Deputy Principals Message

Why Token Rewards?

A common question that arises in education, and particularly around wellbeing and behaviour support is, ‘why do we reward students for exhibiting good behaviour, why don’t they just do what is right without the need for rewards?’ Just like Reading or Maths, positive behaviour needs to be taught and reinforced, especially for children of Primary School age who are still developing social and emotional skills. Rewards help teach and strengthen those behaviours until they become habits. Over time, the need for external rewards fades as students internalise what is right.

All learning is nuanced, for instance some students naturally understand numbers and place value, while others require more practise and teacher support to build the same understanding. Behaviour is the same, some students naturally behave well or have strong self-regulation, while others are still learning how to make good choices, manage emotions, or show respect consistently. Acknowledging a child’s effort encourages progress and helps them see the value of positive behaviour.

Our Positive Behaviour for Learning tokens reinforce the positive behaviours from our Positive Behaviour Matrix. This is an evidence-based approach that teaches children how to be respectful, safe and resilient. Studies find that when students are given tangible rewards (ie. tokens) for displaying expected behaviours, those behaviours increase (Williams, 2018).

In the first weeks of our students receiving token rewards, we have already noticed a strong desire for students to do their best in how they choose to behave in learning and play contexts. We wish to congratulate students on their wonderful efforts and encourage them to continue to exhibit positive behaviours as outlined in our Behaviour Matrix.

I encourage you to engage with your child in conversation about their day in relation to positive behaviour. By asking simple questions you can promote thinking and reflection on making good choices and developing healthy behaviour habits. To support you, here are some simple questions you can ask you child about their day at school:

-          What went well for you at school today?

-          What choices did you make that helped your learning?

-          When did you show respect or kindness today?

-          Was there a time you had to be resilient or keep trying?

-          How did you make sure you were safe today?

-          What are you proud of about the way you behaved today?

If you have any questions or would like to discuss Positive Behaviour for Learning at Mother Teresa, please do not hesitate to contact me at school.