An Elementary Teacher's Best Friend (One of Many)

In college I was discouraged from using extrensic rewards (such as candy) to motivate my students. And it is true that intrinsic motivation, or that which comes from within, is often a more powerful and long-lasting force. However, I was made to believe that (in a nutshell) verbal praise = good, candy = evil.

Back in August, I longed to stick to my ideal pedagogy of helping students to develop and harness their inner desire to learn and do what's right without "bribery" (as it was often deemed in my university studies). I struggled with the contrast of inward vs. outward sources of motivation. But it didn't take me long to learn. Intrinsic motivation is idealistic. Extrensic is realistic. And while verbal praise is a highly effective student motivator, it does not need to be made an enemy of extrensic inspiration.

As it turns out the "dark side" of motivation isn't as shadowy as I'd thought. There is a difference between using a prize/candy as a bargaining tool and using it as a reward for a job well done. If you think about it, most everyone in our society is given a return for effort and hard work. We adults have paid jobs. And how many of us would really work for free?
(Is pure intrinsic motivation truly possible in practice?)

I've come to realize that as long as students maintain an understanding of the fact that candy (or whatever it may be) is not the reason for doing what is right - it is one of the perks for choosing to do what is right regardless, then all is well. The expectations are already in place, but those who choose to challenge themselves are rewarded. Both incentives and verbal praise can help students' inward motivation to stay alive and thriving.

So, to my fellow first year teachers: Candy in the classroom is not so bad. And it doesn't take much. You'll be amazed how much motivation a third grader can muster up for a M&M or two ;)