A Rewarding Experience?

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Most people would be fairly happy if you gave them a free doughnut – I certainly would. Even those Senior School students who aren’t too partial to that particular pastry would be pretty pleased at the thought of being given enough doughnuts to share with all of their friends as well. Actually, ‘pretty pleased’ doesn’t quite do it justice. ‘Feverishly excited’ comes a little bit closer to describing what we witnessed this morning!

Indeed, we have just today held our termly Senior School ROSA prize draw. A lucky winner from each year group earned themselves, and their entire tutor group, a doughnut breakfast in coming weeks, and the volume in The Richards Hall went off-the-scale, likely only to be matched by next week’s near-frenzied support during our House Music and Drama performances. In truth, this wasn’t our termly prize draw – we held an extra one, with some silly-billy having carelessly promised it to the students if they were able to hit 3000 ROSAs by half term. By Wednesday, the students had already accrued over 5500. Each one of those hard-earned ROSAs earned a ticket in their year group raffle, with glazed batter rings the coveted prizes at stake.

Prize draws aside, the ROSAs (Record of Special Achievement) play quite a role in the life of the Senior School. Each ROSA earns house points, sometimes elicits a sticker, and as students increase their tally they can earn Bronze, Silver, Gold and Diamond certificates, for hitting multiples of 25. They not only reward but hopefully help drive students towards achieving their best. But they aren’t the only rewards available. The subject specific postcards (created by our Photography club) and the highly coveted ‘Head’s Award’ join the ROSAs at the Senior School in extending the lovely rewards systems up the road that our Junior School children so enjoy. The promise of student merits, certificates, House Points, Head’s Awards and a whole host of trophies help keep even our youngest students motivated, and provide the staff with a valued way of saying thank you and well done for all of the wonderful work and kind actions that they see every day. Being part of a school with such rich and heartening rewards systems is…well…very rewarding!

All of these reflections on rewards really piqued my interest, and just like we encourage our students to be curious I got the bit between my teeth and decided to find out some more. I started speaking to my colleagues to find out who invented reward systems, where the word ‘reward’ comes from, and why we actually like being rewarded so much. The Classics, English and Psychology Departments didn’t let me down!

Apparently, it’s been 2600 years since the first recorded workplace rewards system.

Cyrus the Great, founder of the Achaemenid Empire (modern-day Iran) used rewards to incentivise construction workers to rebuild the Jerusalem Temple in 538 B.C. His reward ceremonies involved a grateful shoulder pat, a drink, and the giving of a coin featuring his own head. I am not sure how motivated our students would be by receiving a sticker with Mr le Fleming’s or Miss Kaura’s head on, but Cyrus clearly hit on something with his reward system! 

As for the name: the word ‘rewards’, was first recorded in 1150, and is therefore perhaps unsurprisingly of Norman French origin. Rewarder, from ‘reguarder’ – to care for – speaks of the care that those who give rewards have for the recipients, and I know that chimes true at The Abbey. Our staff are so proud of and care for all of our students, with rewards systems that give them a small way of expressing that affection and showing that we value every individual and their successes.

Finally, the Psychology Department blew my mind, pun intended. Apparently, it’s all about the dopamine – the pleasure neurotransmitter in our brains. When we receive a reward the dopamine kicks in, allowing us to feel good, and making it more likely that we learn from the experience, and become motivated to repeat it. I’m told that dopamine is linked to our frontal cortex, the decision making part of our brains, so we make choices (good and bad!) that try to recreate the actions that led to a previous ‘dopamine rush’. In our case, our students are more likely to put good effort into something that is going to be rewarded as their brain knows it is going to get its next dose of dopamine!    

Research completed, I think I understand rewards a little better now, and why our students get so animated when competing for doughnuts. After such a busy and joyful first half term, I’m just hopeful that they all have enough energy left for one final push for rewards next week. We certainly never get tired of giving them out. 

George Morton, Deputy Head 

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