Skinner's views on reward and punishment always leaving me thinking about classroom motivators. Most of the teachers in my school use some sort of class motivator in which the entire class earns a reward for appropriate behavior. I am the standout who does not.

First, the rewards being handed out make me crazy! Pajama day?! That is an invitation to have students be off task all day. A movie? An educational movie that would benefit students should be part of the classroom regardless if the marble container gets filled. There are pinterest blogs and website galore about ways to reward your students. Here is an example:

http://www.interventioncentral.org/behavioral-interventions/rewards/jackpot-ideas-classroom-rewards

Go to the library to get a book should not a reward! It should be possible most anytime a child wants/needs a book to read. Help a classmate with an assignment? Classroom dynamics should always allow for supporting a peer!

Unless the school psychologist forces me into a whole class reward program, I just can't do it. My students, for the most part, behave because it is expected of them. Strong routines and expectations are set by myself and my class at the beginning of the year. If a student cannot follow the routines in the classroom, usually the class decides how best to handle it. Often one student will remind another student the appropriate way to handle things. In specific situations, especially for some of my most needy special education students, accomodations are made that fit their needs the best. 

An additional concern I have is for the one little guy or girl who cannot behave as the plan had hoped. Does he or she become the scapegoat? What does that do to that child socially? Again, this makes me wonder if the whole group reward is effective for everyone.

The lastest approach I have been hearing about lately is CHAMPS. It looks like what structured classrooms with strong expectations should look like.

Planning a CHAMPs Classroom Management Strategy

Use the CHAMPs acronym to define detailed behavioral expectations for EACH instructional approach that you use. Here is the CHAMPs acronym along with questions to ask yourself for developing each structured activity. 

Conversation: Can students converse during this activity? About what? With whom? For how long? 

Help: How do students get your attention for help? How do students get questions answered? What should they do while they wait for you? 

Activity: What is the expected end product of this activity? What is the task or objective? 

Movement: For what reasons can students get out of their seats during this activity? Do they need permission to do so? 

Participation: What behavior shows that students are participating or not participating? 

Success: There are no questions for this one. When CHAMPs expectations are met, students will be successful. 
http://www.dailyteachingtools.com/champs-classroom-management.html

I worry about rewards and punishment in the whole group setting. Expectations for behavior work much better for me.