Chapter 3 Providing Recognition

Chapter 3 starts with three generalizations about providing recognition to our students. Basically, rewards don't negatively effect intrinsic motivation, rewards need to be for some standard of performance, and abstract symbolic recognition is better than trinkets as rewards. I have definitely had experience with the last generalization. At times I will give a little trinket or candy to my students and they certainly do complain that it's not enough. I remember giving out little chocolates to show my appreciation that they had all behaved well for the substitute. They assured me that their good behavior was worth way more than a tiny chocolate. Oh well, but they did all eat their treat! So, I am glad research shows that my words of praise will help to encourage my students to do their best and the reward doesn't have to cost me a lot of money.

I agree with the other blogger who said that using technology such as Publisher and Print Shop to create some kind of certificate of recognition is a "no brainer".

I like the idea of posting the students' work on the web for them to comment on each others' work. But I imagine getting some not so useful comments on both end of the spectrum. I've gotten some obnoxious comments on a get well card the class was signing for a follow classmate - I don't want to imagine how they'd tear each others' work apart. And I know I have plenty of students on the opposite end of things - wanting everybody to get an A because "he worked hard on that" even if the work obviously hasn't met any of the criteria that is was supposed to. Having said that, it is still very important for the students to comment on each others' work and for each student to hear what his peers think about his work. Maybe a good way around my concerns would be to collect comments through a data collection tool that only offers multiple choice options. Or make sure I read the comments before they're posted so I can filter out the offensive ones.

At first the idea of sending an audio message through the e-mail just seemed like stretching the need to include communication software in this chapter. But the more I thought about it the more I actually liked the idea of having an audio recording to use as a kind of praise. I could picture myself using the sound of a cheering crowd when someone gives a right answer. Only my thing would be more like a David Letterman sound effect, or even like Craig Ferguson's talking robot. (ok, too much late night television) I could have four or five expressions like - Great Job! or That's Right! -along with the cheering crowd, of course - and whenever one was appropriate I would just press a button and the whole class would hear it. Who knows, maybe it's too silly, maybe it only works if you're staying up past your bedtime.