To Reward or Not to Reward

To Reward or Not to Reward, this is often the question.

This debate has once again surfaced in a recent article in the New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/03/health/03rewa.html

The issues seem to surround not only the use of rewards themselves but the types of rewards or incentives, the rate at which these incentives are applied and of course the systematic exclusion of those who for one reason or another do not meet the thresholds for rewards.

Chance would like to focus our attention to what it is we consider a reward and or rewarding. He would say teachers using praise is a reward. Is feedback a reward? Dweck would caution us that Praise can be Dangerous and Kohn would say that we need to look beyond efficiency to the long term results to learning and motivation for the continuation of learning.

What is it that we are rewarding: participation, completion, performance? And what of the long-term effects on motivation? Is efficient performance in the short-term enough or should we be looking forward to the longer-term possibilities.

And some say, as in the NYT article linked above, that if kids are failing shouldn't we use whatever tools we have ranging from rewards to paying students to learn if it helps the situation.

It is a lot to think about. It is also hard to really understand because in my own life I have always just really liked to think about thinking and learning and school was something I did well. It is hard to know if rewards would have helped or hindered my situation.