Korean Job Discussion Forums

[chilgok007]

So, my most tried and true disciplinary method is as follows: When I want the students to do something (be quiet, sing a song, write in their notebooks, etc), and the other students seem not to be paying attention, I reward the one or two "good" students who are preforming the action with a sticker and it's like flicking a light switch. Suddenly all the other students are perfectly attentive. It seems to work really well with kids aged 3 to 8, but seems less effective with the older students. I'm sure almost all of you know this technique, but I was wondering why this works. Is it because the kids become jeolous and are hoping to get their own reward, (even though I've never actually given all the students rewards when they all participate or join in)? Or is it because they want to prevent the "good" students from recieving another sticker? Or some completly other reason? Is it a cultural thing in that it only works with Korean students? Does it work just as well with Western students?


Any child psych experts out there?

[gang ah jee]

[ben_and_bree]

Howdy,

It comes down to extrinsic, or intrinsic motivation. For younger kids, the reward is all the motivation they need. Hence extrinsic (external). It is the notion of a 'prize' and having something that the other students don't have.

Unfortunately, with older students, it is harder. By the time they are teenagers, they have cottoned on to our tricks, and the external motivation no longer cuts it. You need to find out why they are there, and what they want out of being there. If they are only there because mummy and daddy say so, then you are going to have a hard time convincing them that learning English is a good thing.

Think back to when you were a teenager. What did you want from adults? Recognition? Respect? Being treated like an adult? Without knowing the individual students in question, I can't be much more help than that. But I am sure that when you think about each student, you will know what they need.

Please let me know if this has helped, or if I need to reconsider my advice.

Thanks,

Ben

[ben_and_bree]

Sorry, I forgot to turn the italics off...

[chilgok007]

[Thiuda]

I imagine that one mitigating factor is culture, as you indicated might be the case. A short while ago I read a book called "Korea Unmasked" by Rhie Won-bok. He's a well known designer, who used comics to illustrate the cultural mores of Korean, Japanese and Chinese people.

One of the idiosyncrasies Rhie dealt with was the fact that Koreans dread falling behind their peers. He explained that it wasn't so much competing to be the best, as the fear of being behind that motivates, for example, parents to invest as much money as they do in their children�s education. Rhie argued, that given Koreas hierarchical society, falling behind means, in effect, losing social status and, therefore, friends and associates. This works inversely as well, someone who is considered to be more successful than their peers is also removed from them, by moving up the social ladder. The later situation is avoided as well, according to Rhie, because social ties are considered to be of paramount importance.

Given that the above might be accurate, it may be that your students are reacting to a culturally conditioned pattern of behaviour in addition to other sociologically significant factors.

[kermo]

So much has been written on achievement motivation , and I think it's certainly true that the means for motivation shifts from external to internal throughout development, which might explain why the older students aren't as keen. I think it's also useful to have a look at the "utility" theory put forward by another poster. Maybe they're just not that turned on by what you're offering.

However, age isn't always a factor. I teach university students these days, and the best way to turn a silent class into an eager, noisy one is to use stamps to reward participation. I use silly little kid stamps, and everyone seems to think they're great. The stamp is proof of participation, which figures into their mark at the end of term. In this case, most students who contribute are given a reward.

I agree with the poster who suggested that students don't want to be left behind, but they don't necessarily want to be singled out as high achievers in front of their peers. Sometimes I reward quietly, depending on the student and the context.

Anyway, the question in the OP seems to be -- why does everyone suddenly fall into line when someone is rewarded? Well, psychology tells us that intermittent reinforcement (i.e., unpredictable, semi-regular rewards) is more effective than regular reinforcement. It seems to be in our nature to try harder for something that may or may not come.

Truly, I think it's as simple as the childish logic: Hyun Mi is getting something for writing in her notebook! Maybe if I write in my notebook, I'll get something too!

[Cheonmunka]

[mindmetoo]

I've found that reward systems, like stickers, have a short term effect (like dopamine). The kids decide that it's easier to try and game the system to acquire stickers than actually behave. So 1) they'll try to steal stickers from other kids 2) they'll just harass you in the halls, in class, at your desk for stickers.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

I don't think that western child pyschology really applies over here. I treat my adolescent students like children, occaisionally attempting to inspire some original thinking, and it seems to work. I've long since stopped trying to figure out what's going on inside their little heads.

[Boodleheimer]

in china, giving grades worked. even if they didn't count for anything. all of a sudden, it was "how can she get a 9.5 while i got a 9?" "you have to work harder." "okay, teacher!!"

[Thiuda]

You_Bum_suk wrote:

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[ilovebdt]

[kermo]