The Power of the Payoff: How to Make it Work for You |
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(Use landscape mode to print out this article) This article appeared in the fall, 1998 issue of Students at Risk. James D. Sutton, Ed.D., Consulting Psychologist
Actually, it works perfectly. The problem is that we're usually operating on the wrong end of it.
Here's a scene involving a teacher's #1 problem in the classroom---noncompliance. Johnny's refusal to either initiate or complete his work is annoying the dickens out of his teacher, and he knows it.
The teacher, anxious to jump start this youngster, offers him a "reward" of a sticker if he will but complete his math worksheet. Then the teacher stands back only to observe how much effort this kid puts into not doing the task. Reason? Johnny's holding back for a bigger prize.
"Been there; done that," you're thinking. We all have. Why is it that our very best ideas sometimes seem to blow up in our faces?
Johnny might be an underachiever, but he's not dumb. He's figured out a way to get the biggest "bang" for his behavioral buck. And, until something changes, he'll keep at it. We can win by empowering youngsters. Here are three ways to do it:
1. Empower by "adding to." This one strategy alone will spare you a ton of grief.
With many youngsters today, if you "take away," you will eventually lose. Ask any classroom professional; consequences for noncompliance are having less and less effect (except to frustrate the adults involved). I spoke with a math teacher recently who shared his exasperation over the fact that as many as half of his students wouldn't come into class until after the tardy bell rang. Threats and consequences seemed to have no effect at all. In fact, the students appeared to be collecting in the hall, waiting for the bell to ring.
I shared with him a strategy that I picked up from a teacher who had experienced much the same problem. Within two days she had completely eliminated all tardies her class. As a bonus, reduced hassles with her students really added to her enjoyment of the profession.
She did it by "adding to," not "taking away." She stood at the doorway to her classroom as the students were entering, and gave them a one question quiz that covered homework and recently presented material. The quiz simply stated that it was for extra credit only; it could only help their grade in the class, not hurt. When the tardy bell rang, she simply put away the quiz.
That's it. Simple and effective. I used a spin-off of this approach to ensure that my group counseling clients would show up on time. I passed out slips of paper to the youngsters as them came to counseling, encouraging them to sign them an drop them in a can. When it was time to begin the session, I simply removed the slips. At the end we had a drawing for some small prize. This approach was very successful.
Provided it's not overdone, in-seat and on-task behavior can be encouraged through the use of an ordinary kitchen timer. Set the timer to go off at some time during seatwork, informing the students that, if they are working in their seats when the timer goes off, they can write "free" next to one problem on the worksheet. To ensure longer periods of in-seat compliance, simply set two or more timers. Again, use this strategy sparingly; it grows a bit stale if overused.
2. Empower through decision-making. Everyone likes to have a choice.
When Henry Ford refused to offer his cars in colors ("The public can have any color Ford they want, so long as it is black."), he lost his lead in the market share. Consequently, it took the Ford Motor Company 40 years to recover it.
Whenever a task is assigned, a youngster may or may not do it, partly depending upon general mood and disposition, and partly depending upon the nature to comply or not. Sometimes when we say "You will do this, or else," the kid opts for "or else."
Compliance can be considerably enhanced by offering a youngster (or even a whole class) several worksheets containing similar tasks. The youngster can select one and hand the rest of them back to the teacher. He or she is less likely to complain about the task that they selected. Result: the likelihood of them completing it has been increased significantly.
Here's another twist on this same idea. Hand the youngster a stack of worksheets or assignments, asking them to select 3 to work on over the next three days (one teacher even put the worksheets on different colors of paper to enhance the notion of choice). Make one of them very easy and short; it will be the first selected and completed. In completing that one first, however, the student has established momentum. A third of the entire assignment has been completed in short order, encouraging the youngster to move to the next worksheet.
Of course, not everything is subject to choice, but wherever we can increase choices, we can reduce hassles. It won't work in every case, of course, but it will work often enough to provide relief all the way around. And who can argue with that?
3. Empower through self-evaluation. If I were to offer an award for the most creative, simple, and effective way to ensure compliance, this one would win first prize.
I picked it up from a teacher in Missouri (unfortunately, I did not get her name). She used it very successfully with older elementary students, but it could easily be modified for application with any grade or age group.
She would give her students a worksheet. Stapled to the worksheet was a small slip of paper containing three small boxes to be checked by the student. These boxes were labeled: "I remained at my desk," "I finished this worksheet," and "I allowed my classmates to do their work" (a more positive way of saying "I didn't bother anyone.")
Paper-clipped to the worksheet and piece of paper was a small reward, usually a sticker. Students were told that, if they could check off all 3 boxes when they turned in the worksheet, they could keep the sticker.
These youngsters were given complete freedom regarding their decisions to check or not check the boxes. The teacher shared that the privilege was rarely ever abused. She has used this system for a number of years, and has been pleased not only with the reduction of student-teacher or student-student conflict, but she noticed solid carryover of self-evaluation skills in other areas as well.
(sidebar to article)
They feel that control is slipping away from them. They don't like it, thus the behaviors of "I ain't gonna, and you can't make me."
Too often their perception is realistic and correct. High pressure lifestyles and two career families are often on the fast track to trouble, with the stress usually showing up in the kids. Outside of causes related to crisis events and outright trauma, most of these youngsters are silently (and sometimes not-so-silently) rebelling against the expressed and unexpressed expectations of their "Boomer" parents, plus the emerging ranks of Boomer grandparents.
By and large the Boomers have moved well past the lifestyle and socioeconomic standing of their parents (in fact, many are first generation college graduates), aided by situations, circumstances, and the support that made it possible. Their desire is that their children do the same.
But there's a problem: it is now more difficult for opportunity to line up with desire. Psychologists and economists pretty much agree that it will be tough for today's youngsters to achieve a status and lifestyle equivalent to those of their parents, let along surpass them. Results: frustration and resistance. It's primary manifestation in our children: noncompliance.
Why do the three strategies shared in this article work with the noncompliant child? They reduce conflict with authority by eliminating (or at least minimizing) any payoff for noncompliance, by providing the element of choice, and by letting the youngster evaluate his or her own performance. In short, it gives a measure of control back to the child, thus reducing the need for conflict, and, of course, conflict itself.
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