constructive-rewards-pdf

Herding CatsNo doubt about it. Managing a classroom can be challenging. Somedays it seems it would be easier to herd cats on skates than keep 24students learning and on task. And though it may be tempting to useunhealthy approaches to get students’ attention, the school rewardparadigm is shifting and teachers are finding better ways to engagestudents than using methods that are detrimental to their health.Rewarding and punishing students with food andexercise is “old school.”Using candy, cookies and pizza to get kids to behave or do schoolwork is definitely “old school.” So is withholding recess from theunruly child who needs it most. Or making kids do laps or push-upsas a punishment. With the 3rd highest rate of childhood obesity(one out of three KY kids is already too heavy) rewarding kids withfood, withholding recess or creating a negative association withphysical activity is highly discouraged. These classroom managementapproaches may bring about short term behavior change butthey can have detrimental long term consequences.Says who?Using food to encourage children to behave in a particular way is socommon and potentially harmful that at least 5 professional organizationshave made strong statements recommending against it. The American Academy of Pediatrics The American Academy of Family Physicians The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry The Mayo Clinic The American Dietetic AssociationDisadvantages of Using Food as Rewards Contributes to health problems in children such as obesity, diabetes,hypertension and dental cavities. Interferes with children learning to eat in response to hungerand fullness cues, teaching them to eat because “it’s there”,rather because they’re truly hungry Increases preferences for sweet foods (Birch and Fisher 1994)--we may be teaching children to prefer unhealthy foods. Can contribute to “disordered eating” by teaching children thatfood is not only a reward, but a comfort—-when I’m “good”, Ieat.” Healthy habits will remain strictly theoretical if adults teachabout health but regularly model unhealthy behaviors