Reward

People learn for different reasons - whether it is for personal development, to get a qualification or a better job, to meet other people, or simply for the love of learning. Most adult learners are intrinsically motivated by their personal goals and/or needs. However, the importance of extrinsic motivation should not be underestimated, particularly when things become more difficult. By offering simple, tangible rewards, you can often help learners to get through the difficult times and remain focused on their original goals and reasons for wanting to learn.

The type of reward that will work best can vary from person to person. For some, the thrill of learning a new task or acquiring new knowledge is reward enough. For others, it's public praise and recognition. As a trainer you need to be aware of these differences and make sure you use a range of rewards to stimulate and encourage.

How to apply this principle

To cater for all learning styles in your class it is a good idea to provide both extrinsic and intrinsic rewards.

Intrinsic rewards

Ask a learner to demonstrate a mastered skill or concept to other learners in the group. Not only will others see that this learner has a strong understanding of the topic but it will also encourage the learner to have more confidence and pride in his/her abilities.

Praise learners for their achievements and/or efforts. With adult learners who are lacking in confidence it is often better to speak to them personally rather than in front of the whole group. However, more confident learners will benefit from praise given in front of others because of the sense of recognition it will give them. For certain age groups, a gesture such as a wink or thumbs up is enough reward.

Many people find reward in learning new and useful information and skills. For example, people may find it rewarding to learn how to change the oil in their car because it makes them self-sufficient and saves them money.

Use resources and activities that are practical and relevant to learners in order to gain their interests. For example, drawing up a room plan to demonstrate scale.

Extrinsic rewards

Offer incentives, such as afternoon teas, excursions and prizes for successful completion of learning activities, assignments and other tasks. Social events give you and the learners the opportunity to take a break from the classroom learning and get to know one another on a more informal basis. This type of interaction can encourage a more open line of communication between trainer and learners.

Have frequent breaks in the learning activities. A break can be a very simple yet effective reward because it occurs relatively immediately and everyone can benefit from the free time.

Inform learners of any awards and documentation they may receive (certificates, statements of attainment). Knowing that they'll get an award at the end of the course will motivate many learners.

Dos and don'ts

Do ...
	get to know the learners' backgrounds, culture and interests to help you decide on appropriate ways of using rewards in your teaching situation
	ask willing learners to demonstrate skills and knowledge to others
	use practical and meaningful resources and activities.
Don't ...
	publically praise learners who are shy
	use only extrinsic rewards with learners. Encourage intrinsic motivation so that they can see the value in what they are learning
	use rewards constantly in any one learning situation. Learners may see that it's easy to be rewarded and not value the reward.

Reinforcement

Reinforcement is about helping learners to retain and apply the knowledge and skills they are developing. Take the example of learning to drive. You may have passed your driving test and be technically competent to drive. But, you still need to practise your driving to further develop and reinforce your skills and ability to drive under a variety of conditions, such as in heavy traffic or in the rain.

The same applies with any new skills and knowledge. Having learnt a skill and demonstrated it once, possibly for assessment purposes, does not mean that the learner will still have the skill or knowledge a week/month/year down the track. Therefore, it is important to provide suitable contexts for learners to consolidate, build on and apply the knowledge and skills they are developing.

How to apply this principle

Help learners to develop and reinforce their skills and knowledge by using a variety of learning activities and media to accommodate different learning styles. For example, for learners to write recipes they could get ideas from books, a video or a guest speaker.

If you have a choice, teach skills and knowledge that are directly relevant to learners' needs. That way not only can they see the importance of the learning but can also have the opportunity to practise the skill and knowledge in their own time in a context relevant to them. For example, the knowledge and skills learnt in the learning environment for budgeting can then be used to create a personal budget at home.

Give learners opportunities to use the new skills/knowledge often and to apply them in different contexts. In this way, learners are able to clarify their understandings through practise and see how skills/knowledge can be adapted for different situations.

Encourage collaborative and problem-solving activities that require learners to construct knowledge. Allowing learners to create their own understanding of the knowledge or skill will make it easier for them to remember and understand what they have learnt.

Revise information and skills by paraphrasing them. In this way, learners can have skills/knowledge repeated in a similar way which caters for a range of learning styles. Also, by asking the learners to paraphrase skills/knowledge, they can demonstrate their understanding of the concept.

Dos and don'ts

Do ...
	build skills and knowledge from the known to the unknown
	use skills and knowledge that are relevant to learners
	give learners time to practise new skills.
Don't ...
	use activities that are theoretical and often paper-based
	only use similar exercises to reinforce the same skill
	assume that because a learner has successfully demonstrated a skill once that they can repeat it again or apply it in other situations.

Respect

Essentially, respect is about mutual responsibility to make sure that all members of the group are treated in a fair and consistent manner. The way you interact with learners will obviously affect their perceptions and, ultimately, their level of respect towards you.

The aim should be to create a learning environment that promotes tolerance, respect and collaboration. Perhaps the most common way of achieving this is to develop an agreed code of practice or rules. Obviously, in the spirit of collaboration, it's preferable not to impose these rules but to involve learners in the decision making process. Not only is this democratic, it also encourages learners to take responsibility for their learning. Refer to the Adult learning principle 'Open to negotiation'.

How to apply this principle

Establish ground rules. The general rules of the learning environment should be agreed on by the whole group rather than imposed by you.

Items in the ground rules can be divided into rights and responsibilities.

Encourage all learners to express their opinions in the group on the condition that ground rules such as 'the right to respect' are not broken. However, recognise also that some learners may take longer to express themselves than others and respect their right to be silent at first.

Use materials that are relevant to learners' needs. By discovering learners' interests and backgrounds you can contextualise learning experiences, choosing topics and resources that learners use in their everyday lives. For example, using a local map to teach mapping.

Adult learners bring with them a wealth of experience and knowledge that the trainer can draw on. By showing an interest and using their prior knowledge and skills in their learning you are communicating that learners are valued individuals with useful skills and knowledge.

The best way to promote tolerance, sensitivity and cooperation with learners is by example. Avoid the use of inappropriate remarks about backgrounds, cultures and gender and do not accept such inappropriate remarks from learners. Also, avoid and discourage stereotyping because not only is it inappropriate but it often portrays a person in a negative way.

Promote cultural diversity by using cultural comparisons to generate discussion and improve understanding. Find out learners' cultural backgrounds at the beginning of the course and use culturally appropriate learning materials. Also, avoid the use of material that may be offensive or harmful to learners (e.g. media reports of violence or war).

Provide feedback to learners and keep them informed of their progress. Refer to the adult learning principle 'feedback'

Dos and don'ts

Do ...
	prepare ground rules that address safety, tolerance and the rights of all learners
	include everyone in the learning group (including yourself) in setting up the ground rules
	demonstrate tolerance, sensitively and cooperation with regard to learners' previous experience, culture, learning style and interests.
Don't ...
	dismiss learners' suggestions about their rights and responsibilities without discussion
	tolerate attacks on learners' cultural background in your learning situation
	provide constructive feedback to a learner in front of others.