I have recently completed reading the NZ edition of Unlocking Formative Assessment by Shirley Clarke, Helen Timperley & John Hattie. I found chapter 8, Raising Children's Self Esteem' both fascinating and challenging. In this chapter the authors give very valid reasons why giving rewards such as stickers and certificates can have a negative effect on children's learning rather than their desired positive effect. Giving extrinsic rewards is seen by the authors as being detrimental to student learning, as they encourage children to strive for the reward rather than the achievement. In other words they are not necessarily learning focused. This goes completely against everything we are taught about behaviour management where rewarding positive behaviour with such things as sticker charts is encouraged.
I will be completely honest, I have sticker charts in my room and they focus on behaviour not learning intentions. I give certificates at assembly which are usually as a result of learning but sometimes not. I do intend to try to improve my formative assessment practices since reading this book and am happy to focus feedback, including rewards, on learning intentions. But I don't want to stop giving rewards altoghether. I am wondering what other schools do. Is my school late to pick up on not giving extrinsic rewards or is this part of the book not being adopted by schools? I can see that it is important to focus feedback on the learning intention so I feel that if rewards are given as feedback on the learning intention then that should be OK?
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Hi Karla, I too have done some reading on giving rewards and the value of extrinsic and extrinsic rewards.
ReplyDeleteI am also raising a 3 and 5 year old and I can say I have had much success and quicker responses when extrinsic rewards such as stickers have been used as a 'bribe'.
The primary school my daughter is enrolled in (and has been in for one term now) follows the no extrinsic reward policy. It is about 10
years old. At first I was against this philosophy, I thought it was a bit like the 'tall poppy syndrome, where great performances did not want to be acknowledged. Since reading Clarke (2005) and Davis and Hill (2009), I can see how extrinsic rewards can be detrimental to students learning.
I also believe a little of everything in moderation. It depends on the students personalities. Like everything some strategies will work for some students and not for others. I still use stickers at college level more for those who have 'stepped up their performances'. This is for 13-17 year olds. Smiley faces work in my judgement so I'll keep doing it. I also use stickers as a ways of increasing interpersonal skills and in my junior classes, get none participants to watch students performances and acknowledge who has 'steped it up' and performed better then normal, in terms of behaviour, effort and so on. It gives studetns a chance to acknowledge others. I also allow those who participated to acknowledge their peers who did well or better then normal.
Good luck for your final assignment
SANDY :)
ps: My first sentence relates to extrinsic and intrinsic rewards. There are some other gramatical errors but I am sure you'll get the drift. CHEERS SANDY
ReplyDeleteHi Sandy, thanks for your comments. It is interesting that your daughter's school has had this policy for about ten years. Until reading Unlocking Formative Assessment I had never heard about it nor considered it. I can see that extrinsic rewards can encourage children to work for the reward rather than the learning but I, like you, think everything in moderation. I also feel that teachers could change the way they give rewards and concentrate on aspects of learning rather than behaviour. The key to a learning culture in classrooms is, I believe, improving formative assessment practices and involving children in learning. If we use rewards to helps us do this then I don't have a problem with it.
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