Praise is enough for some. Others need more motivation. Some distrust reward. Whether a student, a teaching mentor or a teacher, reward goes a long way. The buzz of recognition is empowering. In the past and present, behaviour management systems have often focused on punishments over recompense. Nowadays, education looks at ways to place guerdon over burden. 

“central component of habit formation” (Wood and Neal, 2016, p.73) 

If the stake of a decoration and honour is visible, students may be more motivated to perform, stay on task or give fuller focus to earn their winnings. Conformity by most students may follow. With that boot students may engage with a higher level of interest, get stuck in and participate more diligently. Most of us will understand that a tangible goal and deadlines add a sense of urgency to our responsibilities. Dangle a carrot and stick, and suddenly better work may be produced.  

“Only rewards that promote the repetition of specific actions contribute to habit formation” (Wood and Neal, 2016, p.75) 

Pride is a sin, yet humility can counteract such worries. To have pride is fine, just keep it beneath excessive. We all feel a warm tingle of joy when our efforts are appreciated by others, whether that’s in the classroom or a game of football or a pub quiz in Irene’s Bar (Houjie, Dongguan). Achievements matter. They boost morale and are powerful classroom tools of remuneration. Success can be tangible and increase self-esteem, ideally leading to self-confidence and belief in raising a student’s game. Once-believed hard-targets suddenly become possibly achievable, and barriers can fall over like dominoes.  

“He who wished to secure the good of others, has already secured his own.” – Kǒngzǐ (孔子 Confucius), Chinese philosopher 

When persuading a student, every teacher must be critical of their own methods. Rewards, like learning should be exciting, engaging and appropriate. If you want your student to be the best version of themselves, then you must incite the best practice for yourself. Only then will you be able to induce the optimum classroom conditions for students to actuate improvements. To improve at home or in the classroom, a clear system of reward can drive students to squeeze out that extra bead of sweat in their efforts. Students who push themselves can see their final work improve and their efforts gain clearer progress.  

“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.” – Princess Diana 

Of course, when prompting students, it must be a system that avoids greed. Dependence upon rewards can instil the wrong behaviours. Knowing when a scheme is prone to manipulation is important. Likewise, think about how the student may feel manipulated by something they may associate with as an early learning structure of rewarding. Does it appear like a bribe? The systems also need to consider the view of decreased value of the motivational bounty. The prize novelty cannot be over-stimulating and cause a student to shoot wide of the learning goal. Missing the point is counterproductive. Does the arrangement of reward also trigger further pressure? Is the pace, right? Is the task something a student’s working memory or ability will be capable of or incapable of completing? How can expectations be met if the task is too challenging? Whilst we look at advantages, we must be fully aware of disadvantages.  

“…students could develop reward addiction.” – The Influence of School’s Reward Systems on Students’ Development, Zihan Chen, 2023 

Effective rewards system need full consideration, weighing up pros and cons, to spur on, influence and activate student motivation. Each teacher or mentor reaches a class and gets the most out of students in differing ways. The fluidity of the teaching strategies and response by students will mean some methods work, some do not. Applying adaptive teaching and strategies within reward schemes should bridge the gap to stimulate, propel and inspire students and bring them from their slumber into a world of active reading and attention. How will you provoke yours? 

“Man gives you the award, but God gives you the reward.” – Denzel Washington, actor 

Ideas to consider as reward options:  

a visit to the library	achievement points towards a gift voucer	play a chosen music video to the class	earn a physical reward e.g. pens, pencil cases, etc.	play games
earn a snack or treat	choose an activity outside of the classroom	read quietly in a different space	change seats	watch movies
extra break time or outside walking time	choose a partner for a homework task	become a teacher’s helper for a set period	complete homework in class	share games
take home a postcard, reference book or game	choice of class chore or duty	custom-made bookmark, badge, school equipment	cancel homework for a class	share a story
a phone call home	teacher reads to the class	choose new books for the school to buy	school trips to the local library	school trips to a writing or literacy-related museum or tourist attraction

All the above were suggestions by our reading and writing club students. 

Nota bene: allow students to be part of the process and choose their reward? 

Further reading: 

• Tatro, K (2020). The Impact of Classroom Practices on Recreational Reading in a Rural High School. ProQuest (Online). (26th August 2021).  

• Maxwell, L (2021). 15 ways to promote your library within school. Glenthorne High School Library Blog (online). (26th August 2021).  

• Reading Rewards (Laleham Gap School) 

• Research evidence on reading for pleasure (Department for Education) 

• 28 Reading Incentives That Really Work 

• How to keep secondary school students reading for pleasure 

• Reading Reward Scheme (St. Patrick’s Catholic Primary School, Stafford)