Tactile

The tactile nature of tokens makes them particularly popular among younger pupils; receiving a solid token they can hold in their hand helps to reinforce the reason behind the reward. Pupils are motivated by the active participation involved within a token system — pupils must either keep hold of their tokens until a later date, or deposit them in a collector.

Personal

The act of handing over a token offers teachers a chance to personally engage with the pupil. This small but significant moment of personal praise strengthens and cements the teacher’s recognition of the pupil’s motivation to demonstrate good behaviour for learning.

Versatile

Tokens allow for the implementation of a number of different reward strategies, such as house points or a school token economy system.

Easy

The best system is one that a busy teacher can use easily. It has to be simple enough that the rewards can be given out consistently and monitored with little effort.

Immediate

Tokens offer the chance for immediate positive reinforcement, regardless of whether or not there is a larger prize on offer, as might be the case when an individual or house has accumulated the most tokens.

Consistency

As with all reward systems, if the teacher is not consistent, or the process is not properly monitored, students will lose faith in the system.

Tracking

Gives teachers the chance to record details about the pupil’s behaviour for learning.

Data

An individual’s positive behaviour history can be presented as visual data in the form of a graph. This can be displayed on screens around the school or on a website.

Insight

Allows teachers to easily assess a pupil’s development over time.

Charity

Some electronic systems offer pupils the chance to donate their ‘points’ to charity, especially in the case of virtual money. This allows for a different, more selfless dynamic, which is less about ‘what you can get for yourself’.

Convenient

There is less chance that a teacher will disappoint pupils by forgetting or running out of the physical rewards.

Communication

Allows for greater communication between teacher and parent via e-mail or text.

Impersonal

The lack of a physical transaction can mean rewards are less effective.

Complicated

Whatever the platform, the teacher must still download information to a website. Children may also need to learn how to access the site and understand exactly what the information presented means.

Time-consuming

Teachers are tasked with logging on and downloading the information themselves. They must do this immediately or risk being seen as inconsistent. Many primary teachers could find this time-consuming when they have a busy class to manage.

Delays

The reward may be delayed due to IT access issues and therefore may be less immediate and effective.

Requires electronic infrastructure

To work effectively, a classroom will be required to have enough tablets and similar electronic devices all al the children to access, as well as an electronic screen on to which praise and comments can be posted.

Non-specific

Used correctly, electronic reward systems allow data to be recorded and grouped for convenient access. However, in a busy classroom it is not always possible or practical to spend time filling in all the correct fields. This can leave pupils confused about why they were rewarded.

Fun

Most children find stickers intrinsically fun. If the teacher allows, pupils can enjoy sticking their stickers into a book or on to a card or chart.

Shapes

Stickers come in all shapes and sizes, from small dots and stars to large shield-sized badges and tags. These different shapes can help teachers categorise the types of rewards they give out.

Personal

Much like a token, the act of handing over any sticker can help to reinforce good behaviour for learning in the mind of the pupil.

Versatile

Stickers can be used for a number of behaviour reinforcement strategies.

Impermanent

Stickers have a tendency to become unstuck and go astray. They can also be damaged when placed on cards or booklets.

Inconsequential

Losing stickers from their recording card can lead pupils to find the process pointless. Once pupils feel that the desirable behaviour has not been adequately recorded, they can easily lose interest in the system itself.

Hard to record

Whether stickers are placed in work books, on a chart or on individual cards, space can become an issue. As stickers start to overlay one another, correctly recording totals can become difficult.

Hands-free

This strategy does not require any small pieces. Nor do any individual instances of behaviour need recording.

Silent

As the lights indicate to the pupils that the teacher is unhappy, there is no need for voices to be raised in order to quiet the class.

Simple

Neither pupil nor teacher is required to maintain a score card. Behaviour can be reinforced with the flick of a switch.

Impersonal

What is gained in ease may be lost through an inability to directly praise individual pupils.

One-size

Not only do pupils lose the benefit of individual praise, each pupil will have different requirements that need to be catered for directly.

Interactive

The involvement of the pupil in building up the tree helps to reinforce the target behaviour.

Visible

Both pupils and visiting parents can see the achievements of the pupils who have placed leaves on the tree.

Fun

The fun element that comes from writing on the leaf and placing it on the tree acts as a positive incentive.

Finite

Any model tree only has a limited amount of space. This may lead teachers to restrict their praise, compromising consistency.

Delicate

Such a system is at risk of damage. Once leaves fall off and become lost, pupils may stop believing in the system and lose interest.