There are many times in the day that you can nudge your students in a particular direction as a group rather than calling out individual students.  Some examples: waiting for the class to line up, transitions from one activity to another or anytime your class is moving as a group.

Choose a system
How creative are you? I’m not so much, so my system was points on the chalkboard. Each point represented a minute for game time on Friday afternoon. By the way, this was not “free time”.  I had a list of activities to choose from (math games, computer games, etc.).   That is pretty basic, but it worked.  Anything that rewards the group toward some goal (weekly is good).

When  to Reward
Use this system to emphasize what is really important to you.  Of course you’ll give them points if they are all working quietly and you’ll take points away when they are slow lining up. But also think about rewarding them for being a good classroom community. Avoid using the incentive as bait i.e., “If you quiet down, I’ll give you a point”. Instead,  reward behavior when you see it happening.  If the class is doing exceptionally well during independent reading, quietly say, “Nice job” and put a point on the board.  If you see one of your students pick up some trash in the hallway to throw away, say, “Thanks for doing that, Nikki” and put a point on the board. You’re reinforcing a positive community while you modify the group’s behavior.

Here are some examples of instances when you can use your group incentives:
- lining up
- walking in the hall
- independent work (everyone is on task)
- homework (everyone turns it in)
- one student helping another
- group work (productive, respectful discussions)
- positive report from substitute or specials teacher

Some other Resources:
Education World
Dave Wiggins