This year I’ll be working in the High School in a new position: Alternative Learning Center.  Lots of thoughts floating around my head, one of which being this new video talking about Praise and it’s negativity on children.  This is a bit difficult for us to hear, because (I don’t know about you) I was taught that stickers and tickets and other extrinsic things will work every time.  I was encouraged to try some intrinsic motivations, but never got too many examples of that.

While this is true, extrinsic motivators will work, we as teachers need to think about what they will work toward.  Are the motivators working to make our students better people, better thinkers, brighten their future?  Or are the motivators simply conditioning them into little zombies that know how we like things done in the classroom?  And, naturally, there will be some kids that don’t want to be little zombies and could care less about the stickers and prize-box items, etc.

This video gives a few examples from the HighScope curriculum.  It’s based on early childhood education, but I think it is very much applicable to the high school level as well.

Apples Video Magazine: “Stuck on Stickers? Stop!”

Some positive things about this video points out that asking kids questions and encouraging them gets them thinking, which is huge!