Most schools have reward systems such as giving out ‘goods’ for work and
behavior. Some schools offer badges, pens and calendars. Schools then hold award
evenings or ceremonies for students who gain a certain number of ‘goods’ in a
Senior management should make it clear why certain students are gaining rewards.
Some schools do this well, some do not. However, it is a good idea for departments
to devise their own rewards for students. These are effective in developing a
department ethos and in rewarding good work and progress. One reward that
appears to work is that of awarding a certificate every Friday, to the two students
name of two students. One student will have produced the best piece of work in
that class during that particular week. The other student will have made the most
progress. The trick is not to give the same two names every week. You will find
that the reward works best when the students’ perception is that anyone within the
class can win the reward, providing that they put in the appropriate effort. The
head of English will then spend a small amount of time during the morning filling
in the students’ names. Once the certificates are filled in, they can be sent to the
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appropriate form teacher, to be handed out in the afternoon, or sent back to the
English teacher, so the students can receive their certificates during the following
English lesson. The students then take the certificate home, to show their parents.
Some departments count the number of certificates given to each student during
the term. A student in each class will then receive a worthwhile reward. Sadly,
most students will not think The Complete Works of Charles Dickens is a
worthwhile reward. However, a CD of their choice will be seen as a valued prize.
Sanctions
Whole-class detentions rarely work because students perceive these detentions as
unfair. They then resent the teacher who gave the detention, thus causing problems
for that teacher – who has risked alienating the whole class, including well-
behaved students. I managed to fall into this trap in my first 2 years of teaching. It
is far better to punish only those individuals who misbehave! Detentions should be
used for students who misbehave in a lesson and after they have been given two
warnings – unless the offence is serious, such as throwing a chair across the room
or attacking another student. In those cases, a teacher needs to call for help from a
senior teacher. Short detentions are the most effective and should end with the
teacher talking to the student, outlining the offence and making it crystal clear why
the offence was unacceptable and deserved a detention.
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