Token economies can be set up in whatever way best suits the teacher and the students using it. Setting up most classroom token economies will include some combination of the following steps.
The first step in setting up the classroom token economy is to determine the tokens you will use. You might use classroom cash as a token. Or you might use stickers, checkmarks, cards, smiley faces, erasers or marbles. Your token should be interesting and motivating to students.
Tokens will have to be tracked somehow to determine when a student meets a goal. You can use a designated tracking board or use a white board to track points or checkmarks. When using classroom cash, students will collect their dollars and save them depending on what they plan to purchase. When using a marble jar, decide if you will tier the rewards.
Tokens will be given out to reward target behaviors. With a token board, this might mean that every time that behavior is demonstrated, one card or token is given. In a classroom cash token economy, certain behaviors may equal certain dollar amounts. Completing homework might be worth $5 while standing in line quietly might be worth $2. The number of marbles dropped into a jar might also correspond with certain expected behaviors.
Token economies allow students to exchange a certain number of tokens for a reward or experience. Token boards might lead to smaller, more frequent rewards, while a marble jar might be a larger goal that takes longer to achieve. Classroom cash economies might have many tiers of rewards so that students can get smaller items more frequently or save their cash to exchange for something of more value. Teachers should understand what is motivating to their students and use those experiences as high-value rewards.
Once you have the token economy planned, you need to teach students how it works. Students should understand the behavior they must demonstrate to earn a token. They must also understand that the tokens add up to a reward, but that the behavior must be displayed over time to reach that goal. Classroom cash economies might need more direction, such as when students can earn money and when they can spend it.
Begin the token economy classroom experience by rewarding with tokens frequently and reexplain the tokens as you hand them out. You can relax the frequency of token distribution once the desired behaviors are well-established.
Once the classroom token economy is set up, be sure to stay consistent. Reevaluate the program frequently. Are students still focused on demonstrating desired behaviors? If so, keep going. If their motivation is waning, work together to determine new tokens or rewards that will engage them again. The hard work of setting up and running a classroom token economy can pay off with improved classroom behaviors.
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1Retrieved from National Association of Special Education Teachers, Token Economy Systems to Increase Appropriate Behaviors in March 2022