Incentives and Reinforcements… What Works ? Presented by Melody Mc Cune and Fiona Parousis, School Psychologists Allegany County Public Schools

          Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson January 20, 2009

Participants will be exposed to the following topics:  Motivation (Extrinsic Motivation & Intrinsic Motivation)  Learning Styles and Interest  Relationship Building  Using data  Determining what incentives and reinforcements are best for your students  Cautions and effectiveness of reinforcers  Downfalls and troubleshooting

Value of Extrinsic and Instrinsic Motivators  Spur higher academic achievement  Improve school attendance  Improve student behavior  Increase students’ effort in and enjoyment of school  Deter delinquency

Kids earning reinforces will display a multitude of behaviors….  Oppositional Defiance  Emotional Disturbances  Attention Deficits  Hyperactivity  General Learner  Kids with Academic Concerns

Motivation  Motivation is the internal condition that activates behavior and gives it direction; and energizes and directs goal-oriented behavior. The term is generally used for human motivation but, theoretically, it can be used to describe the causes for animal behavior as well.  According to various theories, motivation may be rooted in the basic need to minimize physical pain and maximize pleasure, or it may include specific needs such as eating and resting, or a desired object, hobby, goal, state of being, ideal, or it may be attributed to less-apparent reasons such as altruism, morality, or avoiding mortality. goalidealaltruismmoralitymortalitygoalidealaltruismmoralitymortality

101 of Motivation  1. Explain  2. Reward  3. Care.  4. Have students participate.  5. Teach Inductively. …(By beginning with the examples, evidence, stories, and so forth and arriving at conclusions later, you can maintain interest and increase motivation, as well as teach the skills of analysis and synthesis.)  6. Satisfy students' needs.  7. Make learning visual.  8. Use positive emotions to enhance learning and motivation.  9. Remember that energy sells.

Extrinsic  Extrinsic:  comes from outside of the performer. Money is the most obvious example, but coercion and threat of punishment are also common extrinsic motivations. coercion  In sports, the crowd may cheer the performer on, and this motivates him or her to do well. Trophies are also extrinsic incentives. Competition is often extrinsic because it encourages the performer to win and beat others, not to enjoy the intrinsic rewards of the activity.  Social psychological research has indicated that extrinsic rewards can lead to overjustification and a subsequent reduction in intrinsic motivation. overjustification  Extrinsic incentives sometimes can weaken the motivation as well. In one classic study done by Green & Lepper, children who were lavishly rewarded for drawing with felt-tip pens later showed little interest in playing with the pens again.

Intrinsic  comes from rewards inherent to a task or activity itself - the enjoyment of a puzzle or the love of playing basketball, for example. One is said to be intrinsically motivated when engaging in an activity "with no apparent reward except for the activity itself".[1] This form of motivation has been studied by social and educational psychologists since the early 1970s. Research has found that it is usually associated with high educational achievement and enjoyment by students. Intrinsic motivation has been explained by Fritz Heider's attribution theory, Bandura's work on self- efficacy [2], and Ryan and Deci's cognitive evaluation theory. Students are likely to be intrinsically motivated if they: [1]socialeducationalattribution theoryself- efficacy[2][1]socialeducationalattribution theoryself- efficacy[2]  attribute their educational results to internal factors that they can control (e.g. the amount of effort they put in),  believe they can be effective agents in reaching desired goals (i.e. the results are not determined by luck),  are interested in mastering a topic, rather than just rote-learning to achieve good grades.

THE SIX C’s OF MOTIVATION What are they and how do you use them in the classroom?

CHOICE  Giving students choices promotes intrinsic motivation. Students are more motivated to do the work when the assignment encompasses one of their personal interests. The choices must be relevant to the students either in feeling (a degree of enjoyment) or value (gaining knowledge). Definition

CHOICE  Give students the freedom to select from a range of topics or ideas.  Let students submit their own topic ideas when the subject matter is not an issue  Provide students with a variety of media choice by which to accomplish the task  Collaboration with peers should also be an option. Application

CHALLENGE  Placing expectations just beyond the students’ skill level provides motivation. If the work is too difficult the students become stressed and anxious, but if there is not enough of a challenge the students become bored. To provide challenging work that is neither extreme the teacher needs to monitor the goals through the students’ feedback. Definition

CHALLENGE  Set goals high, but not too high to become frustrating  Provide opportunities for students to provide feedback on the level of difficulty  Revise tasks according to feedback  Break more difficult tasks into smaller more manageable pieces. Application

CONTROL  Allowing students to take ownership for their actions and learning gives them a sense of ownership and control over their learning. Giving them some control over decision-making in the classroom lets them be a part of the entire learning experience. Definition

CONTROL  Use the Democratic process when applicable  Give students several options to choose from for class projects or allow them to submit proposals using their own ideas  Give students the opportunity to self-evaluate  Allow student input when deciding due dates – be firm yet flexible Application

COLLABORATION  Encouraging students to share ideas enhances thinking and learning and provides inspiration. Definition

COLLABORATION  Peer evaluation  Collaborative pairs  Jigsaw Activity – assign members to home groups and expert groups  Allow students to teach to their peers Application

CONSTRUCTING MEANING  Allowing students to find the value and importance in the tasks they are asked to complete helps to motivate them and enhances their ability to construct meaning. Definition

CONSTRUCTING MEANING  Conduct individual or small group conferences to discuss the importance of the work that the students are doing.  When learning certain tasks (i.e. learning to read, use a computer, adding or subtracting) have others demonstrate the importance of the skill in life. Application

CONSEQUENCES  The end result in a learning project. This is how the students can show others what they have learned. Definition

CONSEQUENCES  Displaying student work  Entering student work in contests or competitions.  Creating a performance for others  Publishing student work  Having a celebration when the work is completed. Application

How students Learn Vs How we teach, Gardiner's article  Excerpts From Lion Gardiner’s “Why We Must Change: The Research Evidence”  "Only 14 percent of 745 research university students said they had ever been formally taught how to study, in high school or in college."  After watching their teachers work 1,000 problems in class and solving another 3,000 themselves outside class, 'after four years, engineering students showed negligible improvement in problem-solving skills."  "If students are not thinking during lectures, what are they doing? Their attention drifts after only 10 to 20 minutes. They are listening, asking or responding to questions, or taking notes only half of the time. Up to 15 percent of their time is spent fantasizing."  "In a study of 155 class sessions at four different institutions, questioning of students comprised 0.2 percent to 9.2 percent of class time."  "One national study has revealed that only 35 percent of faculty strongly emphasize their institution's curricular goals. Only 12 percent utilize feedback from their earlier students, and 8 percent use the viewpoints of experts in instruction. The conclusion: 'The faculty interviewed seemed to teach as they had been taught...'"  (Learning Inventory)

Teaching How to Learn  As knowledge and skills change day by day, what is important is to teach students how to learn. By teaching students to reflect on how they learn and by developing their skills to pursue their learning goals, students will be empowered to change from passive recipients of information to active controllers of their learning. The teacher’s role, as facilitator, is to empower learners by promoting students involvement in learning, helping learners to develop skills that support learning throughout life, and helping learners to assume personal responsibility for learning.

Use Your Data….

Self evaluate…..   if they never asked students   to do anything, then there would be no   resistance! The point to be made here is   that resistance results from the way we   respond to students and therefore can be   managed by adopting new patterns of   behavior.

Relationship building  Get to know your kids (student interest inventories)  Learn latest trends  Show interest in their hobbies  Be genuine  Avoid sarcasm  Be a positive role model  Develop a positive climate in your classroom  Follow and teach the school rules consistently

Determining what incentives to use with your students  Student Reinforcement Inventories  Select reinforcement which is age appropriate (Age level examples)  Use “natural” reinforcement whenever it is effective.

Determining what incentives to use with your students  Use reinforcement appropriate to the student’s level of functioning. (e.g., Don’t send a student for unsupervised free time in the library when he/she usually gets in trouble even when he/she is directly supervised.  Make certain you have parental and administrative support for the reinforcement you plan you use.  Always keep in mind what your goal is with reinforcers. What are we targeting?

Making Reinforcers More Effective  Immediately-The longer the teacher waits to reinforce a student, the less effective the reinforcer will be (younger, severe disabilities).  Frequently-It is especially important to frequently reinforce when a student is learning a new behavior or skill. (good job)  Enthusiasm-pair an extrinsic motivator with an enthusiastic comment.  Eye Contact-look the student in the eyes when give a reinforcer, even if the student is not looking at the teacher.

Making Reinforcers More Effective continued  Describe the Behavior-describe the appropriate behavior that is being reinforced.  Anticipation-the more “hype” the teacher uses, the more excited students become to earn the reinforcer.  Variety-A certain reinforcer may be highly desired, but after repeated exposure, it loses its effectiveness.  Always make the most of opportunities to reinforce appropriate behavior.  Be genuinely polite and courteous to you “tough kids” at all times and demonstrate concern and interest towards them. Learn to stay calm.

Cautions in Selecting and using positive reinforcement  Avoid partial praise statements such as, “I’m glad you finished your work-finally!”  Do not confuse positive reinforcement or privileges with a student’s basic rights. (e.g., Depriving a student of lunch, reasonable access to the bathroom or clothing, or a telephone call home is probably illegal. It is also not appropriate to deprive students of their rights and then have them earn them back under the guise of reinforcement.)

Downfalls and Troubleshooting  When kids expect reinforcers or get used to receiving them...  Continue to instill appreciation, accountability, responsibility, and problem solving into the curriculum (Don’t reward every student for every breath they take)  Show them the value of the behavior they are being rewarded for. Tell them; don’t assume they know!  Model the desired behavior and relate it to how it is needed and/or effective in the “real world”

Downfalls and Troubleshooting  Cost  Sustain relationships with businesses and community organizations supportive of your cause (keep a reciprocal relationship, lots of public relations)  Emphasize, promote, use intrinsic reinforcement whenever possible  Delegate tasks to other members of the team (We are all in this together)

More Troubleshooting  If it ain’t broke... don’t fix it  If it isn’t working stop running it into the ground  Work smarter... Not harder  Transform “problems” into educational projects  Students are not one size fits all  If you can’t extinguish it... License it, tax it, and regulate it  Always remember our goal with reinforcers. What are we targeting? (Keep your eye on the ball)

Negative Reinforcement & Punishment  It should be with great care that we decide to send a negative message to the student  It should always be a reflective & never a reflexive act on our part

Sources   Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson   January 20, 2009   All remaining images from free use: Free Microsoft Office Clipart at  Boldt, Katie. chooseadearbook.jpg.. Pics4Learning. 15 Dec 2008  Boldt, Katie. chooseadearbook.jpg.. Pics4Learning. 15 Dec 2008  Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved 5 Nov 2008 from  Lion Gardiner’s “Why We Must Change: The Research Evidence”  Gotman&Leiblum,1974  A few of the reinforcement surveys were compliments of Wake County Public School System  Create a survey is from Jimwrightonline.com/php/jackpot/jackpot.php   Dillon, A. & Harrison Maguire, K. ( ). Difficult students: What do I do? Teacher Education Journal of South Carolina  Haydon, T. University of Florida. Creating Reinforcements: Applying PBIS in a School Setting. (online powerpoint)  Christian, B. T. (1997). Outrageous behavior mod: Handbook of strategic interventions for managing impossible students. PRO-ED, Inc.