Consider playing a card game, a tennis match, the lottery, pickleball, or baseball. What do they all have in common? The players are trying to win! The competitors use their best card and they swing level in order to beat their opponents. You can encourage excellence in your classroom with friendly competition!
How can you encourage excellence?
Consider the following tips:
1. Make it a Competition to Encourage Excellence in Your Classroom
And tell them it's a competition. Watch your students as they try to complete the assignment "better" than the others...all while learning at the same time.
2. Add Choice to the Assignment
Let them choose. Maybe they prefer drawing over writing or creating. Let them choose what they prefer to ensure each student or group puts in their best effort, showing what they do best by competing against the "best" of other students.
3. Have Someone Judge to Encourage Excellence in Your Classroom
We like to get someone extra special to judge the assignments. How about your principal, assistant principal, fellow teacher, or counselor? You will see that your students will love showing off their hard work.
4. Award Prizes
The best part of the friendly competition is the prize. Award the winners with something that will make them want to "win" again. We've awarded treats, grades, gift cards like Amazon, school supplies, and so much more. If you really like the competition, you can even award points and keep up with the points throughout the year. At the end of the year, the person(s) with the most points wins an extra special prize. What do you do to encourage excellence in your students' work?
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