Reward, Praise , and Punishment

Many teachers assume that it is natural to reward, praise, and punishment. This is a myth. Sometimes, teachers don’t realize if the reward, praise, and punishment can help children in learning or not. 

Classroom management is a term used by teachers to describe the process of ensuring that classroom lessons run smoothly despite disruptive behavior by students. The goal of classroom management, is
to not only maintain order but to optimize student learning.

In classroom management, we will hear some terms in managing the class, named rewards, praise, and punishment. What are those? What do those function in classroom management? Let we see.

1.    Rewards
Reward is often offered by a group or someone as an incentive for the accomplishment of a task. Rewards in learning process is given when a child has reached a certain stage of development, a great achievement, or target achievement.

2.    Praise
Praise is the act of making positive statements about a person, object or idea, either in public or privately. Praise is typically, but not exclusively, earned relative to achievement and accomplishment. Praise is often contrasted with criticism, where the latter is held to mean exclusively negative statements made about something, although this is not technically correct

3.    Punishment
Punishment is the authoritative imposition of something negative or unpleasant on a person or animal in response to behavior deemed wrong by an individual or group. Punishments may be judged as fair or unfair in terms. Punishment is usually done when a specific target is not reached, or there is a child's behavior that is inconsistent with norms which are believed by the school.

In education, especially in calssroom management, reward and punishment are familiar terms. Reward is given when a child has reached a certain stage of development, a great achievement, or achievement of a target. Instead, punishment is usually done when a specific target is not reached, or there is a child's behavior that is inconsistent with norms which are believed by the school.

Three things those are indeed  very important thing in education. By those, they were expected to be  stimulation for the children to experience the process of learning encourage by their own consciousness. That means children are expected to learn something not because of forces or influences by others, but they themselves being aware of what they can do for their own good and achievement.

Form and manner to punish children who make a mistake of course is different, depends on the intensity errors, and must according to a certain criteria. Children who make a mistake, should not be directly punished but through a process of awareness more than twice that what they've done  is a mistake. After reminded about their mistake,but the children still do that, then the teacher can punish the children, with a note, the punishment is measured, not physical punishment , psychological impact is not excessive (embarrassing) and should be done in time and the right place.

In educating children, many things we as a teacher have to consider and think about  how we give rewards, praise, and punishment. Sometimes, we achieve the opposite of what we want to achieve.
For example, Lisa’s (Mrs.Rini) mother worried about her daughter could not go to a favourite junior high school in her town. When Lisa in the fourth grade, Lisa’s mother promised to give her a computer is she could graduated with very great scores and went to a favourite junior high school in her town. Lisa, from childhood,was used to  study in order to get prize. As a result Lisa is always the best in score. However, when Lisa was studying at Faculty of Economy in  Indonesia University, her mother no longer assumed that Lisa needs a "reward" that make she would study hard. So, in the first year of study, the courses  which followed by Lisa almost did not pass all. Lisa was not at all motivated to learn and understand thesubjects she followed.apparently, when choosing thecollege, Lisa was promised a reward if she could  study at the Indonesia University’s Faculty of Economic.

In this story, Mrs. Rini's goal that Lisa wanted to learn has been reached, but Mrs. Rini's Lisa failed to invest the understanding that learning is essential for Lisa, not for his mother. Misguided between Lisa and Mrs. Rini has been happening for years and Lisa has made a sense that she had study in order to get a gift from his mother. Her motivation to study too because she want to get a gift, not because Lisa understands that learning can make herself to be smart that would be useful in the future.

That’s it about rewards. How about the praise? How does the praise work in learning process? Praise is making children more interest in learning. If you were a child, which one do you choose? A teacher that always give praises to his/her student? Or a teacher that never praise his/her student? Of course whom always praise one, don’t you? Because you feel more comfortable and his/her praise be an encouragement to you.

taken from multiple sources.

compared in my paper in 5th semester of English Department, English for Young Learner lecture.