Effective pupil rewards

Schoolwork can be hard, repetitive and dull, but the intrinsic rewards are manifold. The challenge is getting children to understand this, without the aid of a Mars Bar, says Sue Cowley...

Motivation. So simple at first glance; so complicated in reality. When you start teaching it seems obvious. A key part of your role is to be ‘Miss (or Mr) Motivator’ – to get your children to want to work hard and behave. And surely all you need to do to achieve this is to offer them a reward? So you say to the students: “If you complete this activity really well, then you’ll get a sticker, a certificate, a postcard home, a prize”. But before long, when you ask the children to complete an activity, someone pipes up: “What do I get if I do that, Miss?” Then some of the children in the class seem to lose interest in the rewards that you have on offer. Research has demonstrated this effect: that used to excess, extrinsic rewards can actually damage intrinsic motivation.

Over the years, I have learned a few things about extrinsic rewards. Those rewards that would most motivate the children are usually things we cannot give them. Yes, students would be highly motivated by the reward of a £10 note, or a giant bar of chocolate, or a day off lessons, but it’s not going to happen, is it? I have also realised that, if the children want to please their teacher, even the most mundane of extrinsic motivators can help. The sticker ‘stands for’ the fact that you are pleased with them, rather than having any intrinsic value of its own. And I have come to understand that the longer the child has to wait between the good behaviour and the extrinsic reward, the better the outcomes. This helps children learn to be patient – to defer gratification.

In an ideal world, our children would be intrinsically motivated to work hard and behave. They would understand that learning is a reward in its own right. Intrinsic rewards might not be ‘visible’, like a certificate, but they have an inherent, long-term value. Perhaps it’s about a desire to satisfy your natural curiosity, or a fascination in a particular subject or topic? Maybe you have a natural impulse to push yourself to do your best or to beat the rest? Children need to understand that sometimes schoolwork is hard, or repetitive, or a bit dull, but if we stick at it the long-term benefits are huge.

Motivation is deeply personal: what motivates me is not the same as what motivates you. Consider those children in your class who always work hard and behave well – many different factors create this intrinsic motivation. Yes, often it is about the home background. Children who get enough sleep at night and who have a proper breakfast in the morning are in the best position to do well at school. For some children, the home background is an entirely positive influence – their parents have shown them that learning is wonderful, and they want to do it. But for others, there is a fear about what their parents will say if they do not succeed.

In school we need to move children away from a desire for superficial, extrinsic rewards, and towards an understanding of the value of intrinsic motivation. We must help them build self-discipline and patience. We must try to replicate the conditions in which children feel naturally motivated to learn – to make learning feel important, and engaging, and of value in its own right. We can also help to ensure that children are in the right physical state and situation to learn, for instance by running a breakfast club or by offering an after-school session when they can do their homework.

The introduction of Performance Related Pay shines a light onto the complexities of motivation. Given all that I have learned over the years about motivation, it feels more than a little ironic. Did you come into teaching just for the pay? Will you work harder for your children now that it might help you earn more than the teacher in the next-door classroom? For the vast majority of teachers, the answer to these questions is an extremely firm ‘no’. Teachers have a complex range of motivations for doing the job: they want to ‘make a difference’, they love helping children learn, they enjoy being part of a staff team. Should an extrinsic monetary reward ever be a more powerful motivator than an intrinsic desire to do the best your children? Well, I know what Miss Motivator would say to that.

About the author

Sue Cowley is an experienced teacher, author and presenter. Her latest ebook is The Seven Ts of Practical Differentiation Visit suecowley.co.uk to find out more.