38 Reinforcement Incentives

Definition

The promotion and use of appropriate rewards/ incentives to promote positive behaviours, increasing the likelihood of the behaviour occurring again in the future.

In action

Teachers can use a wide variety of reinforcement incentives based on student interests to motivate students toward specific goals. Caution should be taken regarding food-related incentives in promotion of healthy habits and behaviors.

Support Strategies

  • Allow for student choice in selecting incentives and related goals to work toward.
  • Plan special activities (e.g., an outdoor lesson) when students meet a given learning objective
  • Introduce special seating options (e.g., an exercise ball) that students can use when working together effectively
  • Identify words and phrases of encouragement that resonate with students and write them down on a post-it note to give to them when they are working well
  • Celebrate small successes (e.g., solving one step in a three-step math problem) to motivate future achievements
  • Highlight and enhance natural incentives
  • When appropriate, utilize reinforcement schedules and fading to decrease reliance on reinforcers and increase student independence

Case Study

Student: Grade 1 student in a language lesson.

Content: The class is practicing printing the letters in their names.

Problem: The student is only to write the first three letters.

Solution: The teacher reminds the student that three letters is more than half of their name, praising their efforts thus far. The teacher offers the student the opportunity to take a break before trying to print the final two letters. When the student returns to the task, the teacher reminds them that the class will be playing a game once everyone has finished printing their letters. The student is excited about the particular game and feels ready to continue printing.

Additional Resources

License

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Ed Guide Copyright © 2022 by Jordan Shurr is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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