Presentation Transcript

1. The Token Economy…REVOLUTIONIZED

   A Classroom Economy
2. The Standard Token Economy A system of operant conditioning used for behavior modification that involves rewarding desirable behaviors with tokens which can be exchanged for items or privileges (as food or free time) and punishing undesirable behaviors (as destruction or violence) by taking away tokens Weaknesses of the Standard Token Economy: Isolated application Inconsistent application Undesirable rewards Little to no educational value
3. Classroom Economy Students complete standard classroom “jobs” in order to earn a weekly or biweekly paycheck. Students “cash in” their paycheck for classroom “money.” “Money” can be used to purchase items in the class store and to pay bills or fines. Students will have an opportunity to earn bonus money through good behavior and exemplary work. Students will be issued “fines” for missing assignments and bad behavior.
4. Advantages of the Classroom Economy Can provide immediate feedback to help students adjust their behavior. Rewards can be changed based upon student interest. Teaches “real world” skills. Acts as a teaching tool as well as a behavior tool. The system can be adjusted to fit the cognitive level of your students.
5. Economics in the Curriculum Broad economic ideas appear in the curriculum as early as kindergarten. Kindergarten: SS.K.E.1.3: Recognize that people work to earn money to buy things they need or want. First: SS.1.E.1.5: Recognize the importance of saving money for future purchases. Second: SS.2.E.1.2: Recognize that people supply goods and services based on consumer demands. Third: SS.3.E.1.3: Recognize that buyers and sellers interact to exchange goods and services through the use of trade or money.
6. Jobs in the Classroom Students earn the bulk of their money by completing jobs within the classroom. These jobs are jobs that most classes have regardless of whether or not they have a classroom economy. The teacher can create the jobs prior to students arriving on the first day of school. There should be one job for every student. However, you might choose to simulate “unemployment” one period by eliminating some of the jobs. Use student rankings to determine the payroll for each job.
7. Assigning Jobs Assigning students to jobs could be done in a number of different ways depending on the level of your students. Teachers could employ a rotation system and students would rotate through the jobs. (It could even be someone’s job to rotate the job assignments) Students can also apply for the job they want to do. After reading through the applications, teachers can conduct interviews with the students. The second option is a better reflection of the “real world.” When choosing an option make sure to consider how long students will stay in a particular job.
8. Classroom Money Before designing classroom money, study the design and production of money in the United States. Depending on the level of students, compare the money of other countries to the United States. Allow students to propose designs for the classroom money and then as a class vote for the favorite design. Designs could be based upon the classroom theme or upon figures, places or events that the students feel are important. Make sure the classroom money exhibits all of the characteristics of money. Classroom money can be a combination of coins and paper money or it can simply be paper money. Paper money should not be laminated. Deterioration over time will mimic that of real money. Coin money should be laminated to mimic coin durability.
9. Incentives and Losing Money Students can earn incentive money in many pre-established ways. Students could also earn money through random teacher “bonuses” ex: standing quietly in line, answering a “super hard” question etc. Students can lose money by breaking classroom rules and procedures. Monetary value for penalties and bonuses should be established to ensure fairness. Repeat violators of classroom rules and procedures within a single day will incur double and triple fines accordingly. Farther violations will be dealt without outside the classroom economy system. Violation of class and school rules that fall under a “no tolerance policy” should result in immediate punishment outside of the classroom economy system
10. Bills Bills can be incorporated into the classroom economy. Paying bills will help students gain monetary responsibility. Bills mimic the “real world.” Bills help reduce the disposable income of your students. Some examples of bills could be: desk rental, recess fee, technology fee etc.
11. Classroom Store The classroom store is where students can spend their money to buy items they need and want. The classroom store could be openly daily, weekly or biweekly. However, when deciding how often the store is open consider the time it takes up. Only two or three shoppers should be shopping at one time to reduce confusion and chaos. Label baskets of items rather than individual items to save time. Shoppers should record purchases on a shopping log as they shop. After a student is finished shopping the cashier collects payment and fills out the cashier log. Depending on grade level, add a sales tax to practice multiplying decimals!
12. Examples of Items Pencils Paper Colorful erasers Candy (with a purchase limit) Stickers Books Small toys Raffle tickets Dollar store toys Key chains Posters Notebooks Art supplies Lunch with the teacher Extra time in the library And many more….
13. Class Store on A Budget PTO donations Parent donations “Happy Meal” toys Shop the garage sales Scholastic book club $1 books and books purchased with scholastic points. Dollar Stores Oriental Trading Company Gently used toys Library sales Local business donations Free give-a-ways from conferences/banks etc. And of course sell vouchers that cost you nothing but paper and ink! Ex. “lunch with the teacher voucher”
14. Banking Students will be issued checks to pay them for completing their jobs. The students will be able to cash these checks at the class bank. Students will also need to learn to write checks to pay for their bills. Students should be required to keep a “check book” ledger. The ledger should reflect all income and spending.
15. Economist While the classroom store is open the class economist should study trends within the class. The economist will fill out a report based upon the days trends and give an oral report to the whole class. The teacher should adjust prices based upon supply and demand and help the students understand the relationships. The teacher can also create economic events such as shortages and inflation.
16. Thank You for Attending!wiki space:http://classroom-economy.wikispaces.com/Email:ashley_martin@knights.ucf.edu