Choice as Reward: Choice in and of itself appears to be highly reinforcing.
Provide choices of activities between assignments or embed choices within
assignments (e.g., choice of materials, readings, response modes, peer partners).
Choices also provide students practice in decision making.
Checking With Chimes: In order to teach students to monitor their attention to
task, set reminders at random intervals on an electronic device, such as a
smartphone or kitchen timer. Time intervals should be set based on the student’s
attention span and the pace of the lesson (typically 3 to 5 minutes). When the
tone sounds, the student charts or marks whether she is engaged in learning. A
simple yes or no checklist works well. Students can monitor their own behaviors
by giving themselves points or checkmarks for appropriate behavior. Extra points
may be awarded when student and teacher ratings match. The student could then
chart her score using a computer program, tablet, smartphone, graph paper, or
poster board.