I’ve been on a bit of a classroom management kick these days — probably because I’m back in the classroom and feeling the need to brush up on some old tricks myself!
One thing that astonishes me every day is what a difference it makes to approach my students with positivity and enthusiasm. The more I can praise them and acknowledge their strong work, the better things seem to be.
I acknowledge them, which makes them feel good, which helps them behave better, which causes me to recognize them even more. It’s like an upward spiral of good feelings!
As I’ve cultivated this positive classroom management strategy, I’ve given a lot of thought to some of the questions that people often bring about this kind of management technique. Some of the questions I ask myself, that I know others wonder about too . . .
“Should I really praise my students so much? I don’t want to create a bunch of ‘praise-junkies.'”
Here’s the thing. Praise is a natural part of our world. When I do a good job at work, I receive praise and acknowledgement from my colleagues and supervisor. Many work environments have systems that reward employees for good work. Merit-based raises and bonuses are just a couple of examples of rewards that often come along with praise. Many of my students will encounter these structures when they go out into the working world.
But, as nice as those little rewards are, I don’t think they are the reasons why people work hard. I strive and do my best at work because it’s the right thing to do and I see myself as the kind of person who does her best. The praise and acknowledgement is just icing on the cake.
I truly believe that my students think the same way. They do the right thing just because. If they get praise or a reward, it feels good, but that’s not why they’re going to do it.
“What about rewards and punishments?”
I do my best to avoid using rewards and punishments in managing my class. I truly believe that my students value the experience of a successful class, just as much as they would value extra recess or free time.
But still, when we need a little boost — either we’re just back from summer break, it’s the last week of school or there is some other temporary challenge — I don’t feel too guilty about using a reward to influence their behavior. Sometimes it is just the push they need to have some good experiences in the classroom so they’ll remember what it feels like to have a great class. Once they get that experience, and feel it as a habit, then keeping the good energy going is a whole lot easier.
I just remind myself of those bonuses and raises that they’ll get one day when they’re out in the world. These little rewards are a normal and natural part of our world. They’re not the reason we do what we do, but they’re there and can help us remember when we need a little bit of extra encouragement.
Though I have a fairly easy time justifying rewards, punishments are harder. My ultimate goal is to have my students feeling GOOD in my classroom and punishments really work against that goal.
But still, I am not above bringing those punishments (or “consequences”) in a pinch. When I do, though, I always see it as a last resort and a clear sign that I have missed the mark in guiding my students. The minute I send a student out of the room or keep them in for recess, I realize that I have not succeeded in making that child feel good in my classroom that day.
It’s not the end of the world, but it just didn’t work today. I’ll try harder tomorrow.
Invariably, the disconnect happens when I am not as clear as I need to be about my expectations. I’ve found that as long as I’m clear about my expectations and regularly recognizing students for meeting my expectations, things go great. When I fall down on either of those two things, that’s when trouble starts.
“What about ‘intrinsic’ vs ‘extrinsic’ motivation? Are students internally motivated when their behavior is influenced by their teacher’s expectations?
Maybe you’ve picked up by now that I am a BIG fan of getting students to find intrinsic motivation to behave in the classroom. I love it when my students do the work in class because they enjoy it, they’re having fun, and it feels good.
I’m also pretty straightforward with them about wanting them to feel good by participating appropriately in our lessons. We talk about how it’s FUN to have a great lesson. And that this kind of fun is different than the fun that comes about when they’re being SILLY.
They’re entirely capable of recognizing this difference and working towards getting those good feelings going.
I was doing a little research about intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation recently and found that others have pointed out some of the challenges of working with intrinsic motivation.
- Every student is a unique individual, so their intrinsic motivations are going to be different. Some students are motivated because they like doing math. Others are motivated because they love the smell of their crayons. Others are super-satisfied by being the first one done. The point is that everyone’s reason is different so it’s a lot harder to build a group connection while pursuing an intrinsic motivation goal.
- Intrinsic motivation takes time and experience to cultivate. If they’ve never experienced how good it can feel, they’re not going to be intrinsically motivated. They need lots of diverse experiences, including some in which they are NOT motivated, to figure out what inspires their interest. Until they find their way in, there’s not much to keep them going. That’s when they need the support of extrinsic motivation.
Still, even with these challenges, I sometimes find it easier to motivate through intrinsic motivation. I mean, when it comes down to it, a lot of kids do the right thing just because it feels good. It’s my job to make sure that the work we’re doing actually DOES feel good.
That’s why we Waldorf teachers put so much effort into making sure our lessons meet our students where they are. When you’re working developmentally, you’ve got a huge advantage and things are much more likely to feel good.
So, as I think about it, these tools for motivating students and managing a class can be seen on a spectrum. The more control you need to muster, the further down on the spectrum you need to go.
- The ideal is pure intrinsic motivation — students doing the right thing out of themselves, just because it feels good to do so.
- Next is managing through verbal acknowledgement and recognition of students. This is extrinsic motivation, but it’s done purely for the satisfaction of recognition.
- When that’s not effective at gaining the control you need, you move on to management through rewards. I don’t like to use these methods, but I do sometimes use it. Whenever I do, it’s with the recognition that it has to be for a short time. My goal is always to move my students through to the next higher level of management.
- Finally, when those methods aren’t successful, consequences come in. As I mentioned, consequences are an indication that something has gone wrong during the day and we’ll just need to try again tomorrow.
I should also say that all of these are assuming that you are doing your own work of creating lessons that are well-planned, engaging and developmentally-appropriate. Those great lessons are super-important, but I always tell teachers that they can’t rely on them entirely. You will almost certainly need to implement some of the strategies above, as well.
How do you manage your classroom? Are you curious about implementing more intrinsic or praise-based classroom management strategies?
Enrollment in my new course The Practical Art of the Waldorf Classroom is open now. We’ve got a great group of teachers coming together to work on some of these most challenging aspects of teaching. I’d love to have you join.
You can find out more about it by following the link below.
One thing that astonishes me every day is what a difference it makes to approach my students with positivity and enthusiasm. The more I can praise them and acknowledge their strong work, the better things seem to be.
I acknowledge them, which makes them feel good, which helps them to behave better, which causes me to recognize them even more. It’s like an upward spiral of good feelings!
As I’ve cultivated this positive classroom management strategy, I’ve given a lot of thought to some of the questions that people often bring about this kind of management technique. Some of the questions I ask myself, that I know others wonder about too . . .
“Should I really praise my students so much? I don’t want to create a bunch of ‘praise-junkies.'”
Here’s the thing. Praise is a natural part of our world. When I do a good job at work, I receive praise and acknowledgement from my colleagues and supervisor. Many work environments have systems that reward employees for good work. Merit-based raises and bonuses are just a couple of examples of rewards that often come along with praise. Many of my students will encounter these structures when they go out into the working world.
But, as nice as those little rewards are, I don’t think they are the reasons why people work hard. I strive and do my best at work because it’s the right thing to do and I see myself as the kind of person who does her best. The praise and acknowledgement is just icing on the cake.
“What about rewards and punishments?”
I do my best to avoid using rewards and punishments in managing my class. I truly believe that my students value the experience of a successful class, just as much as they would value extra recess or free time.
But still, when we need a little boost — either we’re just back from summer break, it’s the last week of school or there is some other temporary challenge — I don’t feel too guilty about using a reward to influence their behavior. Sometimes it is just the push they need to have some good experiences in the classroom so they’ll remember what it feels like to have a great class. Once they get that experience, and feel it as a habit, then keeping the good energy going is a whole lot easier.
I just remind myself of those bonuses and raises that they’ll get one day when they’re out in the world. These little rewards are a normal and natural part of our world. They’re not the reason we do what we do, but they’re there and can help us remember when we need a little bit of extra encouragement.
Though I have a fairly easy time justifying rewards, punishments are harder. My ultimate goal is to have my students feeling GOOD in my classroom and punishments really work against that goal.
But still, I am not above bringing those punishments (or “consequences”) in a pinch. When I do, though, I always see it as a last resort and a clear sign that I have missed the mark in guiding my students. The minute I send a student out of the room or keep them in for recess, I realize that I have not succeeded in making that child feel good in my classroom that day.
It’s not the end of the world, but it just didn’t work today. I’ll try harder tomorrow.
Invariably, the disconnect happens when I am not as clear as I need to be about my expectations. I’ve found that as long as I’m clear about my expectations and regularly recognize students for meeting my expectations, things go great. When I fall down on either of those two things, that’s when trouble starts.
“What about ‘intrinsic’ vs ‘extrinsic’ motivation? Are students internally motivated when their behavior is influenced by their teacher’s expectations?
Maybe you’ve picked up by now that I am a BIG fan of getting students to find intrinsic motivation to behave in the classroom. I love it when my students do the work in class because they enjoy it, they’re having fun, and it feels good.
I’m also pretty straightforward with them about wanting them to feel good by participating appropriately in our lessons. We talk about how it’s FUN to have a great lesson. And that this kind of fun is different than the fun that comes about when they’re being SILLY.
They’re entirely capable of recognizing this difference and working towards getting those good feelings going.
I was doing a little research about intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation recently and found that others have pointed out some of the challenges of working with intrinsic motivation.
- Every student is a unique individual, so their intrinsic motivations are going to be different. It’s a lot harder to build a group connection while pursuing an intrinsic motivation goal.
- Intrinsic motivation takes time and experience to cultivate. If they’ve never experienced how good it can feel, they’re not going to be intrinsically motivated.
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