Reward Based Teaching

Reward based teaching is a great way to get your students more involved. An example, the other day I broke my class into groups of 4 for a review day.(I am not the biggest fan of group work unless it is done right)The stipulation being the group that finishes first with all correct answerers got a work pass good for anything but tests. the competition was fierce with students delegating answers and questions to the others. Each group worked diligently for the answers, it really surprised me with the outcomes. Not only did the group that one got a work pass but my test scores for all my classes went up.
You do not have to do the same as I because not all classrooms are the same. I have seen teachers give candy, work passes, extra credit, or other things. Most teachers are creative enough they can figure out what works for them in that particular class.
By using a reward based system the students feel entitled to do well. When we work we expect to get paid and students should not be any different. It is to my belief, if you reward your students they will reward you back with better behavior, and the most important these days test scores.