In a previous blog, I discussed implementing a positive reinforcement strategy using tickets in one of my classes to improve classroom behavior. This strategy would allow students to earn tickets for good behavior that they could exchange for rewards. As expected, after introducing the tickets at the beginning of March, students became invested in earning tickets, often asking what they needed to do to earn tickets. While the strategy did not work for all students (particularly the most disruptive ones), many students did embrace the idea of earning tickets. In order to allow students to keep track of the amount of tickets they earned, I created a "scoreboard" that listed ever student in the class and how many tickets they had earned. At the end of each class, I would adjust the scoreboard to reflect current ticket amounts. If students exchanged their tickets for rewards, I would decrease their ticket number on the scoreboard.
A surprising result of this was that many students seemed to be more interested in having the highest number on the scoreboard than receiving a reward. I would announce when students had enough tickets to buy a snack, but many students expressed that they would rather "save up" their tickets, despite the fact that there was not reward that cost more than the number of tickets they currently had. It seems like the motivation for many students was in the form of competition rather than tangible reward.
This unexpected reaction from my students made me aware that I could likely increase engagement in the classroom by introducing activities based around games/competitions. I am hesitant to pit students against each other because I would rather encourage personal growth, but this particular class seems to enjoy the challenge of trying to be the best in the class.
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