How To Effectively Use School Reward Systems To Improve Pupil Behaviour
Do physical pupil reward points encourage better behaviour in students?
At TokensFor, we’re often asked about the best ways for educational institutions to integrate our ranges of reward tokens into the classroom environment. We’re also commonly asked questions relating to improving student behaviour, and how using physical reward systems such as house point systems or coloured tokens relate to improved behaviour.
What is the theory behind using reward tokens in schools?
Before we look into the science behind why reward systems work (particularly in schools), it’s necessary to take a look back at how encouraging positive behaviour was studied and developed, to see how far this form of conditioning has come today.
And, that’s really what this comes down to when you strip away the methods; positive conditioning to create an environment of sustained positive behaviour.
So, we wanted to set the record straight with a definitive guide to successfully implementing a reward system in an educational environment, whether for primary school teachers looking to use positive behaviour strategies in the classroom, to secondary schools in need of a reward system that actually encourages better behaviour in students. We’ll also be answering your questions along the way!
TokensFor Reward Systems Range
What is the theory behind using reward tokens in schools?
Before we look into the science behind why reward systems work (particularly in schools), it’s necessary to take a look back at how encouraging positive behaviour was studied and developed, to see how far this form of conditioning has come today.
And, that’s really what this comes down to when you strip away the methods; positive conditioning to create an environment of sustained positive behaviour.
Operant conditioning was a theory introduced by Skinner (1951), which, in it’s simplest form, is a method of conditioning using reward and punishment. Over the years, this theory has been utilised by schools, teachers and educational institutions to reward positive behaviour and discourage negative behaviour through approaches aligned with the theory.
Is there any hard evidence that token reward systems work?
Scenarios in the classroom, particularly for primary school and early-education students, are commonly studied by psychologists to understand the correlation between the effects on behaviour and using techniques founded from operant conditioning.
A research report by the Department of Education found that, in a study on ‘Behaviour Management Systems in Schools Rated Outstanding’, 100% of all schools utilised reward systems as a proven method of encouraging positive behaviour.Common systems included:
- Celebration assemblies for pupils with consistently good behaviour
- Physical reward tokens which could be ‘spent’ at the school in exchange for prizes
- Reward trips for the students with both good behaviour and high levels of attendance
Another study found that simply commenting on and recognising positive behaviour resulted in an average 80% increase in well-behaved students.
Across research pieces and studies, a common theme arises no matter the age of the students or type of educational establishment… students clearly react positively to being treated positively, and as obvious as that sounds it is often an overlooked aspect of teaching when focusing on creating an environment that encourages sustained positive behaviour.
And, when taken one step further with a physical emblem of their positive rewards, students are much more likely to keep up the positive behaviour if the reward is also continually given for their good behaviour.
To put it simply, students like being rewarded for behaving well, and schools which introduce immersive behaviour reward systems all have seen positive results in terms of behaviour and engagement within the classroom.
As a teacher, how can I improve behaviour in the classroom?
The common thread that we see across multiple studies and the educational establishments we provide token starter sets and whole school ranges to is that the behavioural reward systems have to be both immersive and perceived to be ‘worthy’ of the effort of the students.
The examples below are proven methods of improving behaviour in the classroom, and are also easy to integrate with token starter sets specifically designed for schools:
- Celebrating achievements and positive behaviour in school assemblies
- Introducing a house points system, with tokens awarded for good behaviour
- Positive reinforcement for completing homework on time and 100% attendance
- Certificates to reward behaviour & sending letters home to prompt positive reinforcement both at home and in the classroom
What is a token economy and can it be used in the classroom?
A token economy is simply defined as a method behaviour modification, using token rewards to encourage positive behaviour, and discourage negative behaviour. It is essentially what the teachers and educational staff on the TokensFor site are looking to implement when browsing our token ranges.
A token economy can absolutely be introduced into the classroom. Our primary advice to readers looking to start with a token economy in schools is to ensure that the tokens are awarded consistently for specific behaviours, and that the value of the token is interesting and deemed ‘worthy’ of positive behaviours. Common examples include:
- Exchanging tokens for prizes
- Using tokens and keeping score with a token collection box to encourage friendly competition within the classroom
- Encouraging ‘storing’ of tokens to get to a large prize, thus prompting sustained positive behaviour
For further advice on implementing a school reward system, research data to justify introducing a token economy into your school, or further reading on improving behaviour in the classroom, be sure to head over to the Advice Centre today.
Not found what you were looking for? Get in touch with the TokensFor team today.
Sources:
https://thehighlyeffectiveteacher.com/a-surprising-strategy-to-improve-student-behaviour/
https://www.simplypsychology.org/operant-conditioning.html#class
Do physical pupil reward points encourage better behaviour in students?
At TokensFor, we’re often asked about the best ways for educational institutions to integrate our ranges of reward tokens into the classroom environment. We’re also commonly asked questions relating to improving student behaviour, and how using physical reward systems such as house point systems or coloured tokens relate to improved behaviour.
What is the theory behind using reward tokens in schools?
Before we look into the science behind why reward systems work (particularly in schools), it’s necessary to take a look back at how encouraging positive behaviour was studied and developed, to see how far this form of conditioning has come today.
And, that’s really what this comes down to when you strip away the methods; positive conditioning to create an environment of sustained positive behaviour.
So, we wanted to set the record straight with a definitive guide to successfully implementing a reward system in an educational environment, whether for primary school teachers looking to use positive behaviour strategies in the classroom, to secondary schools in need of a reward system that actually encourages better behaviour in students. We’ll also be answering your questions along the way!
TokensFor Reward Systems Range
What is the theory behind using reward tokens in schools?
Before we look into the science behind why reward systems work (particularly in schools), it’s necessary to take a look back at how encouraging positive behaviour was studied and developed, to see how far this form of conditioning has come today.
And, that’s really what this comes down to when you strip away the methods; positive conditioning to create an environment of sustained positive behaviour.
Operant conditioning was a theory introduced by Skinner (1951), which, in it’s simplest form, is a method of conditioning using reward and punishment. Over the years, this theory has been utilised by schools, teachers and educational institutions to reward positive behaviour and discourage negative behaviour through approaches aligned with the theory.
Is there any hard evidence that token reward systems work?
Scenarios in the classroom, particularly for primary school and early-education students, are commonly studied by psychologists to understand the correlation between the effects on behaviour and using techniques founded from operant conditioning.
A research report by the Department of Education found that, in a study on ‘Behaviour Management Systems in Schools Rated Outstanding’, 100% of all schools utilised reward systems as a proven method of encouraging positive behaviour.Common systems included:
- Celebration assemblies for pupils with consistently good behaviour
- Physical reward tokens which could be ‘spent’ at the school in exchange for prizes
- Reward trips for the students with both good behaviour and high levels of attendance
Another study found that simply commenting on and recognising positive behaviour resulted in an average 80% increase in well-behaved students.
Across research pieces and studies, a common theme arises no matter the age of the students or type of educational establishment… students clearly react positively to being treated positively, and as obvious as that sounds it is often an overlooked aspect of teaching when focusing on creating an environment that encourages sustained positive behaviour.
And, when taken one step further with a physical emblem of their positive rewards, students are much more likely to keep up the positive behaviour if the reward is also continually given for their good behaviour.
To put it simply, students like being rewarded for behaving well, and schools which introduce immersive behaviour reward systems all have seen positive results in terms of behaviour and engagement within the classroom.
As a teacher, how can I improve behaviour in the classroom?
The common thread that we see across multiple studies and the educational establishments we provide token starter sets and whole school ranges to is that the behavioural reward systems have to be both immersive and perceived to be ‘worthy’ of the effort of the students.
The examples below are proven methods of improving behaviour in the classroom, and are also easy to integrate with token starter sets specifically designed for schools:
- Celebrating achievements and positive behaviour in school assemblies
- Introducing a house points system, with tokens awarded for good behaviour
- Positive reinforcement for completing homework on time and 100% attendance
- Certificates to reward behaviour & sending letters home to prompt positive reinforcement both at home and in the classroom
What is a token economy and can it be used in the classroom?
A token economy is simply defined as a method behaviour modification, using token rewards to encourage positive behaviour, and discourage negative behaviour. It is essentially what the teachers and educational staff on the TokensFor site are looking to implement when browsing our token ranges.
A token economy can absolutely be introduced into the classroom. Our primary advice to readers looking to start with a token economy in schools is to ensure that the tokens are awarded consistently for specific behaviours, and that the value of the token is interesting and deemed ‘worthy’ of positive behaviours. Common examples include:
- Exchanging tokens for prizes
- Using tokens and keeping score with a token collection box to encourage friendly competition within the classroom
- Encouraging ‘storing’ of tokens to get to a large prize, thus prompting sustained positive behaviour
For further advice on implementing a school reward system, research data to justify introducing a token economy into your school, or further reading on improving behaviour in the classroom, be sure to head over to the Advice Centre today.
Not found what you were looking for? Get in touch with the TokensFor team today.
Sources:
https://thehighlyeffectiveteacher.com/a-surprising-strategy-to-improve-student-behaviour/
https://www.simplypsychology.org/operant-conditioning.html#class