We are excited to have been shortlisted as Best use of educational technology for the Education Investor Awards 2010.

You can see more here: http://www.educationinvestor.co.uk/Awards2010/EducationInvestorAwards2010.aspx

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We’ve being doing some research into Sports Day, which we’re excited to say has been picked up by the The Sun and The Daily Mail.

Overall we found Sports Day to be alive and well in UK Schools with 98% of schools having one.

We are, obviously, very interested in rewards. Both the actual rewards and the reward process. 20% of schools only award the winners, 70% award winners and participation, 10% only award participation. The majority of teachers like to reward both winners and participation.

Sports Day policy is a challenge as all Schools have to balance a number of competing goals: They want to help motivate the sports starts of the future (which supports an argument for rewarding winners); they want all pupils to engage in sport and life a healthy lifestyle (which supports participation); and they want to support their school community (which suggests team rewards or competitions). It is a tricky balancing act. The absolute favourite answer was for schools to respond to that challenge with a mixed answer. Rewarding pupils for winning positions, but also rewarding all pupils for participation (with stickers at the event for younger pupils or certificates at the end of the day for older pupils), and ideally run a team event alongside. Those schools with houses passed individual achievement into house points – creating a team motivation.

Every school is unique and the right conclusion differs from community to community but overall the vast majority of teachers consider sports day to be an great part of school life. So the only real losers are the unfortunate 2% (c.500 schools) who don’t have a Sports Day.

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As all our customers know we include a freepost feedback postcard with every order. We do that because we care about making sure our products are the better than expectations every time.

Those customers that return our postcards are entered into a free draw for a complimentary pack of customised postcards or stickers. This month that prize was awarded to Ousedale School in Buckinghamshire.

Congratulations to them !

Henry.

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We’ve now drawn the winner for the April / May prize for all rewards redeemed in mystickers. Remember every sticker, postcard or certificate redeemed in mystickers during that time equals as a ticket entry for an iPad. And the winner is…..

…a student from Bacons College, Timberpond Road, Rotherleighs, London. With sticker code ***XH2K4Q63W.

Congratulations them ! We will be getting in touch with your school over the next few days to arrange for you to get your iPad.

And remember there is a new prize to win. Over June and July we’re giving away a Nintendo DSI with Brain Training ! Just the thing to keep you going over the summer holidays ! So keep collecting !

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As all our customers know we include a freepost feedback postcard with every order. We do that because we care about making sure our products are the better than expectations every time !

Those customers that return our postcards are entered into a free draw for a complimentary pack of customised postcards or stickers. This month that prize was awarded to The Pilgrim School in Kent.

Congratulations to them !

Henry

PS And also thanks Pilgrim School for the positive feedback complimenting us on our great delivery and quality.

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The iPad winner has been drawn….now don’t worry if you weren’t picked. Because the draw has been so popular the next prize will also be an iPad. (Drawn end of May). So keep redeeming your rewards to be in with a chance.

Right, back to this draw….And the winner is [drum roll please]..

Sticker code: Y9Z884
From School: Bentley Wood High School for Girls.

We will shortly be in contact with Bentley Wood to contact the student in question. Congratulations ! And to everyone else there is another iPad to be won so keep redeeming !

Best wishes,

Henry.

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After such a succesfull last draw we’re going to repeat it! So at the end of May we will be celebrating one person’s achievements by giving them an iPad.

All rewards logged on myStickers in April and May are eligible to win – and won lucky reward will be pulled from the hat.

Good luck !

Henry.

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We often come across the debate of Extrinsic versus Intrinsic rewards. An Intrinsic Reward is the feeling inside of pleasure for a job well done. An Extrinsic Reward is external – a pat on the back, being told well done, a grade or a physical prize. As an adult Extrinsic Rewards include a salary, a house, a job title and a career.

The aim of every school is to get pupils to an Intrinsic Reward place – ideally for all subjects and topics but realistically for a limited number of topics and subjects. Did you love every subject at school? No. But it did matter that you fell in love with one or more subjects that then formed the basis of your education? Yes.

To move students from uninterested to interested to intrinsically motivated you need a tool – and there is only one tool available. External Rewards. From a congratulatory word, to a sticker to show off, a praise postcard to show parents, a certificate to frame or even a physical prize. What rewards are best is a matter for much debate – the fact that rewards are important is not.

Without External rewards what are you going to do with those not intrinsically motivated? Just ignore them until they see they light? It it impossible for a school to have an Intrinsic only system without leaving the majority behind.

A well thought through reward system that effectively motivates children and drives them to value education is incredibly important.

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This Times Article reports on a Cornell University study on prize based rewards. To quote the article:

“Jackson found that pupils who benefited from the Texas high school programme not only went to college in greater numbers, but also continued to improve their grades and remained in college longer.

His 46-page report finds “no evidence of worse outcomes” and concludes “that incentive programmes may have lasting positive effects even after rewards are no longer provided. Providing monetary incentives to both students and teachers … can lead to meaningfully improved student outcomes”.”

The article also pulls information about the debate on prizes where some consider if defacto bribery leading to a dependence on rewards and others consider it a stepping stone to an intrinsic and long term love of learning. We all know that every school, every pupil is different. This research, and this article, provide some more colour in the motivation debate.

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