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Rewarding achievement
Dec. 19th, 2006 09:36 amReasons to reward kids based on grades in school:
1) It's a measure that will be applied to all school-going children, so they understand it.
2) It's nice to have someone recognize that you've done a good job.
3) It can (sometimes) imitate the world of work, where there are bonuses and incentives to do a particularly good job.
Reasons not to reward kids based on grades:
1) It's subjective - each teacher has different expectations and criteria for marks, so Johnny's B's in Mrs. Smith's grade 5 class will mean something different from Sally's B's in Mrs. Jones' grade 5 class.
2) It varies greatly by ability as well as effort. Some kids get A's with minimal work; some struggle to get C's. If the intention is to reward hard work, grades are not necessarily the best measure of that.
3) It can look and feel like punishment if one kid gets rewarded and another doesn't, and since the reward is based on achievement rather than effort, the kid who is less able is likely to feel less worthy.
4) It's an extrinsic motivator - do this for a reward - rather than an intrinsic one - do it because it's your best work and it's the right thing to do.
This list brought to you courtesy of someone who refused to engage in debate in a, you know, DEBATE community. Since she didn't want to see it, I offer it to you instead. :)
1) It's a measure that will be applied to all school-going children, so they understand it.
2) It's nice to have someone recognize that you've done a good job.
3) It can (sometimes) imitate the world of work, where there are bonuses and incentives to do a particularly good job.
Reasons not to reward kids based on grades:
1) It's subjective - each teacher has different expectations and criteria for marks, so Johnny's B's in Mrs. Smith's grade 5 class will mean something different from Sally's B's in Mrs. Jones' grade 5 class.
2) It varies greatly by ability as well as effort. Some kids get A's with minimal work; some struggle to get C's. If the intention is to reward hard work, grades are not necessarily the best measure of that.
3) It can look and feel like punishment if one kid gets rewarded and another doesn't, and since the reward is based on achievement rather than effort, the kid who is less able is likely to feel less worthy.
4) It's an extrinsic motivator - do this for a reward - rather than an intrinsic one - do it because it's your best work and it's the right thing to do.
This list brought to you courtesy of someone who refused to engage in debate in a, you know, DEBATE community. Since she didn't want to see it, I offer it to you instead. :)