This series of posts looks at five ways to get students learning. Each has pros and cons; each is likely to be part of a teacher’s repertoire. I began by trying to convince students that learning mattered. But then…

When my patience, enthusiasm and imagination ran out, I resorted to punishment and reward.

As an idealistic new teacher, I hoped to avoid them: I believed I could persuade all my students to learn.

Instead, I found myself telling students off, keeping them in, and giving detentions. Meanwhile, I rewarded those who behaved well: praising them, calling their parents or telling their tutors.

This worked – to an extent – but gaining students’ cooperation proved exhausting.

For example, I got all my Year 8 class to do their homework each week, but only by checking it in the lesson (interrupting teaching) and keeping students in if they hadn’t done it: I couldn’t do this with every class.

My approach also proved emotionally exhausting: it created conflict and resentment, and made future lessons harder.

Rewards and punishments can help, but they’re hard to sustain: they’re not enough to get every student learning...

  • When your patience, enthusiasm and imagination run out, how do you respond?
  • When do rewards and sanctions help?
  • What are the negative consequences of rewards and sanctions?
  • If we struggle to convince students learning matters, what else can we do?

This is an expanded excerpt from Habits of success: getting every student learning.

Previously: convincing students learning matters.

Next up, nudging: making learning easy and social.