Our students earn Lanyard pins for academic acheivement and attendance as well as other areas. It is unbeleivable how much earning these pins means to them. They are great little motivators
Wonderful idea Anna-Marie! At the end of each course, I organize a party for my class. Students are allowed to bring dishes that embody their culture. They enjoy being able to converse with their colleagues after finishing a challenging course.
The other benefit is that the party helps build camaraderie and assists in acclimating the student. They feel genuinely apart of the organization. They solidify connections with their classmates during this time. What is meant as a reward has far reaching benefits.
The students here seem to really enjoy the pins that they get at the end of the terms if they get an A. I do however give encouragement to those who show improvement even if they haven't acheived an A grade.
We also give pins and certificates at the end of each module. We have also implemented a special award for students who are half way through their program. We realized that our largest number of withdrawals were coming from students who had completed half of their program. So, we decided to try this award to see if it re-energized and inspired them to completion. It appears to be having an impact on this group of students.
I do not wait until the end of the term to give awards. For every new check off completed students are given many items for bragging rights many items may be just a bag of chips.
We give certificates and pins at the end of the term. This helps with burn out and gives them a renewed commentment.
One thing our school does is recognize the students with pins at the end of the term to show the whole class what they accomplished. They also get some kind of food treat, like icecream floats.
I think it should be judicious, an award for actual excellence is very motivating to a student, however, as George Carlin warned, we do not need to be the society that gives every student in class an award.
Being recognized for your performance is a human need. We need to be recognized , even if it’s a verbal - "Good job". It is motivating.
The awards ceremony is a great reinforcement tool, but there should be a variety of catagories/ It should also serve to reward those students who have made significant strides, and overcame obstacles. It shouldnt just be students who earn the big"A".
I agree with the initial comment; too many awards can dilute the significance of the achievement. Also, with adults who are career-oriented and going back to school, making sacrifices with their current jobs, families, time, etc., do not appreciate (as much) things such as stickers or smiley faces. I make a special effort to not make them feel like children; but rather, adults who are stressed and making many serious sacrifices. I cringe inside when I see other program directors have an "ice-cream" party or a "pizza-party." I have a child in elementary school and these "parties" work for them. It almost gives me the feeling that I should hold their hand in the parking lot or as they cross the street. It is much harder, I believe, to be more creative and more significant in how we plan and deliver our methods of recognition.
As you point out, Anna-Marie, people want to be recognized for excellent performance.
Often as mentioned the Dean's list is the high achievers, it's their reward to have their name seen by others as being successful. I reward students in class randomly with samples from dental supplies or a HOO RAH! for nailing a question that is tough or asking a question that everyone can learn from. Place a stamp quizzes or homework that has some sort of praise on it. Everyone wants to be rewarded not everyone can get the same reward but as long as the effort is rewarded in some manner the student will continue to try know it’s just not the preverbal carrot dangling.
I give smiley face stickers on test papers for A's and 100's get a hand draw smiley. Students have gotten upset if they didnt get their just reward. I think its endearing to see adult learners in this manner. Awarding good performance isnt anything new. Adults get awards in the workforce every year its called a bonus or pay raise. Work performance reviews are just that. We are awarded due to performance so why not award students for hard work and determination to remain focused.
