Positive Reinforcement

Hi there, it's Francheryl from Primary Essentials. It's the time of year when everyone is tired. You're tired. The students are tired. EVERYONE is tired. That can make for a short patience span for everyone. With that in mind, you need to have some positive reinforcements in place so the students have a reason to keep working hard and keep their behavior in check. At this point in the year if you take recess away it just makes for a harder day for you and the student.
Depending on your class, you need to decide if your positive reinforcement needs to be whole class, by teams, or for individuals.  I always like to do a combination of whole class and teams. This gives everyone a reason to behave and the students are accountable for more than just themselves. This gets peer pressure working for the right reasons.  You also need to determine the time period between rewards. You may be at the point where you need to reward daily, or maybe you can stretch the time period a few days or a week. Again, that depends on your class.
We are also at the point in the year where you are just about broke. So, you need your positive reinforcement to be FREE or super cheap. Below is a list of things you can dangling in front of your students to get them to work towards.

extra recess
no shoes day
a snack or drink
no homework
extra computer or iPad time
technology day
fun games
listen to fun music
choose your own seat day
lunch in the classroom

You know your class and students best, and what they are willing to work towards. You could even let them help you make a list of rewards. It would be fun to do mystery rewards. Put all the rewards in a bag or jar and pull to see which one they have earned, or you could let them choose! Whatever gets the desired behavior you want!

Leave a comment and let me know what positive reinforcement you have set up for the end of the tear.

Well, that's all I got! See you around the blogging world.

Francheryl Harris
Primary Essentials