Introducing an extrinsic reward system to your Key Stage 4 pupils helps to emphasise the intrinsic value of working hard and having self-belief and ambition when it comes to tackling school work.
A reward system which is measurable and features tangible reward tokens also allows you to better track the progress of your Key Stage 4 pupils. This is crucial when formal examinations are just around the corner.
Here is a guide to introducing rewards to you Key Stage 4 Students.
General Behaviours Typical of Many Key Stage 4 Pupils
- By this age most children have developed enough social skills and emotional awareness to access the school curriculum without disturbing the learning of others
- Some pupils may need regular positive reinforcement of acceptable classroom behaviours
- Students may actively 'push' these behavioural boundaries by leaving their seat, calling out in class or talking with their friends at inappropriate times, but the majority of pupils will follow the classroom rules
- Pupils tend to take responsibility for their actions and face the consequences of them
- Some pupils may be reserved and quiet at this age, preferring to limit their interactions with adults and other students
- Some students may be emotionally volatile as they experience the transition of puberty
1. Getting Started
Introducing a reward scheme to your pupils requires organisation and proper consideration for the kinds of behaviour you want to positively reinforce. Rewards don’t need to be limited to academic high achievement; rewards can be given for a whole variety of behaviours.
Examples of rewardable behaviours include:
- School work which demonstrates improvement within the subject area
- Extra-curricular success in sport, music, art or charitable fundraising
- Showing initiative (e.g. finding a useful learning resource online for the class)
Tip: Ensure the rewards you provide are valuable to the pupils and appropriate for their age group. Certificates and merit postcards will be more popular amongst your key stage 4 pupils than stickers. Non-tangible tokens also serve to motivate learners in this age group. For example, you could reward students by letting them sit near their friends.
2. Introducing Your New Rewards Scheme
Once you have decided on the criteria for which you plan on rewarding your pupils, it is now time to gather them together and explain your new system.
At the start of your lesson, explain which behaviours will be rewarded and tell them what the corresponding 'token' will be. You may also want to explain to them how these rewards will help keep them motivated during revision and their examinations.
Tip: Key Stage 4 pupils respond well to tangible reward systems, as, along with revision flash cards, these tokens help pupils visualize (and therefore remember) their progress.
3. Help Your Pupils Set Learning Goals
Once you have outlined your new reward system to your pupils, get them to set themselves learning goals based on their achievements thus far and help them to identify areas where they could make improvements. By setting SMART targets, (i.e. specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-based) you can create the criteria for which you can track and issue your rewards for each individual whilst simultaneously building the pupil's level of intrinsic motivation.
4. Reward Your Pupils
For the purposes of getting your Key Stage 4 pupils engaged with your new reward system, set smaller SMART targets for your students to work towards in the first few weeks of term. This will ensure that the pupils are regularly reminded and praised for their achievements, which will see their levels of intrinsic motivation grow.
Tip: Be consistent with your rewards scheme and ensure that you are committed to following through with the SMART targets at regular intervals throughout the year. Also, be sure that you are observing the behaviour of your pupils outside of the classroom and rewarding your pupils accordingly for things like showing initiative and helping other pupils and teachers.
5. Special Circumstances
Sometimes a pupil will do something outstanding, for example, they may win a sporting competition as part of a school team or achieve a very high mark in a mock examination. In which case, these special achievements deserve wider recognition. In these circumstances, present pupils with a specially made certificate as part of your school assembly. Not only will this provide the pupil with a token they can include in their National Record of Achievement, these kinds of rewards also build an individual's self-esteem, which is key to keeping levels of motivation high.
If you're looking for a useful way to manage behaviour, motivate pupils and encourage engagement then click here.
