Gencer Demir
I am a supporter of rewarding students. I give them small cards and make them collect these till the end of the season.I think that rewarding works but the teacher should be fair.

Andrea Janiec, Argentina
Is there anybody who doesn't feel happy when given a gift or being rewarded? Rewards can be candies, stickers, gifts or making them happy by showing that we (teachers) see their effort to succeed. It doesn't mean you are making them compete if all of them are given something. I use stickers or seals with nice messages, candies , gifts when we vote for the best manual work project, special written messages for each individual or I take them to the theatre, celebrate a special day, if we make a role-play I take photos which later are given to them or film the situation and we all see the video together or even making an end-year party. There are lots of ideas to reward students and they love them. They feel far more motivated to come to classes as they see that their teacher loves them and values their performance. We must not only teach English, but also values to make a better world. " The happiness of life is made up of minute fractions-the little soon forgotten charities of a kiss or smile, a kind look, a heartfelt compliment, and the countless infinitesimals of pleasurable and genial feeling". Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Aída, Chile
I have never thought of any reward such as candies or any other gift. Students feel rewarded when we say Congratulations! This is excellent work! Or something like that. In my country, we used to write rewards in the classbook so that teachers and parents can take notice of them too.

Juliana Galano, Brazil
I think that using candies as rewards could be really motivating for students, but not always. Students tend to get used to it and then when the teacher does not give them this kind of reward, they'll probably get bored or disappointed.
Second - I think the world is already too competitive, and in my opinion too much of competitiveness could become kind of an addiction, like "Nothing is nice or cool anymore, if I'm not the winner".

Heather, Germany
I think this is totally unnecessary and detracts from the real motivating factors in learning a language - or any other subject. Food to celebrate the end of term or class graduation is another matter, of course.

Heidi, South Korea
I think that both rewards and punishments can be addictive. I have heard teachers complain that they can only motivate their students to participate by giving them candy or they can only prevent their students from misbehaving by giving them harsh punishments. In both situations, I think the students were conditioned over time to respond only to rewards and punishments. Teachers need to work on cultivating intrinsic motivation.

Fatma,Turkey
Always rewarding with candies may affect learners' autonomy and think every reward as 'material'. They must learn to feel self confidence without these rewards.They sholdn't always expect 'thanks' for their positive behaviour or true answers.

Kara, U.K
I believe in giving some rewards (not sweets or candy). It is much more productive to give small rewards such as small pencils or stickers (in workbooks if they are used). This is a more pleasant form of encouragement. However, nothing beats a pleasantly pronounced "well done!" or pat on the back, for both the student and the teacher.

Asad, Bangladesh
I do agree with the idea that a reward in teaching /learning process has some positive effect. In context of LDC like Bangladesh monetary reward can play a significant role, as we have seen the female stipend project in Banladesh has increased enrollment in our schools.

Ursula Huancas, Peru
Well, personally I reward my students giving them extra points or "meritos", but the problem is that they want them for every single activity, so when this happens I only give them a KIND WORD or some applause. Rewarding our students is helpful to make them work enthusiastically but we need to know when to stop.

Tunde Ilegbusi, Nigeria
Reward does not always mean a physical gift. It could also be in form of praise. Positive reinforcement is very necessary in the teaching /learning process.

Runston Perera
It is always good to motivate the children in oder to have a learning environment in the classroom. Everybody, young or old, likes to be praised. It gives an inner urge to learning. It is psychological.

Nicky, UK
The teachers at my daughter's school hand out sweets and candy almost every week and I can't say I approve. Most of the time I throw it away as it isn't very healthy or good for her. My daughter isn't that interested in it anyway and is much happier with gold stars or a good report or even a good mark or nice comment on her homework.

Dilara Abu Dhabi
In my years of experience teaching younger children I felt that rewarding them by praising is far more useful and constructive than giving stickers or candies. Infact I personally do not think teachers should give children candies or chocalate but only on special occasions like christmas or any kind of celebrations.For pre-schoolers and kindergarten children stickers are apprciated.

Aparajita Bhattacharjee
The topic is worthy to be noted. This is because at a time when the world is moving at a faster pace rewarding will not only assure students of their capability but also boost teacher student learning in the class. Small cards, stars are other things that can be given.

Victoria, South Korea
I teach teenagers at a mixed high school near Seoul. In class I give lots of verbal praise and pats on the back. I don't believe in always giving out candy for good work and they are past the sticker chart stage. I always plan one fun English activity for the last week of the semester, it is always something competitive, and candy is the prize. This semester it is difficult to motivate the students, so me and my colleagues are thinking of some kind of incentive scheme to get the students to participate.

Özlem, Turkey
I believe that the success should be rewarded so as to gain more successful students.

Steve Wheeler, Indonesia
I agree with everyone who's said that giving candies and chocolates are not the best idea. There are so many other ways of giving rewards - putting students' work put up on the school notice-board, praising students in front of other teachers, sending a letter home for young learners when they do something (like a piece of writing) especially well. We have a system of rewarding younger students with stickers when they behave or work well, and taking off stickers to discourage bad behaviour, at our school. Students keep their sticker page from level to level, and get merchandise when they've finished a sticker page. However, we've found that the best way of using this is to award stickers to students per team rather than individually, so that there's the extra peer pressure, which is so important for younger students.

Maria Fernandes, Portugal
Praising words can be the best reward for students after a well done work. But I must confess that when my adolescent sudents are having a written test I give them ALL candies to keep their sugar levels high and to improve their concentration.

Martha Mendoza, Peru
I'd like to start by saying that absolutely everyone appreciates some reward from their teachers, some kind of recognition for the job done and that is why praising our students is so important, however rewarding them with sweets or chocolates is not exactly what I have in mind. As a matter of fact, giving sweets as a reward is something that should be carefully considered, because it could cause certain controversy. Especially when it is a means to gain popularity. (Unfortunately there are still places where teachers need to compete to make sure that they get high results in quality surveys and instead of focusing in real class preparation they often turn to these kinds of rewards.) Personally, if you are to promote healthy competition among your students you should encourage them to get higher marks through active participation, as there is no better reward than a sense of achievement.

Tabinda Urooj Samdani , Pakistan
Words of appreciation, a pat on the back, a charming smile, a thumbs up, a star drawn on the note book , a nod with a special eye contact or an expression of awe is my idea of a reward for my students and I've observed it works. Today's generation is not hungry for material stuff their parents see to it that their children don't feel deprived at any cost .I believe it only yearns for recognition, attention, love and appreciation.

Tran Nguyenkyduyen, Vietnam
Even adults will be very happy with rewards when they do something well. Therefore, students should be given rewards for their best study. I sometimes give them at least beautiful encouragements or reference books that I was rewarded from TESOL seminars or workshops annually organised in Vietnam (e.g. The British Council, SEAMEO or TESOL Ho Chi Minh City).
I think: "A reward is worth to encourage students in studying and is also a reward backwards to the teachers".

Albertina, Mexico
I think students should have enough reward in learning, in their progress and the feedback teacher gives them. Candy or extra points just make noise in the learning process and students lose track of why they are there.

Nergis Hazar, Turkey
I am of the opinion that rewards are really good triggers but used instantly, they may make students be unnecessarily dependent on them. So a reward used at the right time at the right place is the best motivator for learners. The other point about rewards is that they should be chosen in accordance with students' needs and interests.

Stanley M.Stephen, India
"Positive reinforcement" always helps in making the teaching-learning process very effective. It need not always be candies or gifts. The magic word like "good" "very good" "great" would suffice. Such verbal rewards will go a long way in strengthening the bond between the teacher and the taught.

Narong Thou, Cambodia
It's great to reward the students when they have done something well. The rewards can be school materials or verbal admirations. Rewards can really be used as a tool to motivate the students to work harder. And don't forget to reward the students when the good performance occurs.

Nayan Solanki, India
I believe words can be the powerful ways of motivation. Teacher should motivivate his students whenever they do well and they deserve for that. I always motivate my learners by words. I never offer neither candy nor chocolates except sweet words. Sometimes I give them good books for reading and they happy with that. This is the healthy stream of relationship of the learners and the teacher(motivator).

Tim Barton, Japan
It's nice to do sometimes, especially for really young students, but it should always be a special reward, and not something the students come to expect. Also, teachers aren't rich, so it really has to be done rarely! Of course, there are ways to avoid it being really expensive, but generally I choose to make it a rare treat.

Nana, Spain
I prefer to think of other kind of rewards, such a toy, some useful and nice material, anything out of everyday stuff can be a reward, but I wouldn't be happy using sweets.

K.Kumarswamy Raja, India
It is the obligation on the part of the teacher to teach so that students learn well. Students are diverted in several ways now-a-days. Hence, occasionally, it is required that we, either as a teacher or a parent, may reward them so as to create interest in the required topic.

Reyes Calzada, Bilbao, Spain
I reward my pupils sometimes when they do really well. We spend a bit longer at the desktop, we watch some of their favourite cartoons, we play in the classroom... Somehow, they feel they have done the right thing.

Abdul Khadar, India
I am of the view that rewards can be useful at times. We have to bear in mind that these items have to be books or the like but never chocolates. One must also make sure that these rewards are quite appropriate.

Guillermo, Mexico
It's important to reward our students, but this reward should not be, at all times a material thing such as candy or the like. The best reward, I think, is the motivation to tell the students that he / she is doing well in the class. A written reward in front of the students motivates much better the student to keep on trying to put his / her best effort to manage the goal of learning.

Naciri, Morocco
I think it's appropriate to reward students when they accomplish a task, but reasonably and according to the difficulty of the task, and I find no harm in giving sweets or short stories from time to time because rewards can be used as strategy to lower the affective filter by encouraging students to take risks.

Mabel, Argentina
I do use rewards and I find them quite useful. I don´t give sweets or candies as I consider this as feeding animals and it´s a way of creating 'an instinct response' in students, just like animal trainers do with animals. I use stickers which I create myself (using sugar paper), always with a message in them praising students for their progress, effort, perseverance, behaviour, etc. I always try to outstand a positive attitude in their everyday performance, even with those students considered 'terrible' and who are always pestering in class. Well, this has given me good results because students realise you value what they do and at the same time we as teachers are helping them to develop a healthy self-steem.

Ola Helal, Qatar
Sometimes when I found my students are not interacting and loosing concentration I reward them to have thier attention again and it is a usful way to encarge the student to have fun in studying. I don't think the sweets is a better reward, sometimes a good word is better than a sweet and candy or someting usful is better.

J N Prasad, India
Obviously,this is one of the way through one can be motivated to better themselves. It's been observed in my long years of teaching experience, rewards play vital role in motivating one to speak better. There are countless ways to motivate the students in course of teaching but everything has got its own values. Rewards are the tools which instill the feelings of competition among the students. No one can do better unless one has got a feeling of competition. This is one of the human psychology that every one wants to beat others in the race, that's where the essence of competition lies.

Idit, Israel
Students need short and long time motivation and I think that the best way to reward them are good and warm words to their work and efforts. I do not agree with the idea of giving sweets. There is one exception that when we play games in class there are sweets for the whole class so that everyone has the opportunity to win and enjoy a sweet reward. I find that sweet rewards can only give a good amount of dentist work. I prefer my good old way encouriging my students to keep working to succeed.

Nina Koptyug, Novosibirsk, Russia
I always say a good word to students when they do well: encouragement and praise are very important. Thanks to an exchange program I take part in, I regularly get books from a US library. I give the books to students as awards. I won't bring in sweets, unless it's primary school.

Joanna, Poland
What they need and crave for most is appreciation. It's really enough to notice them and single them out for them to feel motivated.

Brian O'Flaherty, New Zealand
Candies are for kids. I teach university-age adults and older students. Betty in Peru is right on the button - genuine, CREDIBLE praise is the best reward. Why? Because it tells the student she/he is getting somewhere. Candies don't.

Gloria Candia, México
I always reward my atudents (verbally, and sometimes I give them some candies)In my teaching experience I have found that Students usually work better if they are motivated. One way to motivate them is givig them a prize (a candy).

Geetha Muraldharan
I generally reward my students by applauding them for good work.

Colombia, Ibague
I congratulate my students when they deserve it.I congratulate them clap on their shoulder or shake hands.

Daniela, Argentina
I reward my students with different kinds of stickers. I have stickers for homework, for games, for the best attendance and others. I find it very useful and motivating to reward students. They feel well and encouraged. Even my adults students compete for a sticker!

Juan Noe G. Canton Castillo, Mexico
I agree with give to the students rewards but not only sweets or candies words could be more efective to encorauge them. I work with tenager from 15 to 18 ages.

Christine, Tunisia
I sometimes reward my adult students with smilies or gold stars, which helps lighten the situation of finding themselves back in a classroom as students. (Many of my adult students are highly qualified academics.) I reward children by giving them research (often on a subjet of their choice) as homework instead of exercises or tasks out of the coursebook. I find this a very effective way to motivate them. They then often use the research to make a poster or some other kind of joint project. I do not believe that teachers should be handing out candy or little toys (?)!! I might also use a magic trick which will be mentioned frequently, and then if I think they deserve, I will use the magic trick to demonstrate a language point iinstead of the coursebook. This works wonders.
(See Andrew Wright's excellent book "Games for Language Learning")

Irene Ong, Malaysia
I would usually give out an article that would be of use in the class studies, e.g. some form of stationery that appeal to the age group or handy (inexpensive) reference materials to encourage the students in this direction.

Agnieszka, Poland
Sweets may be a short time motivatation, but students are not horses or rabbits.

Pat, Spain
I only teach adults in-company, but find that a revision game every few classes with a suger free sweet for the winner works very well. In fact, I find students become increasingly motivated and competative, even remembering who had won previous sweets. I do, however, vary the type of games played so even the weaker students have the chance of winning through the roll of a die.

Bahtisen Yavuz, Turkey
Each week, we have got stars of the week who showed the best performance in lesson during the week with contribution of good behaviour. The rest of the class and I decide what to do or where to take the stars.

Smitha, Kerala, India
Rewards are useful in certain cases as they will motivate the kids to perform well.In my teaching experience, this kind of reward motivte students from class 1 to 5 more than in older classes.

Ewan Carmichael, Japan
I am wary of giving kids things to eat incase of allergies. They do, however, seem to love stickers, and are fascinated by British small change - 1p coins etc especially 20p coins because of their shape although giving out too many 20 pences could get expensive!

Cecilia Barros, United States
In my country rewards with candy are rare. However, when I came to the states I was shocked to hear my own children saying "Mr. so and so promised us pizza tomorrow for behaving" I was appalled!! Now I work in a High School and I hear my students' comments on the amount of candy they get in other classes. I'd love to do that but with 38 students in each of my classes it gets to be expensive. I have to say that whenever there is a prize of candy involved I see the kids motivation double. The problem is that it shouldn't be expected, but only a rare reward for absolute special occasions.

Stone Fan, China
Sweets or candy can be attractive to students, but the most important thing is to motivate them from the bottom of their hearts.

Ryoko Kamizato, Japan
I think it depends on students' motivation. Some students are already motivated enough to study English hard, but some aren't. But, ideally, not to give any sweets would be favourable because teachers' job is to let students study voluntarily.

Betty, Peru
To give a reward is important for our students, but more important is to praise them, giving a KIND WORD , it enhances personality, encourages them and is a praiseworthy aid ,also makes them feel happy, secure, and self confident.

Francisca Wiryawan, Indonesia
Giving reward especially in the form of things, moreover candies, is usually done to kids. In my opinion, it does not motivate at all. They will think that they will get candies after doing some jobs. After some time they begin to think that they can get candies despite their bad jobs.

Chris, South Korea
I don't generally reward students with sweets or candy. Incentives that I have used and do use include:A 'star' or 'sticker' in their books when they have completed a 'set' class task. This is more for 'individual' achievement.A 'points' system either based on 'individual' or 'team' achievement, usually used during lessons. This works well when used in conjunction with some games. Things like candy, sweets and snacks have been 'saved' for special days 'class party', say at the end of term; DVD/movie day; or when they are working on projects, etc.

Vancouver, Canada
I see this as the "law of diminishing returns." If you give rewards such as candy etc. the students will expect something bigger and better as time goes on. The only time I would give a reward would be to adult students and would be given to those who qualify by reaching a certain level or earning a certain number of points over a period of the time. The contest must be part of the lesson plan and would tie in with the topic of the lesson. An example of the reward would be for example,(depending on the age of the group)lunch at a local restaurant or a trip to a place of interest. Children respond to immediate gratification and the reward could be the similar but the contest should be on a short term basis. For those who do not qualify I would arrange something interesting for them to do in the classroom, or go on a hike or play an appropriate game either indoors or outdoors.

Karina Cervera, Peru
I sometimes reward my students with stickers or candies, I think that it could motivate them, but I try not to do it so constantly becuase I don't want that they do things in order to get something.

Ketty, Italy
I hardly ever give rewards to my students. Sometimes I give small books or comics at their level of English. But the ticket for a film in English I gave to a student was not considered a reward, but a punishment...

Andrew Zakharevsky, Belarus
I sometimes use stickers as a reward for my group of Juniors - mostly for well-done homework. Not too often, though - in order not to make them get used to it.

Chris Stonehouse, England
I have the privilege of teaching adults and I don't think sweets are necessary! I try to motivate learners with plenty of positive feedback and a clear sense of progress being made. Perhaps surprisingly, exams motivate some students. Humour and a relaxed atmosphere in the classroom also go a long way!

Nora Sapag, Argentina
Giving this sort of rewards to students reminds me of Brown's "M&M theory" of motivation and of how I go about training my dog! In my teaching experience (admittedly, mostly with adults),learners are driven by the very nature of the activity and the teacher's attitude towards their work and potential for learning and progress. In other words, I've found that engaging, challenging work and letting my students know that I do believe they can learn usually works better for both parties.

Rene van Wyngaarden, South Africa
I like to reward my students verbally (our children hardly ever hear that they are cute or good or sweet) or with a nice sticker or a badge or a little toy or anything other than sweets or something to eat. Food should not be a reward! I discourage the eating of sweets because it makes them hyper active. We have a problem with obesity in modern children and it is bad for their teeth. A gold star does wonders! I experienced grade 7 boys (13years) competing for the most stars amongst themselves.

Bijikumar Kerala, India
I think rewards can be a powerful means to motivate the learner to a certain extent. After all we are human beings.

Mariana Mourente, Brazil
I never give candy / chocolate as a reward for my students because I think it is effective only for a short ammount of time. After a few lessons, they start thinking the teacher has to give them candy / chocolate every lesson, no matter what. Besides that, I think that being able to communicate in a foreign language is the biggest reward they can achieve for their efforts.