C4T # 4

C4T # 4

FOR THE lOVE OF LEARNING...Daddy I want Book Bucks

Joe Bower wrote a blog where he discussed pros and cons of schools using reading incentive programs. On his blog he posted a comment from a concerned parent discussing her views on why she thought the incentive programs have a negative effect on children and their reading habits. The parent stated her daughter Kayla had a healthy attitude towards reading and loved being read to. She thought reading was fun. The parent is not okay with the fact that a program called Book Bucks is competing for her daughter's motivation with incentives such as toys.She talked about the two kinds of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic and how they are inversely related. She feels is you grow someones intrinsic motivation their extrinsic motivation withers away and vice versa. Her daughter Kayla is already interested in reading and there is now evidence that Book Bucks is having a negative effect on Kayla's reading interest. One night while reading to Kayla , after the book was over, Kayla stated she wanted a Book Buck for reading because she gets them at school and can buy toys. That did not make her mom a happy camper! Motivation matters to the parent. There is a big difference between wanting to read a book because the characters are cool and you can't wait to turn the page versus wanting to read a book because you can't wait to get your hands on a rewards or get out of punishment. The parent recognizes that the schools have the best intentions for the students but thinks it's clear that they have a problem. If the school's incentive plan undermines a child's intrinsic desire to go on reading for the sake of reading, what should a parent do?

My Response: There are positives to using incentives and there are dangers as well. Bribing our students to read sends a message that reading is not something you do unless you are getting rewarded to do so. Make reading fun by associating it with fun. Continue to model reading to your child. I think we should read for engagement rather than extrinsic reward. It's a concern for me that reading for pleasure and the knowledge we gain is not enough. Our schools have decided that our children won't read unless they are rewarded. Unfortunately there are some homes where reading is not modeled and there is no shared reading time. In this case, Book Bucks might be the only way to encourage a child to read early on. I don't like reading incentive programs personally. Children should know that being a good reader has nothing to do with how many points or levels they reach. Having said this, I will not discount the incentive programs because I know that for some children, reading to earn a toy , ice cream party or pizza might be the motivation needed that will one day make them readers for a lifetime.