Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Rewards

Building Character One Day at a Time

Every morning, we will start with a huddle to talk about things we were proud of and things that we can make better in our classroom.  Today that huddle turned into a discussion about intrinsic and extrinsic rewards.  We earned two major compliments yesterday (one at lunch and one at gym.)  One student had the idea that we could track them and earn a reward for this like they had in the past.

I explained to them the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations.  We talked about how we train puppies by giving them treats.  I could reward students for this kind of thing, but in my opinion that is just making my life easier.  I would rather teach them about the value of intrinsic rewards which will reward them later in life as they build character.  This is what the Cardinal Code should be about in my opinion.

I also talked to them about the pay-it-forward or pass-it-on theories.  If they show respect to other adults in the building then those adults are likely to do kind and respectful things to other people who will pass it on to me and I will pass it on to them.  I reward my class plenty with unique learning opportunities, but I want to teach and train my students to expect compliments from adults and not be surprised by them.  We talked about straightening our spine and holding our chin up and accepting compliments with a sense of pride that we are doing things for the right reasons.  Our goal will be to be the best class in the school and these compliments will be the affirmation that we have been working hard.

Keeping in step with our focus on character this morning, students were assigned the task of making someone in their family smile today.  We have been talking about the book Have You Filled a Bucket Today? I wanted them to practice what we have talked about and do something to fill a family members bucket so that they could share a real world example at tomorrow's huddle.

I find that high character kids who learn to care about their school and their teammates are more likely to reach their potential.  I am taking some extra time this year to build this team mentality so we can really rock out some academics and make these kids soar!