Token Economy & Work/Break Systems
Although a pillow fight is a bit of an extreme "break", it hopefully drew you in!
It feels like it was just yesterday I was sitting in class at UW-Whitewater as one of my professors was talking to our class about using token economy systems with our future students. It came up often in class and I will be the first one to tell you I was NOT sold on the idea. I tucked it in the back of my mind and thought "yeah... maybe one day".
This year was my "one day" moment.
Let me back up. If you are unfamiliar with what a token economy is, the premise is that a student works for something, generally earning tokens (could be stars, coins, etc.) to earn something preferred (generally a break of their choice).
This is where work break comes in, too, which is part of the process. With my students, having sustained attention on a topic or task at hand can be very challenging. Breaking up the work over several shorter work sessions with breaks in between allows their brain to have a little rest before starting again. It also helps increase motivation as students know after they work they get a break; cue first/then language...
Using first/then language
I will admit, again, I was not always sold on the power of using those words with my students, but IT WORKS (parents out there you might find this helpful too!). Simply say to them "first (task), then (break or preferred task)". It is a simple way to let your students know what the expectations are and what they have to do to obtain what they want.
Stick to it and follow though.
It is SO important they not only do the task (no caving in on your expectations of them), but you reward them with whatever the "then" part of your statement was. This builds trust and hopefully after time it will all come easier as they know what they have to do before they can have that break.
Stay strong. I know it is not always easy. Deep breaths.
Okay, back to token economy systems!
I like to use a simple chart that has a spot for 5 tokens and a spot for what they are working for. Simply put, the student completes a task, they earn a token, and after 5 they get a break for 5 minutes. Then, we start it all over again.
This changed my life when I started using it with some of my students who struggled with completing work. They knew the expectations, it was consistent, and I finally was able to get them to do a work session with me that was longer than 1 minute long.
Now don't get me wrong, there is still some yelling/being upset when coming back from a break or when we first start. I am not sure that will ever go away completely, but a majority of the time it makes work sessions more enjoyable and productive for everyone.
After time, you can increase the number of tokens (for one of my students we went from 5 to 10 recently!!) which increases the length of the work session, which is overall a good thing for everyone!
How can you get started with this you ask?
You can find a copy of the token economy template I use, below. You will notice that you can customize the tokens to be something that is of high interest for your student. This will help increase engagement and interest in the system!
I also have a generic document I shared with people who were going to be using the system with students so that we were all doing it the same way and had the same expectations. Feel free to use and modify as you need!
Token Economy Directions for Staff
Other general tips I have learned along the way:
- Visibility: Have the visual, visible. I have the one I use with my student on the desk we do work at so she can see exactly how many tokens she has. She can also see me give the tokens as she completes the work.
- The Plan: Make sure everyone that works with the student is on the same page with the plan. Consistency is key. Keeping a routine and expectations the same is so important, especially when you are first starting.
- Tokens: Make the tokens something of high interest for the student– this will increase engagement.
- High Interest Breaks: They should be working for something they actually want (more on this at the end but basically it HAS to be highly motivating to them otherwise why work for it?) Give them a menu of choices or have them pick it if they are able.
- Praise: However your student likes to receive praise is how you need to praise them as you start this. If you are excited about progress so are they. Maybe it's cheering, clapping, or singing. Whatever it is, you better be the biggest cheerleader for your kid as they complete a task (there is always a lot of cheering & singing coming from my room!).
- Follow Though: It might take a long time for them to do the work (like a long time- you will know when to push and when they need to just chill before you try again) but make sure that they do it before they get that highly desired break. If you cave it will only be that much harder the next time as they think you will cave and give them what they want without doing the work. Stay strong. They can do it and so can you!
- Reward: This goes hand it hand with #6, but make sure you give them the break they have earned right away after they have earned it, so they make the connection between doing the work and earning the break.
- Keep Practicing: After a break have them complete another work session. We like to use visual timers to show the kids how much time they have left on their break and help signal when it is time for work again.
Break choices
A quick note about break choices. Like I have mentioned it is important that it is something they REALLY want. This will help motivate them to do the work. Sometimes that is a fidget, video, game, and maybe, just maybe it is an iPad. I am internally cringing as I even type the iPad comment.
I say that because I was strongly opposed to giving my student an iPad for her break to watch videos. I realized this year that I needed to pick my battles and the battle I wanted to win was having her complete work. So, we used the iPad/videos as her break and I wouldn't go back. It is something SHE wanted, SHE enjoys, and SHE is motivated by. I get the work out of her and she earns the break.
I have come to see that it is okay, because at the end of the day she is getting what she needs and if we didn't use it we would not see the progress we do. Just keep that in mind as you have your kids pick their break choices. Sometimes it is a matter of thinking about the battles you want to win.
Hopefully if you have read to this point you are have one student in mind you think could benefit from this. It takes time to work, but trust me, IT WORKS!
-Maria
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Cover Photo by Allen Taylor / Unsplash