Education Edge » Soares, Payne Pen New Textbook on Token Economy Classrooms

 

Soares, Payne Pen New Textbook on Token Economy Classrooms

by UM School of Education on February 29, 2016

toekn cover edge University of Mississippi special education professors Denise A. Soares and James S. Payne are co-authors of Inspiring Kids to Learn: The Token Economy Playbook.

Produced by Cognella Academic Publishing, the textbook was also co-authored with Walter J. Cegelka of St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, Florida, and is a complete toolkit to implement and maintain token economy systems in a classroom setting.

In a nutshell, token economy systems are used as a form of reinforcement to assist in classroom management. Teachers award tokens to students in a strategic, reward-based way. Students can then trade in a set number of tokens for secondary reinforcers/rewards. The process creates a new economy of behavior that promotes academic achievement, communication, and a structured environment for learning.

“Token economies are reinforcement systems,” explained Soares, who completed a doctoral dissertation on the subject at Texas A&M University. “The primary reinforcement is the token, which immediately rewards good behavior. Meanwhile, the opportunity to trade in the tokens for something tangible is a secondary reinforcement. I’ve used token systems for the more than 20 years in special and general education classrooms and in schoolwide positive behavior support programs.”

As the title suggests, The Playbook offers a variety of strategies and tactics designed for working teachers that address the hands-on realities of the classroom (i.e. how to set up a classroom bank and store and even how to create your own currency). This book is the first of its kind offering practitioners a complete guide for a token economy intervention.

Case studies presented within the book scale from one-on-one implementation, small group learning, or potential use across an entire school. Meanwhile, the research behind the primary narrative is exhaustive in nature and thoroughly peer-reviewed.

“If an individual is interested in token economies, they don’t have to look anywhere other than this book,” explained Payne, who has written two previous books on the subject. “Dr. Soares has performed the most extensive literature review of the subject ever created. It also offers a day-by-day, play-by-play plan for how to implement a token system with a person, a class or a school.”

The Playbook is intended for pre-K, elementary, and secondary teachers, as well as school administrators or parents. The content of the book is rooted in more than 100 peer-reviewed publications from the past 50 years—creating the latest comprehensive view of the subject to date. The text is currently being used in graduate and undergraduates courses at the UM School of Education.

“Dr. Payne and I both have prior experiences that led us to this project,” said Soares. “We are excited to see this book come to life and for the impact it can have in classrooms for successful outcomes.”