The Praise Game

Why should I do it:

Classroom misbehavior can reduce time on task and student learning. This intervention can help reinforce positive behaviors.

This intervention supports the special needs of Tier II and Tier III students in your class by protecting their self-esteem and avoiding singling them out.

When should I do it:

The Praise Game should be played for the whole class period. Ideally, you should play the Praise Game every day to promote consistency with your students.

How do I do it:

Separate your students into “Teams” (i.e. by table groups). Write each table name on the board.

Teach your students no more than 3 key classroom expectations. Good examples are Follow Instructions, Ignore Distractions, and Participation

Set a timer to go off every 3-5 minutes. Whenever the timer goes off, praise and award a point on the board to each team/table that has met all expectations.

Note that it is “all or nothing” for each team/table. If one student was missing an expectation, the team/table does not receive the point. They can try again in just a few minutes!

At the end of the period, each team that receives at least 80% of the possible points receives a prize (ie pull from a treasure box). If applicable, you can award points/tickets in your school-wide token economy as the prize.

Resources & Support for technique:

PraiseTimer is a simple online timer with customization options for the Praise Game