A token board is a behavior management tool that special education teachers know is vital for their students but don’t always follow through with them. In this blog post, we will discuss the five reasons why you should be utilizing token boards consistently.
Reason 1: Students Visually See When They Will Be Finished
It’s so important, especially for our task-avoidant students, that students can see the road map to their reinforcer or motivator. Students are more apt to complete their work or respond to you when they know they have “x” tokens left to earn. Once the teacher is consistent and follows through, the student is even more likely to finish what is needed to do.
Reason 2: It Keeps the Teacher Consistent and Accountable
Students need consistency and praise. When the teacher pauses and waits for the student to add a token to their board, it’s a good reminder to praise the student for their work. Token boards also serve as a road map for you so that the amount of work you require of the student remains consistent.
Reason 3: Token Boards Can Be Fun!
Teachers can get creative with their token boards! The teacher could use student interests to their advantage. Have you ever heard of an Image Reveal Token Board? Click here to learn how to make one! Essentially, the teacher prints a picture of the student’s interest, cuts it into pieces, and the student slowly puts the picture together.
Another option is to use a Game Board Token Chart. The student moves a space on the game board for each earned token. They win their motivator when they get to the end of the game.
Reason 4: Token Boards Are Individualized to Each Student
Token boards come in all shapes and sizes. Some token boards can be embedded in the student’s visual schedule. They can earn varying amounts of tokens. It all depends on the student’s individual needs. For example, I had a student who needed to gain a token after EACH response. With a 5-token board, he earned very quickly. Now, he uses a 10-token board and can work for 2x the duration as before. Another student disliked the sound of Velcro ripping off the page. Therefore, I created a token board slider. We would slide an arrow down a track until he reached the finish line.
Reason 5: They Can Be Faded
As crucial as token boards are, they don’t need to be used forever. At first, students most likely need a thick schedule of reinforcement. This means they need to be reinforced frequently to establish momentum. As the student learns more skills and can sustain attention longer, the schedule of reinforcement can be thinned. I talk about this much more in this blog post.
Need more token board resources? Check out these great finds: