Observation Task 6:

Managing Behavior and Increasing Motivation with Rewards and

Awards
Focus:
To recognize various techniques teachers use for motivating students and rewarding good behavior.

Objective
The objective of this task is for student teachers to begin to understand the different strategies
teachers use to motivate students aand encourage good behavior.

Task
Teachers use various reward systems to reward individual behavior or the whole group
behavior. This may done several times through out the day or at the end of the day/week/ etc.
in the classroom. Identify the different rewards (good behavior recognition) systems your
teacher and specialist teachers use.

Reward System
(name and what is the reward)

Class charts

Stickers

Praises

How it is used

Individual or
Group

How often is
it used?

Start with smiley face, when they

show a good behavior

Individual and
to whole class

Daily

Giving the students stickers when

they show a good behavior

Individual

Daily

Teacher praise the students when

they do a good job and behavior

Individual &
group

Daily

HCT Bachelor of Applied Science EDUCATION

Practicum Booklet 1a Semester 2 2014/15

Awards
Awards are a bit different from rewards. Awards are for things like student of the week,
best reader, superstar speller, etc. The awards can be in the form of a certificate or listed
somewhere in the classroom. They are usually for an accomplishment that a student has
achieved or for doing something well. They are usually many different awards so that each
child has a chance to earn one. In the case of student of the week, everyone gets to be the
center of attention.
Identify the different awards your teacher gives.

Type of Award
Line leader

Why it is given
When the student listen quietly
and sit nicely

P.E awards

When the student do very well in

the exercises

Magical microphone

When the student sing the songs

very well in the music class

Library lover

When the student listens very well

to the story and answer the
questions
When a student swim excellently

Swim star

HCT Bachelor of Applied Science EDUCATION

Practicum Booklet 1a Semester 2 2014/15

Observation
Rewards and awards are used by teachers to motivate students to do well and to encourage
good behavior.
1. REWARDS:
This week, please observe a child with good consistently good behavior and one with
not so good behavior. Watch for their reactions when either they are rewarded or not
rewarded. Think about whether the reward system is effective for encouraging good
behavior. Write a paragraph about your observations.
2. AWARDS
Talk to two students who have recently received awards. Find out what they were for
and ask the students how they felt when they got the awards.

This week I observed two children, one of them with good behavior and one of them
with not so good behavior. When the child who had a good behavior was reward, he
was happy and enthusiastic, but when he do not rewarded, he was also happy and he
said for his friends congratulation. When the child who had not so good behavior was
reward, he was so happy and he arrogant to his colleagues, but when he does not
reward he felt angry and sad. I think the reward system is effective for encouraging
good behavior, because children in this age like to imitate each other.
I talked two students who has recently received award ( Tristin and Jush ), I asked Tristin
about what did the award was for, and he told me that it was about swim star because
he swam excellently and he felt so happy also he will continue in this way, in addition I
asked Jush about what did the award was for, and he told me that it was about magical
microphone because he sang the songs very well in the music class and he very proud of
himself.

HCT Bachelor of Applied Science EDUCATION

Practicum Booklet 1a Semester 2 2014/15

Reflection
Giving rewards to encourage good behavior is very controversial. That means that there are
two sides to this behavior management strategy.
Some teachers think using rewards is a bad thing because they feel that the child only
behaves to get a prize. So when there is no prize(or reward), they wont behave. This is
called EXTRINSIC motivation. The motivation comes from outside the preson.
Other teachers think that a child should do well and behave because it is the right thing. That
good behavior is something that we should do naturally and should not be rewarded for it.
This is called INTRINSIC motivation. The motivation comes from inside the person.
Example:
Extrinsic
Intrinsic
Some parents pay their children money for
The child gets good grades because he is
good grades ($50 for each A, $40 for a B,
motivated from inside himself to do well.
etc.). The child strives to get an A only for
The good grade is reward enough.
the money he will receive. If he did not
receive money, he would not get an A.

In your reflection, discuss:

How are you motivated? Extrinsically or intrinsically? Give an example.
Is your teachers individual reward system effective (from what you
noticed?)
Is your teachers group reward system effective?
Your personal idea about using rewards in the classroom
What kinds of rewards do you think work best?
What kinds of rewards are not good?
What can the teacher do to make sure that all children get rewarded from
time to time?
What kinds of awards did you receive as a student?
What is your opinion about awarding children for accomplishments?
HCT Bachelor of Applied Science EDUCATION
Practicum Booklet 1a Semester 2 2014/15

When I was student I motivated intrinsically, for example: when I successful in the exams, I do
not wait for gifts or motivate from anyone, I took motivate from myself to continue in this way.
I asked my MST about her opinion in giving rewards and she told me that it is effective if use
correctly and in positive way, also it depends on situation of the child and class. The individual
reward system of my MST is effective, for example: when she gave one student who showed a
good behavior stickers, the other students showed a good behavior to gets sticker, also her
groups reward system is effective for example: when she let one of the groups to play with toys
because they did a very good jobs, the other groups tried to did a good jobs. In my opinion, I
think that using many different kinds of rewards in the classroom is a very good idea for
encouraging the students to improve their skills and to be better in everything. I think all kinds
of rewards work are best because all of the rewards encouraging the students to do the best
works, and there is no kinds of rewards are not good because its nothing wrong in that in my
opinion.
The teacher can put the plate on the wall which containing the names and pictures of students
to put the stickers under their photos and names to make sure that all students get rewarded
from time to time as my MST did. When I was student I received both rewards and awards and I
am so proud of myself until now.

HCT Bachelor of Applied Science EDUCATION

Practicum Booklet 1a Semester 2 2014/15

This is the reward plate on

the wall which called
REACH FOR THE STARS, and
it
is
containing
the
students pictures.

This is the student who had

the magical microphone
reward because he sang
the song very well in the
music class.

This is the student who had

the library lover reward
because he listened very
well to the story and asked
the questions.

HCT Bachelor of Applied Science EDUCATION

Practicum Booklet 1a Semester 2 2014/15