Rewards and Punishments
3. 🎁 Offer Rewards and Choices
The Reward and Punishment Theory
According to Smith and Warneken (2016), children from a very young age are aware of the distribution of rewards and punishments based on deservedness. Luckily, the budget given by the course is enough to afford snacks for every single mentoring session.
There are some points that you need to take notes when deciding snacks and rewards for mentess. Refer to Offering Snacks Tips for Mentors for some of my notes and experience.
Reward System Design
Positive Rewards
- Immediate Rewards: Verbal praise, small privileges, snacks
- Session Rewards: Choice of next activity, leadership roles
Constructive "Punishments"
These are learning opportunities, not actual punishments
- Extra Practice: Solving additional math problems
- Skill Building: Writing extra essays for language practice
- Reflection Tasks: Journaling about learning experiences
Implementation Tips
- Be Transparent: Clearly explain the reward/punishment system
- Be Consistent: Apply rules fairly to all participants
- Be Flexible: Give mentees rights to choose the rewards and punishments. Negotiation on rewards and punishments can be a part of Negotiation Process and Setting goals for Next week.