Financial reward for pupils

[Lizalu]

dcs have brought home a letter today saying that their good behaviour sticker is now being replaced with a system that counts up points to be redeemed for buying things. I don't like this - what do you think?

[Seasonofgoodwill]

I don't like it either. It sends the message that good behaviour is only worthwhile if you receive money as a reward. Wouldn't it be better to explain other benefits such as how considerate behaviour makes the world a better place?

[displayuntiltwelfthnight]

is it for buying things for themselves or for their class?
my ds had a system at his school where if the class was good and had a certain percentage of green stickers for good behaviour, then their class would be rewarded by being able to choose something to buy for the classroom. Nothing big but extra board markers or craft stuff.

[roisin]

Almost all schools have reward & punishment systems, but the difficulty can be to notice and acknowledge the silent majority who generally get on and do what is expected of them without a fuss. There are a number of schemes on the market, which seem to offer some hope with this.

It could well be Vivo Miles, which is being used to great effect in several schools. The advantage is a lot of it is done electronically, so your quiet, conscientious students are rewarded automatically, without involving masses of admin for staff.

So many schools choose to issue Vivo Miles for regular attendance and punctuality, which can all be calculated electronically by the computers.

In addition, teachers can give Vivo Miles as rewards for particularly good pieces of work or behaviour. If the school is having a drive on uniform, they could get form tutors to monitor uniform for a week, and then issue Vivo Miles at the end of the week for those who have perfect uniform all week.

Students then collect/save-up the Miles for something they want. It might be 'plastic tat', or it might be something like a cinema voucher or a mobile top-up.

there's lots more information here.

[Lizalu]

Thanks for replies. The vivo miles site looks interesting. Much more sophisticated and comprehensive than what I think the school will be doing. It is more similar to their smiley face system which will be staying.

Smiley faces are given for good work/effort/sharing etc and certificates given out in assembly - 50 smiley faces for a bronze, 100 for silver. This system will be staying as it is and dd is one of the silent majority so I know what you mean.

Classroom behaviour is recorded with a traffic light system. All children start the day on green. If a warning has to given the childs name is written on a board and if a second warning is given in that day the child is moved to amber. Children who stayed in green all week were given a sticker on Friday but this is now being changed to a stamp which they collect to buy a ?prize?. The prize is definitely for the child not the class but it doesn?t say what they are just that they will range in price from 5 stamps to 39 stamps.

I have only heard of similar schemes in secondary schools not infant schools. I am just not happy with infant school children having the expectation of buying prizes for behaving well.

[kittybrown]

I think it's ok to make the reward tangible. My children cannot see the point in only getting a sticker or certificate for being good. One teacher gave out a reward for the most stickers each half term, another gave a prize for every 25 stickers given out with a bigger prize when you got to 100.

With the heading I thought they were getting money but their not are they. They are getting the choice of prize. Where I suppose the children who have been on green all year will have 39 points and therefor the choice of a better prize. It's the same as with their smiley face thing but with something other than a certificate being rewarded. The scheme you describe seems to favour the silent majority.

[roisin]

Oh, I didn't realise this was in primary. I agree. I'm a bit about the need for this in primary school.

ds1 (12) recently won a fistful of prizes at his awards evening at secondary. He won £30 in gift tokens all told. But do you know what? He was more interested in the 'award' than in the 'reward'. We have put the formal letters telling him about the awards into his certificate folder, because he was particularly disappointed that he didn't get certificates to celebrate these achievements.

So I agree that 'monetary' rewards are not always the best way to go.

[Lizalu]

Kittybrown I say financial because of the way the letter was worded. Their stamps go on a savings card to be spent on prizes. The terminology makes me think of wages. Also a bit suprised about the 'only' a certificate. They don't even get that at home for good behaviour - just a smile and a thank you.

I can understand these sort of rewards at age 14+ like the vivo miles as it is a model and learning curve for the working world - just odd for 4/5 year olds.

[coppertop]

I know of a couple of schools with a similar system. The prizes are just small things like a pencil, pen or ruler.

[Lizalu]

I really, really don't like this but I am starting to think I am in the minority.

I want my children to behave for the warm fuzzy feeling inside. Am I being naive?

[kittybrown]

I say "only" a certificate as what more use to them is a printed piece of paper than a smile and a thank you. My children respond much better to a personal response. They also will not modify their behaviour to get a sticker. By modify I mean they won't go up to the teacher and say "look what good thing I've done" to get a one. They are not what I call teacher pleasers.
I like the system you describe as it rewards the ones who get on with school life without bother. It would have been useless for my ds though as he has been diagnosed a fidgety bum and even in year 6 he still regularly gets his name on the board for fidgeting.

As coppertop says they prizes aren't massive. Our schools end of year prizes are school mugs, rulers and pencils.

[edam]

ds's school give house points, and you get a bronze certificate when you get up to 20, then silver then gold when you reach the heady heights of 60. Seems to work OK without any need for bribery. Mind you, he's only six, maybe the Year 5s and 6s are coming out with Wiis and gameboys...

[hippipotamiHasLost77lbs]

ds's class (year 6) has Fish Points.
There is a tank in the corner of the classroom and the aim is to fill it with fish (within reason, animal wellfare is important) and plants and gravel etc. The class researched all about fish keeping (I think they are doing goldfish, nothing tropical or hard to keep) and have compiled a list of everything they need.
Each child can earn fishpoints (for good behaviour, good work etc) and a certain number of fishpoints earns the first thing they need (pump, gravel, plants etc)
Apparently they are very very close to getting their first two fish and it is a huge incentive!

[roisin]

I like fish points?
(But what happens to the tank and fish at the end of the year? Do they get chucked out to wait for the next yr6 class? Or do they go in the store cupboard and get brought out gradually piece by piece? )

[Tortington]

we had house points and merits - and at the house meeting assembly on a friday - the kids with the most got sweets.

its the same thing innit?

that was the early 80;s

[hippipotamiHasLost77lbs]

at roisin - no, the teacher of that class is more than happy to take them home and look after them in the holidays and bring them back for the next class to add to...

One other class (a year 4 class) in the school have hamster points and they are basically earning points to fund the hamster, and earn points to look after it during school hours (ie the table with the most points gets to feed it ect) and the children also earn points and are allowed - with permission from their parents - to take hammie home at the weekend. Again, the teacher is an animal lover and will take hammie home in the holidays.

These schemes were set up following a school wide voting system. They used to have house points and the winning house would get a trophy. Anyroad, this did not seem to inspire the kids so the school voted to have an in-class system (and thus on a smaller scale) and each class voted for their own scheme/reward. They have only been doing this since September but so far so good