With Celebration / Reward Positive interdependence, the reward that students receive, such as grades, praise, or stickers, depends on the rewards their groupmates receive. Thus, one student receives a reward only if the other members of the group receive the same reward. However, the use of extrinsic rewards is one of the more controversial issues in cooperative learning and in education generally. Opponents of extrinsic rewards argue that while extrinsic rewards may seem useful in a particular context or may even be required, it may be best to look for ways to gradually move away from them.

An alternative to rewards is celebrations. Celebrations can take different forms, such as doing the group’s handshake or cheer, or giving each other a pat on the back. Celebrations reward groups for reaching their goal, but the reward is a less tangible one and is a reward generated by the students’ themselves, rather than by the teacher.