Instead of Class Rewards: 10 Steps to Take

Are you nervous about getting rid of your class rewards? Scared that without the external motivators, students won't behave? So was I. Here are 10 things to try in place of a class reward system. It has worked for me!

1. Begin the year in awe of your students. Let them know daily how amazing they are.  Notice and and comment on the specific things that they say and do that impresses you. My students knew that I loved them and that I thought they were awesome by the third day of school.

2. Find out everything you can about your students early on. I asked parents to write me a letter about their child, I did student interest inventories, and I had letters from the students before school began. Be sure to connect with each student every day with a short personal comment. "How's Jasmine?" "Any new legos?" "How is your headache today?" "Love the nails!"


3. Celebrate with a "special" activity within the first week. For example, our day routinely begins with AM work and an AM checklist. I told them frequently how impressed I was with how quickly they learned the morning routine and showed independence. I noticed how they helped each other and how they worked together to get things done. I told them that I usually waited a few weeks before I did a special technology project, but because of their incredible independent behavior, I felt that it was time for the project now. Show them the connection between their behavior and use of time and your behavior and choices of activities. Help them see that managing their time well and making smart choices reaps fun benefits. Continue to have celebrations, no matter how small. We had an extra five minutes of recess last week because we got everything done that I had planned for math that day with five minutes to spare!

4. Have students discuss what kind of place they want to come to every day. Read Bad Case of Stripes and talk about the message in the story. Then discuss these kinds of questions: "What kind of place do you want this room to be? How do you want to feel here? Do you want to feel like you can be yourself? How can we help everyone feel comfortable being who they are?"

5. Have students write a class constitution. Show the video, Creating a Class Constitution, on Discovery Streaming. Then have the students do the same activity. It is wonderful and I will do it every year. I know there are people who are going to disagree with me but when you write the constitution, be careful about changing all of your "don't" statements to "do" statements. I had more than one person comment about my students' rules "Don't Bully" and "Don't Tip in Your Chairs", saying "You are supposed to write all your rules in positive language". But if I had changed it to positive statements like "Be Nice" and "Keep all four legs of the chair on the ground", I would be changing their words and probably their meaning to some extent. Let them own it. They said don't bully because they mean don't bully!

6. Discuss Logical Consequences. After everyone signs the class constitution, talk about the consequences of breaking the rules. Tell them that you respect their rules and your job is to enforce them. Ask "Do you think that just because we all just agreed, no one will ever break these rules?" I tell them about the 3 consequences, Take a Break, You Break It, You Fix It, and Lose Privileges. I also talk about mistakes vs. habit. We all break rules from time to time. However, doing the same thing over and over again is becoming a habit and I will work with the individual to come up with solutions that will help.

7. Tell students that you don't reward good behavior. I simply said that I don't reward good behavior, I expect it. I don't give out prizes or stickers for good behavior. However, I tell them, we will still do fun things like pajamas and a movie or beach day. Those kinds of days will be celebrations of all of their hard work.

7. Help students manage their time through Fun Friday. I got this idea from The Cornerstone by Angela Watson. Every Friday I plan a "fun" activity that I was planning to do anyway. This first week we decorated our reading journals. The second week my students used the laptops to play Cool Math games. This week we will be creating a video to put onto our blog. Here is the catch. All AM work and other independent work must be done before participating in Fun Friday. I give my students plenty of time to get their AM work and other work done. I make sure I tell them how long they will have to do it and I announce when there is so much time left. Refrain from nagging students to get their work done. After 2 weeks of Fun Friday, you will see most of your students managing their time better and staying on task.


8. Use brain based teaching strategies. Make sure kids have choices and voices, build movement, hands-on, novelty and play into the day, provide challenges and opportunities to inquire and solve problems, let them talk and collaborate, balance between consistent grounding rituals and routines and open-ended activities, and build on their interests and background knowledge.

9. Learn about the connections between human needs and motivation. When unexpected behaviors crop up, follow-through with your consequences but also ask yourself what is motivating the student to behave this way? Is there a need that is not being met? What can you do or change that will help him/her get his/her needs met? (Choice Theory, Circle of Courage, Motivation Breakthrough)

10. Involve students in shared decision making and planning as soon as you can. Listen carefully to your students. Jump off of their ideas and use them as community building activities. A simple way to do this is with class jobs. I don't start the year with jobs. I tell students that we will begin in after a week or so and I need them to be thinking about what jobs our class needs. I use their ideas along with some of my tried and true jobs when I introduce jobs. If you know what your goals are for your students it is easier to use their ideas without feeling like it is a waste of time. For example, this year my goal is for my students to have ownership of our class blog. That means they will design it and decide how it is used. So when one of my students drew me a picture of our class as the 4th Grade Superheroes, I took advantage of his idea. I introduced the concept of blogs by showing my students examples of blogs and then we looked at our empty blog with its generic heading. I told them that they needed to personalize it so it was their blog. After sharing Thomas' drawing, the class agreed to call it 4P Superheroes. After lots of brainstorming, I helped them combine their ideas and we ended with a plan for a blog header and introduction video starring them, the 4P Superheroes.

Reaching Boys Who Struggle: Giving Effective Directions

Although this sequence may appear time-consuming, investment in learning and using these steps can pay major dividends, both for us and our students. Kathleen Palmer Cleveland

Effective Directions in Sequence	Examples
Step 1:  Change state.	"If you can hear my voice, clap once." "If you can hear my voice, clap twice." Soften your voice and say, "If you can hear my voice, look this way."
Step 2: Explain relevance.	"Thank you for coming to attention so quickly. We have some important work to do today! I am confident that you will do well." "In the last lesson we did ___________ s a way of getting better at _________________. Today we will continue that process by doing ______________. This is going to help you become more skilled at _______________. So to review, the goal for this lesson is _________________. Let's get started!"
Step 3:  Be crystal clear.	"There are three steps to complete in order. Step 1:  First, we will__________ Step 2:  Second, we will_____________ Step 3:  Third, we will________________"
Step 4: Engage in multiple modalities.	"As you read the directions along with me, I will highlight the important words on the SMARTboard."
Step 5:  Check for understanding.	"Turn to your neighbor and make sure you understand each step."
Step 6:  Announce duration.	"I have set aside about _________(minutes, hours, days)for you to complete this work. You will have plenty of time to finish."
Step 7:  Pair verbal commands with auditory start/stop signals.	"When I give the signal, you will __________. "(state first step of task).
Step 8:  Provide backup.	Leave the written directions visible on board.
Step 9:  Give fair warning.	"You have two minutes to finish your work."
Step 10:  Acknowledge effort.	"Thank you for completing your task and coming to attention."

From Teaching Boys Who Struggle in School:  Strategies that Turn Underachievers into Successful Learners P.90-100

10 Strategies for Reaching Boys Who Struggle

1. Build Trusting Relationships
2. Follow These Guidelines for Classroom Policies 
3. Understand Boys' Basic Requests for Communicating
4. Give Effective Directions
5. Give Informational Feedback
6. Use Affirming Statements
7. Teach Pragmatic Communication Skills
8. Increase Physical Comfort
9. Apply the Principles of Active Learning
10. Build Literacy Through Engaging Activities

Reaching Boys Who Struggle: Understand Boys' Basic Requests for Communicating

1. Give me a way out.	Sometimes I screw up, but that doesn't mean I'll always act that way. I need a way to move on without being too embarrassed about how stupidly I just behaved. Tell me how I can be better. I want to know.
2. Help me know my strengths.	Help me understand what skills I have or am improving in, both academically and socially. I don't always know what they are or how to make the most of them.
3. Help me relax into learning.	Laugh sometimes, even at yourself. If I know you make mistakes, it makes it easier to accept when I do.
4. Help me "save face."	Don't humiliate or make fun of me in front of others. It does not make me want to work harder. I will hate you for it and be forced to get back at you.
5. Inspire me.	Share your passion about what you are teaching with me. Help me to feel excited about what I'm learning. Your enthusiasm rubs off.
6. Keep it private.	If I make a mistake, be a matter-of-fact in telling me why, and do it as privately as possible.
7. Let me know I matter.	Greet me as though you care and are glad I'm there.
8. Make it real.	Help me understand why things are important in the real world. It helps me want to learn more.
9. Notice when I try.	Let me know somehow when I do things well. I like to hear that. It's OK if you tell  my parents.
10. Speak to me with respect.	Treat me with respect and show me what that looks like. Sometimes I don't know, and if I mess up, a kind response speaks loudest to me.

From Teaching Boys Who Struggle in School:  Strategies that Turn Underachievers into Successful Learners P.90-100

10 Strategies for Reaching Boys Who Struggle

1. Build Trusting Relationships
2. Follow These Guidelines for Classroom Policies 
3. Understand Boys' Basic Requests for Communicating
4. Give Effective Directions
5. Give Informational Feedback
6. Use Affirming Statements
7. Teach Pragmatic Communication Skills
8. Increase Physical Comfort
9. Apply the Principles of Active Learning
10. Build Literacy Through Engaging Activities

Reaching Boys Who Struggle: Guidelines for Classroom Policies

"Abiding by the policies when one has helped develop them becomes a choice rather than a restriction against which to rebel, and this, in turn, reduces defensiveness...For an underachieving boy, being consulted about the policies not only feels respectful, but it also levels the playing field, so to speak, removing the power structure from the process and making all students views equally valuable and relevant." Kathleen Palmer Cleveland

Guidelines for Classroom Policies

1. Involve boys in creating the policies.
2. Limit the number of policies to five or fewer, for younger students one to three. Less than five policies are easier to remember and easier to enforce.
3. State policies positively. The brain does not read the word "not" in a declarative statement. So a rule "Don't push." emphasizes the word push. Pushing may actually get worse. Better to state what it is that students should do.
4. Make sure policies are fully understood before enforcing them. Avoid creating policies that are too vague (Be nice. Be respectful) If an underachieving boy is prone to defensiveness and insecurity, the enforcement of a policy he doesn't yet understand may further diminish his sense of self-confidence and belonging.
5. Be consistent. Be consistent. Be consistent. Consistency helps create the feeling of safety in the classroom.Boys need clear, firm boundaries. If they push on those boundaries, the boundaries have to be even stronger. Some boys push on a boundary because they want to check to see if it is still there, it is actually a way for them to feel safe. Consistency also builds trust. Boys who push the boundaries may see inconsistent reinforcement as a weakness in the teacher. To be consistent, once a policy is set, it needs to stay that way and applied the same to everyone. A sense of security develops when there is no guessing about what will happen when the boundary is pushed.
6. Enforce policies in a matter-of-fact way. Keep emotions out of it. Appear calm at all times even if you don't feel calm.
7. Forgive and forget. No grudges allowed.
8. Acknowledge effort. Notice when boys are trying to make better choices and improve.

From Teaching Boys Who Struggle in School:  Strategies that Turn Underachievers into Successful Learners P.90-100

10 Strategies for Reaching Boys Who Struggle

1. Build Trusting Relationships
2. Follow These Guidelines for Classroom Policies 
3. Understand Boys' Basic Requests for Communicating
4. Give Effective Directions
5. Give Informational Feedback
6. Use Affirming Statements
7. Teach Pragmatic Communication Skills
8. Increase Physical Comfort
9. Apply the Principles of Active Learning
10. Build Literacy Through Engaging Activities

Reaching Boys Who Struggle: Build Trusting Relationships

"Our first task is to help the underachieving boy - who is often highly sensitized to failure - feel safe enough in our classrooms to willingly reengage in learning." Kathleen Palmer Cleveland

Teacher Actions that Build Trust

Teacher-to-Boy Interactions

• Attends to my interests in some way
• Cares about me individually
• Easy to talk to
• Helps me feel OK about myself
• Knows how I learn
• Knows me personally
• Knows what I'm feeling
• Listens to me, is understanding
• Listens when I have a problem
• Respects me

Responses to Misbehavior

• Doesn't hold a grudge
• Fair
• Gives me a second chance
• Has no negative expectations
• Likes me even if I mess up
• Shows no favoritism

Support During Learning

• Encourages me to try again
• Explains work carefully
• Helps me learn from my mistakes
• Makes work interesting
• Passionate about and committed to what is being taught

Fear Reduction

• Doesn't humiliate me in front of the class
• Explains policies and why they are being enforced
• Relaxed and can laugh at own mistakes

From Teaching Boys Who Struggle in School:  Strategies that Turn Underachievers into Successful Learners p. 70

10 Strategies for Reaching Boys Who Struggle

10 Strategies for Reaching Boys Who Struggle

1. Build Trusting Relationships
2. Follow These Guidelines for Classroom Policies 
3. Understand Boys' Basic Requests for Communicating
4. Give Effective Directions
5. Give Informational Feedback
6. Use Affirming Statements
7. Teach Pragmatic Communication Skills
8. Increase Physical Comfort
9. Apply the Principles of Active Learning
10. Build Literacy Through Engaging Activities

1. Build Literacy Through Engaging Activities

10 Strategies for Reaching Boys Who Struggle

My goal this year is that I don't have a single boy on an individual behavior plan. "Strange goal", you might be thinking. "Are individual behavior checklists the norm in your class?"

Well, no, last year I did not have any students on individual behavior checklists. The year before, I did have one student who used one as my last resort. However, as I read over the notes about my new students' that I took during conferences with their former third grade teachers, behavior plans could become a norm if something does not change. One third of the boys were on individual behavior plans last year. That fact and the comment,"We spent the year disciplining the boys." left me wondering what was causing the behaviors and what could be done differently that might allow them to experience more success this year.

The book, Teaching Boys Who Struggle in School: Strategies That Turn Underachievers into Successful Learners by Kathleen Palmer Cleveland, provides a lot of  strategies that specifically target the needs of boys. As I prepare for school to start in two weeks, I am going to summarize some of the tools in the book that I find particularly helpful. If you want to know the rationale behind these tools, I highly recommend purchasing the book. There is so much more in it than I can share here.

10 Strategies for Reaching Boys Who Struggle

1. Build Trusting Relationships
2. Follow These Guidelines for Classroom Policies 
3. Understand Boys' Basic Requests for Communicating
4. Give Effective Directions
5. Give Informational Feedback
6. Use Affirming Statements
7. Teach Pragmatic Communication Skills
8. Increase Physical Comfort
9. Apply the Principles of Active Learning
10. Build Literacy Through Engaging Activities

These tools are ways teachers can help meet the needs of struggling boys in the contexts of school, classroom, relationships and learning experiences. They are meant to support a boy who struggles as a learner, building on his strengths and moving him toward his potential:

• Replace his negative attitudes about learning with productive perspectives about the role of risk (and even failure) as a necessary and valued part of the learning process.
• Reconnect him with school, with learning, and with a belief in himself as a competent learner who is capable, valued, and respected.
• Rebuild life skills and learning skills that lead to academic success and also lay the groundwork for success in life; and
• Reduce the need to use unproductive and distracting behaviors as a means of self-protection.

From Teaching Boys Who Struggle in School:  Strategies that Turn Underachievers into Successful Learners p.14

Why Does This Web2.0 Activity Matter?

 "Calder Pillay was all ears. He had never heard a teacher admit that she didn't know what she was doing. Even better, she was excited about it." From Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliet

Reading the book, Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett, has reminded me of the magic of essential questions in the classroom. In the book, the cool sixth grade teacher, Ms. Hussey, announced to her students on the first day of school that what they were going to work on this year "all depends on what we get interested in - or what interests us". Ms. Hussey is an expert at asking questions that spark her students interests. When she asks her class, "Is writing the the most effective way to communicate?", students who love writing respond, "Yes of course it is" and those students who hate writing argue, "What about numbers? What about pictures? What about plain old talking?" The question, and disagreement the question provoked, lead the class into an in-depth investigation; and in the process they learned about cave art in France, papyrus scrolls in Egypt, Mayan petroglyphs in Mexico and stone tablets from the Middle East. They tried making stamps out of raw potatoes and covered the classroom walls with symbols. They invented a sign language for hands and feet and they communicated for one whole day using nothing but drawing.

Why essential questions?

Essential questions lead to inquiry learning. Inquiry learning not only motivates and engages students in learning, but it has been shown to be one of the most effective ways to help students achieve deeper understanding AND better test scores. And schools that use them have better attendance and lower drop-out rates. Listen to Jeffrey Wilhelm talk about the benefits of inquiry learning and essential questions.

Essential questions make connections across the curriculum for kids. Essential questions lead to big ideas and understandings. If you organize around good essential questions, kids naturally start to make lots of brain compatible connections as they transfer the big ideas to new situations and subjects.

Where do essential questions fit into my use of Web2.0 tools?

Jeffrey Wilhelm says, that when thinking about a book or topic you are going to teach, you need to ask, "Why does this matter? Why should the kids care about it? What deep understandings will it develop?"

I've planned many Web2.0 learning activities that are engaging AND help students learn content area skills and concepts. But, have I really challenged myself to ask the questions that Jeffrey Wilhelm suggests? For example, I am thinking about trying the Mystery State Skype Call this year. As a learning activity, it already sparks kids interests. There are a lot of great purposes for doing it. Besides the fact that it is fun, it connects kids to kids around the country, it teaches cooperation and collaboration in the classroom as kids try to solve the mystery together, it teaches kids facts about other states, it teaches how to use clues and resources to solve problems, it teaches map skills and geography, it teaches technology skills and more.

But, does a Mystery Skype call really matter? Why? What deep understandings does it have the potential to develop? Where does it fit in with big ideas across other subjects and situations in my classroom?

Some possible essential questions that would connect the Mystery State Skype Calls to my curriculum might be: Our focus on community "What is a community?" Our study of Connecticut "What makes a place unique? How does the geography and location of a place influence the people who live there?" The focus on communication: "Is writing the most effective way to communicate?"

How do I create questions that matter?

Creating these questions does not come nearly as easy to me as it does for Ms. Hussey. In fact, it is almost painful at times. I am never one hundred percent happy with my questions and find myself going back and revising them over and over.

I use the following guiding questions to help me reflect on the quality of the question I've created:

Will it pass the Jeremy test? Jeremy was one of my students that was easily disengaged and unmotivated. Would he care about this question?

Is it a question that recurs through other subjects and situations, allowing for wonderful connections to occur?

Is it a question that is relevant to the age group I teach? In my case, is it connected to the world of 9 and 10 year olds?

Is it genuine? Is it a question that  I don't know the answer to?

Is a question that recurs throughout one's life? For example the questions, "How does one person's actions impact others?" In the classroom this year, we will explore this question through the study of people, characters and ourselves.  I hope exploration of this question helps my students think about the impact of their actions later in life.

Is it a question that has no right answer? I find this is hard to decide. But sometimes I may think I know the answer, but in fact it is really an opinion based on facts or experience, or it is only piece of the answer.

It is non-judgmental and free of hidden agendas? Like "What lessons about life can stories reveal?" instead of "Why is reading important"?

When you ask it, will kids have a lot to say about it? Will it spark their interest? Might it create some differences in opinions? Will they be able to connect their prior experiences to it?

Does it have the potential to provoke deep thought, unpredictable outcomes, new understandings, and new questions?


Some questions I plan to ask this year are:

• Is telling the truth always the right thing to do?
• What influences people's choices?
• What influences people to change?
• What impact can one person's actions have?
• What lessons about life can stories reveal?
• What are an individual's responsibilities to the community?
• What is a community?
• Is writing the most effective way to communicate?

What essential questions will you be asking this year?