Teacher Discussion Forums

Some teachers said that if you teach elementary students. you shoud prepare some small gifts for them to encourage them.
Do you agree with this opinion?
Personally I don't agree, because in this way students will focus on the gifts and in order to get the gift they will compete or even fight with their classmates.
What's your opinion?

I don't teach elementary school, but I don't see why this would have to be the case. If you are the one setting up the "gifts" you can do it anyway you like. You can have the whole class work in groups and have an objective that can only be reached when everyone participates. Maybe the "gift" would come at the end of the unit, with a presentation by the various groups. Then they could all share in the prize.

If the tasks are intrinsically motivating, that, and their hopeful (probable!) success, and your praise, should all be motivation enough. I don't see why particular students need to be given awards (this is the natural corollary to (my) objecting to the "All Must Have Prizes" way of thinking - All Should Just Get On With Having Genuine Fun Instead!).

While I don't think they *need* gifts, an incentive programme is always useful for motivating a sluggish student or class. What if the "gifts" were stories or books, or home-made cds with new songs on them? Or, perhaps, the "gift" could be made by each child for another child, as long as the instructions for making said gift are given in English.

I think some simple and significant gifts are meaningful, and i don't think it is necessary to always give them gifts. Maybe after a period of hard work, everyone should be given a small gifts for their hardworking.

'gift' is not the case, while what the thing is, why they can get the gift? and why some others have no gift?? Gifts are only kinda 'symbol', in reflection of their hard work/intelligent ideas...... when only they 'pay out' can they later get the gifts, otherwise, you could impossibly get your share... in this way gift incarnates its real effect.

We give stickers or a 'gotcha' if kids are being really good. Kids can put their name on their gotchas, then put them in a box for a weekly drawing for a little gift- like McDonalds prizes, not a huge gift.

I have a stamp-card program at my elementary school. The students can earn stamps by coming to talk to me during recess time. I also carry the stamp when I'm in public so if the students see me in a store or park they can also earn a stamp. The thought was to get the students thinking that English could be used for communication rather than just another subject like science or math. Anyways if the students get 8 points, I make an origami gift for them that gets decorated with all of their favorite stamps. My older students 5-6th grades get a print out of a paper model to assemble. Just google paper models and you find plenty of things to print to give away as prizes.

I don't think however, that students should get any kind of reward (other than verbal) during English class itself. The other children are too competitive.

Bill Ralens,
webmaster, naruhodo-eigo.com