One day I decided to have a discussion with my grade one students about how they could use their understanding of the four levels to help themselves become better readers. We talked about the “Whole School Read” session in which we participate each morning. I asked the youngsters to describe hypothetical behaviors of students operating at each of the levels during this daily reading time.

Using their own words,they were able to clearly describe conduct at each level:

At the lowest level A, students wouldn’t be practicing reading at all. They would be deliberately misbehaving. At the next higher level B, the students explained that people wouldn’t be doing much reading either. At this level, students would be annoying or distracting others, perhaps by poking them or by making jokes. They would probably flip through the pages of a book but wouldn’t put in the effort to actually read. We reviewed that at Levels A and B, a teacher must step in and use authority.

Then we discussed the higher and acceptable levels of development, Levels C and D. Students operating on Level C would be reading––but more or less only when an adult (the teacher or a parent,) was directly watching or working with them. Their motivation for reading is based on an external factor––they willingly cooperate and do what is necessary in order to satisfy, impress or avoid the disapproval of adults in the room. Yet there is still that one higher stage of development, the level of personal power and autonomy, Level D.

At Level D, the students described that a person would be using reading time each morning to truly practice. It wouldn’t be necessary to have an adult directly with them at all times; they would read and re-read sections of their book because they know that by doing so they will become better readers. Their motivation would be internal. They would be reading in an effort to become the best reader that they could be.

Promoting Learning with the DWS Hierarchy

Having run through examples of all the levels, I asked, “Which of these students from our discussion will learn to read well?” They understood that it seemed unlikely that students operating at Levels A and B could ever learn to read very well. Their choices and actions were leading them in the opposite direction.We discussed that although students operating at acceptable Level C would learn to read, it was unlikely they would become proficient readers simply because they were reading only when directly supervised.  With only a so-so effort at practicing, they would get only so-so results.

Then we discussed Level D, the level at which people take the initiative to motivate themselves to put forth effort. They feel good about themselves because they are aware that improvement is a direct result of conscious choices that they have made and so they experience a sense of personal power.

After these discussions, I simply asked the students to silently identify their own developmental level in the reading session that had just passed. After giving them a moment to reflect, I asked them to honestly evaluate their own level and whether or not they were heading in a positive direction. Nothing more was said aloud, by either myself or the students, and we soon moved on to another lesson.

The Results

That night, without any suggestion or prompting on my part, the poorest reader in the class went home and read his reader over and over again. Prior to this, the kindly parents of this child had been sincerely concerned about his lack of reading progress and fairly supportive of the school, but obviously they hadn’t understood the value or importance of the school’s request for nightly reading sessions with their struggling youngster.

That evening they watched as their little boy independently read and re-read his reader. Both the parents and the child could see a dramatic improvement in his reading skills. They experienced the powerful impact that internal desire, coupled with just one night of true effort, could have on someone’s ability to read at a grade one level. He came back to school the next day bursting with pride and determination to practice more and more so that he could move on to a new, more difficult book.

The DWS approach prompted this youngster to learn a powerful lesson that is bound to influence his behavior in the future. He could clearly see the connection between his own choices and the results from them. I could never have bribed him into such a learning experience by offering a sticker or prize for having read a certain number of pages.

Some related postings:

How can I use this approach to motivate students academically?

Improving the quality of homework

Using the Principle of Reflection to improve spelling

What can be done so students know that the intrinsic is always most important?

How can I use this approach to motivate students academically?

How can I make the levels meaningful in Math?

How can I motivate my students to take care in their schoolwork?

By starting home phone calls so quickly, she generally has only positive comments to make––usually kids are on their best behavior on the first days of school!  This gets her off on the right foot with the parents of these kids.  Not only does she gain insight from the parent’s perspective regarding each child, this first phone call puts the parents in a positive frame of mind toward the teacher. Many parents have never received such a phone call or ever been asked how their child feels about coming to school. They immediately feel connected to a teacher who is showing interest in the parent’s viewpoint.  Often, the parents themselves will then bring up behavior concerns they have at home which easily opens the doorway for future productive communication about what is happening at school.

By keeping in close contact and phoning about only positive things very early in the year, she establishes strong relationships with these families.  The parents know that she likes their child. Then, when that inevitable problem comes, she’s already established that she’s interested in the welfare of the child.  Parents see her as an ally, not an enemy. She gets incredible support. She can be honest and frank but the parents know that she wants the very best for their child.

Another thing she began to do last year––and I followed suit because I saw it brought such great benefits in creating a positive relationship with parents––is phoning each time a child goes up a reading level after a leveled book test. Often we phone at noon and simply leave a message if the parent isn’t home:  ”Just phoning with some good news.  Johnny had a little reading test and went up a level today. Thanks for your help at home. It’s really paying off for Johnny!”

Now we routinely make these “reading phone calls” because:

1. Not only do we have purely positive news to share each time we phone (the child is moving forward in reading.)

2. But we also are able to help the parent become a better reading coach for their child. We pass on a little tip or two during the conversation that will help the parent support the child in some small way. For instance, we might remind them that following the reading of a book, they might ask their child to retell the story or answer a few comprehension questions. Or we might explain that we’ve pointed out to the child how to read with expression when a word is printed in italics or bold font. The kids become better readers when both parent and teacher focus on the same skills. Even parents who didn’t initially read with their children on a consistent basis began to do so after getting one or two of these phone calls!  The phone calls not only motivated the children to make progress in reading, it motivated the parents to make reading with their child a nightly habit!

These phone calls take time but I’m certainly convinced that they’re worth the effort. Like I said, when the parents then are faced with hearing about a behavior problem, they are more interested in working with us because they trust us from past experience. I don’t think I would ever consider writing or emailing home about problems.  Written words don’t always convey the teacher’s genuine concern for the child. We come across as more “human” on the phone!  In my experience phone calls get better results than writing.

Here’s the gist of his ideas regarding good intentions:

As adults we should actively look for times when a child is displaying or expressing good intentions––and then we should nurture those intentions.  Despite the fact that the young person may NOT be able to carry out their good intentions, and that the situation may actually turn out negatively in some sense, we can applaud their initial desire to do the right thing.  By pointing out that the intention was good, we can encourage the child to keep aiming in the right direction––the direction of following their conscience to do the right thing.

Of course this sounds like a sensible approach to working with people but it’s often the opposite of what we teachers actually do!

Often we discount good intentions if a child doesn’t follow through on them––and so lose the opportunity to influence and encourage a child to continue to AIM in the right direction.  Gordon points out that if a person isn’t AIMING in the right direction, he’ll never get to where he’s going.  So what could be more important than AIMING?  AIMING is a critical part of getting somewhere!

Regardless of how the immediate situation actually works out, it’s the AIMING that we should take care to nurture.  Over time, we will have an impact.  If we can convince a student to continue to AIM in the right direction, then one day––when they have developed the maturity that will enable them to follow through successfully on their good intentions––they’ll more often achieve the results we all hope for by actually DOING the right thing.  Gordon teaches that when a child displays good intentions, it’s our job to focus on those intentions and highlight the importance of them.

I found these ideas regarding good intentions to give me a lot of relief.  Before I understood these ideas, I always felt that as a good adult, it was my job to more or less berate a child who goofed up!  I hope you understand what I mean by this.  I felt that if a child said that they had really wanted to do something the right way, it was my job to point out that that didn’t count if the end result was that they had goofed up.

Since receiving the ideas I’ve shared above, I feel free to take on a much more positive approach to situations in which a child has goofed up.  That’s a great relief.  I can see that my job is not to berate or correct them in any way but to empathize with them and believe in them, thus encouraging them to try again.  I can reinforce my belief in them––that one day they will be able act appropriately in certain situations.  As Neufeld says,  I can keep encouraging them “to aim.”  I can put myself in the position of the coach who will cheer for them and help them as they move closer to their goals.  I don’t have to approve of their behavior but at the same time, I don’t have to dwell on their failures or try to teach them what to do better.  They already know what they need to do.  I simply have to encourage them to aim, thus nurturing their good intentions.

I can give you an example of how these understandings helped me with one student currently in our grade one class.  We have a little fellow this year who can only be described as a little monkey!  Surely, you know the type!  (Well, my principal actually calls him a little turkey but he means the same thing!!)  He’s quite a charming little fellow but he’s always pushing the limits and getting into trouble.

Early in the year, some older children taught him a few choice words which he used liberally out on the playground.  Of course, news of this kind of talk always spreads fast and he ended up in our principal’s office.  I took him over myself!  On the way over, we discussed inappropriate Level B behavior and he told me that he had not wanted to say these words in the first place, that he thought he was simply saying them in his head and didn’t realize that other people could hear him. He said he planned never to say these words again!

That was my opportunity to preserve the relationship and nurture his good intentions (as I had learned from Gordon) by saying that I believed him and that although he had goofed up and I couldn’t expose other children to the possibility of this particular kind of language at the moment, we could get past this event.  Then, rather than focusing on how he had goofed up and coming up with negative consequences, I simply felt free to encourage him to aim again.

I reinforced my belief in him by saying that I thought he certainly could live up to his good intentions by not letting those words come out of his mouth again.  I expressed that I was sure he could hold to that good intention.  Then I simply gave him a little hug and explained that whatever happened in the office, we could get past it and he’d be welcome back in the classroom to take another shot at talking appropriately with others.

Ever since becoming acquainted with DWS, I have felt that although students need to be aware of Level A and B, the key is really for the teacher to put the greatest energy and focus on Level C and D and the difference between these two acceptable levels.  This summer, the understandings I received from Gordon Neufeld really helped me understand why this is so. He gave me a way to respond to certain situations of misbehavior with positivity––another crucial part of Discipline without Stress.

I’m new to DWS so bear with me.  I’m wondering if whole class incentives for staying on Level C or D is appropriate.  For instance, if the whole class can stay on Level C or D for a certain amount of time, then could there be some sort of reward like a movie, free time or Preferred Activity Time?  Does this completely fly in the face of DWS?  Are all incentives discouraged?

RESPONSE:

Here are several reasons why I choose not to offer incentives in my teaching:

1)  The basis of the DWS program is that it’s counterproductive to reward expected behaviors.

2)  Once an adult rewards Level D behavior, it’s quite possible that the child’s level of motivation will be affected in a negative way.  A student who is genuinely operating on a high level is doing so because of internal motivation.  By rewarding students, you might actually be distracting them from the real reasons that they are choosing to operate on a high level.  By giving incentives, you might actually be influencing some students to operate from a lower level––more from a desire to please you and/or receive additional rewards––rather than from a genuine desire to act on Level D.  To me this is going backwards.  I want to encourage kids to choose Level D more often.  I don’t want to distract them by offering rewards.

3)  People don’t tend to operate on just one level consistently.  Even in the space of a few minutes a person’s actions and motivations can move through several levels.  It’s pretty safe to say that almost no one on earth acts solely at Level D.  I wouldn’t ask students to generalize about their behavior over a long period of time such as a week, or even an hour.  I find it much more productive to have kids determine their own level, in their own head, in any given moment, with regard to a specific situation.  I want young people to understand that they have an opportunity––in each and every small situation––to make a choice with regard to their level of operation.  (The lovely thing is that if we look after the small moments of our lives with care, the bigger picture naturally improves without any extra effort!)

Personally I don’t use any incentives when teaching.  Treats however, are a different thing.  I do plan treats for my students (I frequently bake for my high school students as a treat.) and as one example, give my primary students a fancy little bag of Halloween trinkets and puzzle sheets at the end of October.  ”Free choice play time” for young students is an important part of our daily academic program in the area where I teach.  When it fits into an learning theme or we are near a holiday time, we might watch a fun movie.  But these are not rewards, they’re special treats.    The difference is this:  All students (regardless of their behavior) are included––and my motivation is not to get the kids to do something in order to get the treat.  My motivation is simply to offer a gift or do something that is both fun and valuable.

I think it’s difficult for many newcomers to this approach to visualize teaching and motivating people without rewards.  It does take a leap of faith to leave a “rewarding mindset” behind but I have personally found that with this system, I can motivate kids to WANT to be at Level C and D––simply because it feels rewarding inside to choose to operate on a high level.

Many more related postings can be found here.

Recently she had been chatting with a man who coaches soccer teams of 8 and 9 year olds. He mentioned that this year he’d had a lot of difficulty in getting his players to work together as a team.

My friend, an experienced teacher, started to offer some suggestions; she knew of many activities that might encourage teamwork.  But the man quickly stopped her.

“Oh, you don’t understand,” he said.  “It’s not the kids who are the problem––it’s the parents!  The parents have all promised their children that they’ll get two dollars every time they score a goal. The kids are so intent on getting points––all on their own––that I can’t get them to pass the ball.  It doesn’t matter what I do!  It was so bad I even had to hold a special parent meeting to say, ‘Stop paying your kids so I can create a team!’”

Apparently, it’s not just DWS teachers who recognize the negative impact of rewarding!

Rewards change motivation.  It’s as simple as that!

After first reading Marv’s DWS book more than ten years ago, I started to become conscious of the importance of deliberately planning for “choice” in my teaching.   Certainly, as I took on a job at a local Alternate High School six years ago––working one-on-one with sullen, illiterate and often, ashamed teenagers––providing choice was a major consideration in any lesson.  There, the first choice always offered was simply “Would you be interested in a reading lesson today?”  Darlene, my teaching partner, and I quickly (and painfully) learned that without at least some tiny initial buy-in from these students, we were going nowhere fast––and it wasn’t gonna to be pretty!

Now this year, back in Kindergarten full time, choice is still an important consideration.  Like others who use DWS, whenever possible I try to ensure my Kindergarten students have choices when we do projects, play games or have story time.  In discipline situations I try not to back any child into a corner and instead endeavour to make sure they feel they have some freedom of choice with regard to their own behaviour and its consequences.  Yet, the most powerful teaching experience I’ve ever had with “choice” wasn’t planned at all.  It developed gradually over a period of about 3 months and all quite unintentionally.  I’d like to tell you about it!

Although the Kindergarten mandate in my province is to provide a play-based learning environment, just before Christmas I realized that a couple of students were ready for more formal reading instruction.  They already knew all their alphabet sounds, they could automatically and correctly write a letter symbol for each sound and their oral phonemic awareness skills were excellent.  One child, Mary, was especially eager; I decided to start with her.

Although I’ve taught nearly 300 grade one students to read in a regular grade one classroom setting, I’ve never before taught a Kindergarten student to read within a play-based environment.  The main reason I chose to move to full day K when Darlene retired last June was to be able to continue to develop the beginning reading program we created in our grade one classroom and used successfully with older struggling readers in the alternate school system in our district.

Although I had a pretty good idea of how I wanted to approach reading instruction in Kindergarten when I started in September, this year is an experimental one for me.  I’m testing out ideas, lesson formats and activities in order to find out which might work best, and in which sequence.  Currently, many First Nations students in our province are not successfully learning to read well over the course of their schooling.  I want to do my best to provide good beginning reading instruction for all my 14 students, but I’m especially concerned that 11 of them are already statistically at-risk––even before they start!

Over the Christmas holiday, I considered how I might go about teaching, first Mary, and then eventually others, to learn to read.  Since I personally find individualized instruction more productive than small group work, I knew I wanted to keep each child’s learnings recorded in some individual way, for their own reference.  I debated how best to do this and finally decided to use a notebook. But I wanted this notebook to be different than the others we use in Kindergarten––I wanted it to be somewhat special.  After all, learning to read is very exciting!  The dollar store had a sturdy black notebook for sale so I bought a few and taped a name tag on for Mary.

In my school, eating times are supervised by teachers.  The procedure I’ve taught is that after eating and cleaning up lunch things, students are to get organized back at their table spot for “Book Look” time.  I spotted an opportunity to begin working with Mary on her own because it just happens that she typically eats her lunch more quickly than all the other children.  When I quietly suggested that we could use the remainder of eating time to start learning to read, she was all smiles.  I showed her the notebook and we began.  Each following day after her lunch, Mary and I would spend five minutes or so to practice the words and sentences in her “Key Book.”  Then we would add a new phonetic pattern that would allow her to tackle more words.  Because Mary is so keen on learning to read, it’s a delight to work with her.  We have a lot of fun together!

Lunchtime seating in my class is determined by small named placemats.  As students wash their hands, I put out plastic placemats at three tables.  Because I move the mats around––to different tables, with different companions––each day Mary sat with a new group of children.  As others at her table wondered aloud what the two of us were doing, I would explain and invite them to listen in to Mary’s reading lesson if they were interested.  Eventually, the two students who were near ready to read themselves, asked if they could have a reading lesson––just like Mary.  Happily, I was able to show them that I had already purchased Key Books for them too.  Since they were interested, I could certainly give them a little lesson.

Things progressed well and I went back to the dollar store several times to buy more black notebooks. Every couple of weeks, another child would ask if they too could have a reading lesson.  Generally students didn’t seem to ask to be taught to read until they had acquired a certain skill level with phonemic awareness and alphabet sounds.  This was perfect!  Our Book Look times just naturally started to increase in length.  More and more kids automatically started to go to the bin and retrieve their Key book when they finished their lunches. Without any suggestion from me, they would practice reading the familiar pages, while waiting for a turn with me to add the next concept to their books. Then one child had a new idea.  Each day after reading, he began getting a pencil to spell three letter words, write the names of classmates and copy favorite words from book titles into his own notebook.  Soon that idea caught on too and I developed a procedure; pages on which I taught reading concepts were just for the teacher, any other empty page could hold student writing.

Eventually though, a couple of students who did not have the necessary foundational skills to easily learn to read began to ask if they could also have lessons with a Key Book.  My heart fell as the first thought to cross my mind was “But you’re not ready yet.  This will be too hard for you!”  Luckily, biting my tongue (as a result of diligent practice with DWS Principle, Positivity) saved me!  Instead of blurting out my first (and very negative) thought, I forced a bright smile and said (without a lot of inner confidence,) “Sure!  Any student who wants to learn to read can do so!”   What else could I say?

But then, pretty quickly, I remembered that years ago I went to individualized instruction for a reason!  My less ready students did not yet have the ability to actually blend letters into words to read but I could have them practice more basic skills that would move them to that point.  I could use their Key Books to review alphabet sounds.  They didn’t need to know that others in the class were working on more advanced skills.  To date, 12 of my 14 students have Key Books and two students have not yet asked for them.  Not surprisingly these are the two students that I have recommended to my principal as candidates for another year in Kindergarten.

Here’s what I experienced first hand this year:  When learning to read is a choice, motivation is high.  When motivation is high, every lesson is welcomed.  When lessons are welcomed, learning fuels further motivation.  This experience may have developed accidentally for me this year, but next year I will deliberately plan to make learning to read a “choice!”

On another mailring recently, I read a post from a teacher whose school gives awards to every child in the school––but in quite a different way than most do.  I asked her permission to reprint the idea here.  I thought it might interest those looking for genuine ways to acknowledge children, without the typical problems associated with awards (as we usually think of them.)

Here’s her post:
**************************************************************************************************************************************************
At our school we do not focus on academics at our end-of-the-year awards ceremony but instead on the positive character traits of each child. (We send home honor roll certificates (based on the year end average) inside the final report card envelopes.) At our final school awards ceremony each child in the school is given a character award based on what the teachers feel is the most positive character trait of that child. Each child is given individual attention. Almost every parent, both mother and father, as well as grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. show up for the awards ceremony to see what their child will receive.

It is really neat to see what each teacher chooses as the most unique character trait for each student. We do not talk to the teachers who had the child in the years before; we feel that if the child gets the same award more than one year, then this is simply confirmation of that gift in that child. Many different lists of character traits can be found quickly on the Internet.  Here’s just one example.

I tell my young students what their award is ahead of time and explain to them what it means. I have been at schools who do all academic awards and I highly recommend the character awards because every child is recognized and made to feel special.

**************************************************************************************************************************************************

Kerry’s comments:

I am impressed with the care and individual attention that your school has chosen to give to every child so as to recognize the best in each one. I know that takes a lot of extra effort, but it is in taking that effort that every child feels honored in a sincere and meaningful way. As I mentioned on another thread, my school has chosen to no longer to give awards in the more typical ways because we found it led to unhealthy competition and comparisons among students and parents.

I think that the way in which your school has found to honor kids would not lead to the same sorts of competition we experienced because you aren’t “measuring” anything (the best at this or that, good at this or that etc.) You’re simply looking for something unique and special about each child that can be celebrated.  I love how you have decided to take the time to speak with each child ahead so that they truly understand the meaning behind the recognition you have given them.

I think that all schools hold the same intention as your school but I don’t think many schools have found a way to achieve that objective really well.  With your approach, since one character trait holds, either no more, or no less, value than another, there’s nothing to compare. Done in the genuine way that your school hands out these awards, it wouldn’t lead to the same sort of competitiveness or bragging that we experienced (where an “effort award” was considered less valuable than an “academic award” for instance.) I think that the success of your approach becomes obvious by the number of family members who turn up to witness their child receiving their character award.

I would think too that having such awards would encourage teachers to be looking at their students in a more positive way all year round because they would need to be actively looking for the GOOD in each one. Sometimes, with some students, it’s much easier to be focusing on the opposite. Your school’s emphasis must remind teachers that with those more challenging kids it’s doubly important to make the effort to see their positive points. Once a teacher is thinking along those lines, life improves for the child in the classroom too and they start to behave in the ways the teacher is expecting––the idea of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I have 5 kids in my second grade class who take most of my attention because of their misbehavior.  I feel so badly for the other students who are on task and listening, because honestly, they don’t get very much of my attention.  I try to point out what Level D looks like and give these great students more freedom but still I don’t feel that’s enough.  How can let these wonders know that they are being wonderful?

RESPONSE:

We often had discussions about this on my staff years ago.  Some of us were starting to feel uncomfortable with rewards, awards and trophies etc.,  but our principal at the time felt that the “good kids never got anything.” He felt they needed trophies and stickers etc. in order to feel encouraged.

I had to disagree.  The good kids certainly do get something for their goodness!  These “wonderful kids” automatically experience successes in school in many ways as a direct result of their Level C and D behavior:

• School is a happy and positive place for them.
• They naturally make a lot of friends.
• They experience that teachers and peers like them.
• They have many experiences that make them feel good––for instance, they might often receive good marks
• Inner rewards naturally arise in anyone who chooses to actively participate, cooperate, contribute, be of service.  etc. etc.

In my opinion we encourage these high-fuctioning kids most effectively, when we simply and quietly acknowledge to them that they are on the right path, and also when we express genuine appreciation to them for being the wonderful persons that they are.

If I see a student do something indicative of a high level that I feel is important enough to point out, I do it privately and most often, after the fact.  An hour later, at lunch time or even the next day I find time to talk to the child.

An example from when I taught in the intermediate grades…

Hey, Trevor, I wanted to tell you what I noticed yesterday.  Do you remember in math class when there were a number of kids who were fooling around instead of doing their assignment?  Well, all during that time, I noticed that you were able to keep your focus.  I saw that you looked up once or twice but basically you understood that what they were doing wasn’t helpful to themselves or anyone else and so you just got back to your own work.  By the end of the class, you had all your questions completed and you didn’t have any homework.  How does it feel inside when you act in a self-disciplined way like that?    (Then smile and walk away.)

An example from my literacy work at the alternate high school…

Zack, this morning when we were playing Scrabble, I really appreciated the kindness that you showed to Corey and Matt.  The way you supported them when they got some of their spellings wrong showed real sensitivity.  You helped them correct their spelling but you did it in such a way that you let them save face––by making a joke of your help.  It allowed Corey and Matt to feel included and safe in playing a game that’s really too hard for them.  Thank you very much, Zack.   I have often noticed your kindness in other situations too––you show great skill in working with others.

An example from my primary classroom…

You know, Danton, at snack time I noticed that you saw some spilled juice on the floor by the sink and you took the initiative to get a cloth and clean it up.  No one asked you to do that and it wasn’t your spilled juice.  You just saw a job that needed doing and you decided to take care of it.  What level is that?  Then smile and walk away without waiting to hear the answer.

It’s been my experience that these types of sincere acknowledgements are extremely powerful.  They don’t take much time, can be done in a convenient moment and are very encouraging to those particularly wonderful students that each of us are lucky enough to have in our classrooms.  I think carefully worded feedback does sustain these children and encourage them to keep operating at a high level.

I’m  going to start using DWS in my classroom this coming year.  My grade level uses Fun Friday/Study Hall.  I’m confused on how I can incorporate DWS into Fun Friday.  Am I just overthinking this issue?

RESPONSE:

I have no personal experience with Fun Friday/Study Halls but I gather it’s a reward for those who live up to expectations during the week––or a punishment for those who do not. This doesn’t match DWS thinking simply because it is reward/punishment based.  Rewards and punishments are both forms of external motivation. DWS uses an approach focused on promoting internal motivation.  It uses procedures, expectations and The Hierarchy to raise responsibility.  The two mindsets are quite different.

However, if you are required to participate in this school program, you could perhaps set it up with more of a DWS “flavor.” You could have the students self-assess their own involvement.  Students could be asked to decide for themselves if they meet the requirements of “Fun Friday” or if their own behavior during the week would be more in line with Study Hall.

The younger the child, the greater would be the need to start with a) very clear procedures and 2) very clear criteria for involvement in Fun Friday. One suggestion I would have would be to hold quick but frequent self-assessment times through the week (and throughout each day,) by reviewing the criteria.   This would help ensure that no child is surprised on Friday when they have to indicate that their choices throughout the week have been consistent with attending “Study Hall.”   Even so, with very young children, they may not be able to connect their in-the-moment daily evaluations with the end result (Study Hall five days later,) until the moment they realize that others in the class are going to Fun Friday celebrations––while they are not.

So, no, you’re not overthinking this; it really is quite difficult to find a way to combine rewards and punishments with a philosophy that states that rewards and punishments are ineffective approaches for working with people. Sometimes, in order to try out DWS in a school with a completely different philosophy, teachers simpy have to try to make the program fit with external constraints as best they can.

Some related postings on student self-assessment that may be of interest:

I’m required to give my students a behavior grade.

I would like my students to give themselves a daily discipline mark.

What is a good response to people who argue that extrinsic rewards are okay for students because they’re just the same as an adult getting a paycheck at the end of the week?  When people say this, I cringe.  I know it’s not the same, but I don’t know how to argue the point intelligently.

DR. MARSHALL’S RESPONSE:

Here is what to say:

Employment is a social contract.  A person provides some service for remuneration. The only thing a fee for service has in common with rewards (as acknowledgments or as incentives) is that they both MAY involve legal tender.

When was the last time you looked at your paycheck and thanked your employer for the reward?