To Reward or not to Reward...

To Reward or not to Reward…

How can you, as a teacher leader, remodel the actual educational system based on rewards, to promote creative abilities of your 21st Century students? 

I am not sure if I agree whether the actual educational system is based on rewards, I have been teaching for ten years and I am convinced that it is a teacher’s personal style what determines whether to reward. I also feel that the students’ age is an important factor. What I think that we as educators want to see in our students as we evolve is a change in the concept of reward. Being challenged should become a reward in itself, and the prospect of acquiring knowledge, a motivator.

Still, there is a lot that we can do as teacher leaders to promote the transition into what should be the 21^st century educational system. We can start by setting goals for our class and make sure we have a system to monitor results, some kind of feedback. Whenever we try different strategies it is important that we first believe in them ourselves, enthusiasm is contagious. There is no one who can be enthusiastic about routine, so it is important to take risks and try new Things. Rewards can come in many different forms, offering creative spaces in class is rewarding for everyone, we should all try the 20% time in ourclassrooms, like AJ Juliani mentions in Edudemic. I think that caring for each student personally, and using differentiation in our planning is rewarding. Students want to feel that what they are learning has a purpose, which is where PBL comes in; being able to solve a problem is also a great reward. Showing our interest in learning makes students feel like they can also teach us something, and that is priceless Everything we do in class has to be reflected upon and discussed by teachers and students. And let’s change what’s important to students!
 #PA3a