding the perspective to stop – I think this is something so many of us wrestle with.
Hey Chris,
This is one that is always on my mind… from my K-6 students to parenting my 2 year old girls. How do we encourage the joy in the journey if they do not currently enjoy the journey?
My 2 year-old figure the game out quickly and whenever we try to bribe them (as you can imagine, this is an ongoing debate with my wife and I), it works but then bites us in the behind a few days/weeks later. I will use eating as an example: eat your meal and we can go to the park. The kids immediately place the focus on the park and the meal becomes something that ‘needs to get done” in order to do something else. Even 2 year-olds figure out that we are going to the park anyway. They also figure out that if the park bribe doesn’t work, we will come up with something else so they sit there until the next best offer comes along. Once we realized this, we have stopped the bribes and become more patient (a trying experience on most days) and things have improved.
We also see this in charities at school. A certain charity brings in a lot of money each year and reward fundraising students with prizes. The problem is that this is the ONLY time I have ever seen anyone donate to this important organization. Compare this to the SPCA. Although we do not raise as much money for the SPCA in one year, over time, our students continue to donate both their time and own money to this cause. Why? They see purpose. The relate to the story. When students are impacted by the story, they do great things and their efforts become more meaningful. Terry Fox is another example – no prizes but a powerful story.
The books and rewards thing is yet another example. I remember the 50 book club in elementary school. If we read 50 books, we got a prize and got brought up in front of the crowd, Growing up, I always read at least 50 books… until the 50 book club. That year, I read exactly 50 books. Following that I read very little. I never really read much through high school as I was forced to read only fiction stories. I am not saying that the 50 book club killed my joy in reading but I was already reading that many so it hindered my reading in a way. It was not until my late 20’s when I realized that process of reading could significantly impact my life. Once that happened, I cannot go anywhere without reading blogs and books.
So I have no answers other that to continue to share stories, help students align purpose with their journey and make their efforts relevant. We may not see the immediate impact like we do with rewards but I know we will not demotivate or gamify the process.
Hi Chris,
The “extrinsic motivation” question is a tough one. On the one hand, as Daniel Pink and many others have shown, extrinsic motivation is clearly a pale second best to true engagement in learning. But most would argue that extrinsic motivation is better than no motivation and thus disengagement by the learner. The big question then is how do we engage all learners? I recently wrote about this in my own blog here (March 11th post)
http://where2fromhere-fromgoodtobetter.blogspot.ca/
One big issue, that we as educators are going to have to address (or work with for the time being) is that many of the structures both within education and throughout society in general are set up with purely extrinsic motivators as the prime mover. From (some) current assessment practices to post secondary entrance requirements to the career paths many kids (or their parents) choose, choosing learning paths simply for the love and passion of learning is too often seen as a luxury rather than a priority.
Thanks Iain. Your post is really good – we are thinking similar thoughts. It is a challenge that we live in this dual world – talking about intrinsic motivation while in such an extrinsic world. I am putting some thoughts together on the recent changes in youth soccer – with the push to not keep score at young ages – very similar to what we are trying to do in schools – and meeting some of the same resistance.
Integrating reality with ideology, always a challenge.
Yes Karin. It is very hard to make it work, but I am quite taken by the research that we can actually improve outcomes and quality with fewer extrinsic rewards. It does seem to run counter to what I want to believe is true.
Glad you are bringing this topic up. In so many aspects of our lives some sort of reward system works well. In my experience it also works in classrooms. Some children do not receive much affirmation in their lives and the opportunity to earn it from a teacher suddenly lights up their day. Good teachers do not hand out rewards indiscriminately; they expertly judge how to extend children of various abilities. Red Cross swim programs, scouts and girl guides successfully use badges as motivators.
I believe that we sometimes need to discriminate between educating and training. To me, training can be useful. When we train young minds we can help students realize that doing something well does indeed have its own rewards. reward giving is a type of training. So quite quickly, they receive a double return on their investment. Soon the satisfaction of accomplishment becomes intrinsic, they feel good about their completed and well done tasks and the ‘candy’ is no longer needed.
I once had a superb primary teacher who used rewards exceptionally well. Once a week she had spelling tests. Any student scoring 18/20 or more was given a candy. Things went very well until November. At that time a new student entered her class, she had an eating disorder and thus candies were out. The scores fell. Stickers or other small prizes did not accomplish the same incentive.
Yes, it is time to re examine rewards in schools.
I’m going to oversimplify this. We are humans and we like to win (something). We have been motivated by winning since the beginning of time.
Maybe. I would agree I have liked every awards program that has recognized me, but I have been not so keen of the others. There are lots of kids who like rewards at school – they are the ones getting them. So what about the others – what messages are we sending? I know we are preparing for “real life” – but real life is not all about collecting gold stars.
True Chris, but a carefully crafted reward programs can rewards everyone at some level. Everyone can achieve a personal best so we should reward that.
I know what you are saying but I think intrinsic rewards can only come with a certain level of maturity, heading towards self-actualization. I don’t think there is anything wrong with wanting a gold star. In the “real” world, workers are often rewarded with rewards that are extrinsic and those often become powerful motivators.
Yes, I often wonder how we move from extrinsic to intrinsic motivation on particular tasks – so with the reading example, do we naturally move from reading for reward (sticker, prize etc.) to reading for the love of reading. And what if we never have the prizes – does this work better for some kids than others. I know with my own children they respond very differently to rewards. And as others have pointed out we are far from consistent – rewards are seen as very appropriate at some times for some tasks and not with others.
Interesting conversations, thanks Chris!
My own kids (8 and 10) are attracted to contests (summer reading club, writing or design contests) and I like that there are small tokens attached to this, whether it is a printed ‘certificate’ or a gift card/book. Because these types of contests are often attached to a marketing campaign, and the incentives help boost involvement or participation, I am ok with the ‘prize’ being offered. But the output of reading, writing and drawing is where my kids love to spend their time (they’re not super competitive) and the more time they spend, the better they get at that particular skill.
We also give our kids an ‘allowance’ each week to help with chores around the house. It is considerably less than their friends get (according to them) but I know they appreciate the money in their bank. I also like to see them get better at a basic life skill/task, and it helps take the load off my domestic chores.
What I have trouble with is the Charity prize: raising money for a charity with a prize attached to highest donor. I feel that attaching a prize (anything other than a Thank You certificate or plaque, for a school) detaches the kids from the meaning of Charity. We feel good when we help others, we don’t need a reward for doing so.
I think that when learning is relevant, kids have more at stake and will work harder, and with more satisfaction. (They might not even need a grade or mark!) The pride they feel and the connections they make foster new learning. Learning doesn’t need an additional ‘prize’.
Sorry this is long but I feel it’s an example of where rewards totally backfired.
Recently I was given the opportunity to attend and participate as a judge in a school district Math Celebration. It was a great day. I loved the way the kids worked together and each problem could be broken down into teamwork, strategy and correct answer components.
As judges we observed only (difficult to do at times) for twelve minutes while a team of four kids made up of either grade 4/5s or grade 6/7s worked on a math problem. They would read the problem out loud and then work together to devise strategies and come up with an answer that they could then explain to the judge. As we observed, we were looking for three criteria 1) their ability to work as a team; 2) their use of strategies and; 3) whether or not they arrived at the correct answer. They were then awarded a gold (if they did all three), a silver (if they managed two of the criteria) or a bronze (if they only filled one).
Something I observed as detrimental to the whole process was the gold, silver or bronze ribbons (extrinsic rather than intrinsic motivation). Here is where the Assessment For Learning is ruined and why I think so.
I had to award a bronze to a team and it nearly broke my heart because I knew they would not focus on the AFL I was giving them, but only on the fact that they received a bronze. They had great teamwork that I talked to them about and I explained the types of strategies they could have used to approach the problem better, but really it was just the dejected looks at receiving a bronze that they took away from that conversation. I really worked at telling them not to be disappointed and giving them good feedback for moving forward but all any of the kids focused on was the ribbons. After each problem I observed that all the kids would ask their friends at the adjoining tables what they got and how many golds they had, etc.
For me it changed the focus and purpose of the event from a teaching and AFL opportunity to a rewards based, grades based competition (not a celebration).
Like I said, blocking ideology to accurately perceive reality is tough. The reality is that those kids know they are not equal and they CAME to find out where they stood relative to the other kids. If you didn’t tell them that, they would never come back. As long as the process is fair, the ranking is the point for the kids. They’re learning all the time, don’t worry; it’s what kids do. And if you tell them it doesn’t matter, they will recognize the lie you are telling them for what it is, and regard you accordingly. What they will learn from a non-ranking system is that adults are idiots with whom they cannot discuss anything frankly and for whose benefit they have to pretend and hide their real thoughts.
Your criteria for the ribbons were enough of a problem; a refusal to give them out would have been a complete waste of time for the kids.
And to be a bit political about it; look, in a court case, someone wins and someone loses. In BC, teachers have been crowing for two years about having won their court case about the government. So they obviously love winning. But they won’t give kids the same privilege. Hypocritical and ideological.
Unless, of course, you are going to fight for the court system to become a forum for mediation, teamwork, and win-win solutions instead of a place for combat. But then launching lawsuits against the government in the first place is just a tad inconsistent.
And then there is the electoral process. Pretending it’s about the teamwork, not the outcome is a bit, shall we say, dishonest?
If they were crestfallen when you awarded a bronze when a team had the right answer, it was probably because they knew the criteria were bogus and they were pissed off about it.
Trust me on this, because I’m the person waiting at home to talk about their day, and I have had a few earfuls after this kind of event.
I was a volunteer at the event. I am not a teacher. I am also the person waiting at home to talk about their day. And my conversation with my daughter after the event (I did not judge her group) would have been completely different if there hadn’t been ribbons. Maybe it’s more about learning style, personal philosophy or seeing the world only as either winners or losers than rewards. Personally I think there are many more shades of grey.
Being a volunteer is tough and of course there are shades of grey. But an event has to have a purpose, and then outcomes consistent with the purpose. If the day is about celebrating math, it probably isn’t about celebrating math done wrong. And if awards are being given out for teamwork when math is done wrong in the context of a math day… you see how this is starting to look from a kid’s point of view. If you can design a math celebration day that would have neither right or wrong answers nor any hierarchy of achievement, nor any recognition of achievement, more power to you, but my imagination fails. The teamwork aspect alone makes it really complicated; forcing an unnatural alliance and guaranteeing an outcome that does not reflect what the child did, ribbon or no ribbon.
My kids’ school sports days degenerated into real farces. They used to only give out team ribbons, not individual ones, and one year my son came home really annoyed with a blue (winning team) ribbon: “but I didn’t actually win any events.” We also had some really bad experiences with academic group projects – sometimes each of my kids were carrying the group, sometimes being carried, neither of which was good. There is rarely a group project where the outcome is fair for all. Maybe that’s a life lesson, but it didn’t generate respect for the teacher.
We go through life wanting to make kids feel good, but trying to do that in the context of a model that doesn’t make sense only depresses and alienates them.
By the way I’m sorry my name didn’t show up on my last post; it should on this and my first one. And with that, I’ve taken up enough airtime, sorry.
Hi Tami,
What I like about your example is that kids were focused on 3 criteria (only one of which was getting the right answer). It sounds like the emphasis was on problem solving and team building, two life skills that can serve our kids better than simply arriving at the correct answer. They were also not ‘rated’ (against each other) in terms of how well they did in each area, but were rewarded for either completing it or not. What I like about this is that kids can feel good about achieving something rather than being compared against each other. It sounds like a fair judging system compared to say, Olympic Figure Skating.
I agree that the awarding of ribbons can take away from intrinsic motivation, and it’s too bad the kids were focused on the color rather than the success of the learning. I am wondering if any groups came away with no ribbons? Was there extra time provided for groups who couldn’t solve the problem in the 12 minutes? Were groups informed on their progress/ assessment? Was there opportunity to regroup or practice the skills (academic or social) that they missed? Interesting problem, thanks for sharing.
Chris,
Isn’t the issue always what happens once the reward is removed? Do kids read in the summer when there are no prizes, or practice spelling when the gold stars are gone?
I agree with you though, it sure FEELS like rewards can be working, but I wonder if the resulting work ethic is undeniably tainted and thus not something we can use as proof of effectiveness.
That being said, fostering the intrinsic motivation is HARD, and I even believe sometimes we think we are helping build intrinsic motivation but we are actually just using other tricks like guilt or the allure of far away rewards like “good jobs” or getting into “good schools”.
So I guess I don’t have an answer, like you I am struggling, but if I were giving a staff member advice in my school I think I would have them focus on long term results and finding ways to create self-motivated and curious young people seeking solutions to questions they are truly interested in solving. If it isn’t fostering long term engagement then they should try something else.
Chris, it seems that the issue of external rewards vs intrinsic motivation (learning as the prize) is controversial because different approaches work for different individuals, depending on individual temperament and interests, parenting styles, past experiences, the situation (e.g., learning math, language, sports, or something else), the stakes, etc. What parents do with their individual child at home is personal and individual. What teaching staff do for entire classes or schools is public and affects the whole population (through role modelling, setting the standard, sending a message). There are so many different aspects or perspectives–educational, psychological, health, ethical,…
It is beneficial to consider:
1) What are the goals (of the adults and children)?
2) What are the pros and cons of using rewards?
3) How can the goals best be reached? What are the alternatives?
4) Who benefits and who does not? Do the benefits outweigh harm?
5) What are the outcomes (both the expected and unintended consequences)?
I don’t think that there is one right answer to using incentives or rewards, but lots to consider in deciding–are we doing the right thing, and doing things right (for achieve the greatest good for the greatest number).
I like this handout on Non-Food Rewards for children and youth:
Click to access Non-Food%20Rewards%20-%202012-2013.pdf
Thanks for the thoughtful discussion. I always enjoy reading your posts.
Helen
Thanks Helen – the handout provides a nice collection of alternatives to handing out candy.
Thanks Chris for this post and sorry for the lateness of my response. I think what is often missing in the debate is the deficits kids come to school with. Pink, Kohn and others often get cited as being opposed to rewards but they also agree that this position becomes valid only after the basic needs have been met. We have many students who don’t fit that description. As an example I’m working with schools where attendance is a huge issue (because of many variables that the school can’t control) and simply hoping for intrinsic motivation to kick in won’t be the solution. If altering the behaviour in the short term by offering incentives works, then let’s do it. I know this – once kids are in school, our brilliant and highly engaging teachers will “hook them” and get them keen to return. Sometimes it’s how we, as the adults, transition from the overt rewards to the intrinsic that is the problem. If we don’t make the transition, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that neither do our kids.