REINFORCEMENT STRATEGIES
Reinforcements
If you punish a child for being naughty, and reward him for being good, he will do right merely for the sake of the reward; and when he goes into the world and finds that goodness is not always rewarded, nor wickedness always punished, he will grow into a man who thinks about how he may get on in the world, and does right or wrong according as he finds of advantage to himself.
Immanuel Kant
Education
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Reinforcement Strategies For Behavior Management
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Reinforcement can be used to increase a student’s positive behavior.
For success in selecting appropriate reinforcements, consider:
Asking the child.
Observing the child.
(A free choice activity makes a good reinforcements).
Using what has worked in other situations with that student or others.
Giving the student choices.
Make sure your student understands why the behavior is inappropriate by giving clear feedback as soon as possible following the misbehavior. Do it:
• quietly
• calmly
• privately
There are three goals for interventions when dealing with difficult behavior:
• To eliminate or, at least, minimize the unacceptable behavior.
• To maintain the self esteem of the student.
• To maintain the momentum of the lesson.
Use reinforcements to assist the student to move toward acceptable behavior. Look for student successes as opportunities to acknowledge the student with praise.
When possible, ignore rather than punish misbehavior.
Ignoring often results in extinguishing inappropriate behavior by removing the reinforcing aspects of attention that are provided through punishment.
When a student with a behavior disorder has difficulty replacing negative behavior with positive behavior try shaping Shaping is rewarding successful successive small steps toward a goal.
Involve the parent and the student’s other teachers to develop a reinforcement strategy.
Consistent and comprehensive implementation of the behavior management plan will enhance the chances of success.
Because a student with behavior problems often has less tolerance for frustration, it is important that the teacher anticipate potential problem areas and carefully plan experiences to maximize success and minimize failure and frustration.
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Here are some reinforcements that you might consider using. They will not work with all students so choose carefully.
Verbal Praise works best when it is attached to a specific behavior
“Great Job!” “Terrific!” “Outstanding!”
“Great!” “I’m pleased with that!” “Interesting!”
“Good!” “You really pay attention!” “Clever!”
“That’s right!” “I like that!” “Thank You!”
“Excellent!” “Wow!” “That was nice of you!”
“Good thinking!” “Show this to the class!” “That was kind of you!”
“Exactly!” “See how well John is doing!” “Right On!”
“You should show this “You really know how to work!” “Fine!” to your parents!”
Physical Contact
Shaking hands Patting head, shoulder
Tokens
Marks on blackboard
Marbles in a jar
Marks on a card
Gold stars
Colored chips
Stickers
A counter
Punches on a card
Numbers on paper
Tickets
Individual Activities
Spending special time with the teacher
Working puzzles
Distributing and collecting materials
Taking the class roll
Taking care of class pets Sharpening the teacher’s
Reading to the principal pencils
Using a typewriter or computer
Free Reading
Running errands
Being group leader
Collecting materials
Listening to records and tapes Going First
Erasing chalkboards Leading the flag salute
Watering the plants Playing teacher
Helping clean up Leading songs
Getting to sit where Taking a class pet home you want for the weekend
Stapling papers together Correcting papers
Being team captain
Carrying messages to other teachers
Using an overhead projector
Working with clay
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Instructions for Give-One-Get-One
Write down three (3) of your own ideas.
Get up and find someone from another table. Share your lists.
Give one new idea from your list to your partner.
one new idea from your partner’s list.
Move on to a new partner and repeat Steps 2 and 3.
If your list and your partner’s list are identical and you have no new ideas to exchange, you must remain together and brainstorm something that can be added to each of your lists.
**Note: Exchange no more than one idea with any given partner.
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Compliment Meters
Jackson (1974) describes the use of a Compliment Meter to increase the frequency of positive comments by children toward their peers. A thermometer is dmwn and the ‘mercury rises as compliments or ‘wairn fuzzies” are delivered. When the mercury reaches the top, the class enjoys an activity. Jackson collected the notes throughout the day and distributed them at a given time.
It is suggested that the teacher model writing the “ftjy-g” and pin the model next to the Compliment Meter. She may also wish to write each student a note in the beginning, so that rio student is without a note.
One teacher pinned each child’s picture with their name next to the meter to allow his young children to spell the names accurately. Colorful “fuzzy-gram” forms should also be available.
Jackson reports that the activity fostered a pleasant, cooperative, caring, and cohesive group atmosphere. This technique can be varied. A Work-Meter was used with one child where his meter gradually filled as he completed his tasks.
When filled, the entire group received the reward. The class now had a stake in the success of an otherwise unpopular child.
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Withitness
Withitness is a teim coined by Jacob Kounin in the 1970s. It is used to refer to the teacher’s ability to know what is going on in all areas of the dassroom at all times.
Kounin found this ability to be especially powerful in reducing the incidence of student misbehavior.
To understand witbitness, think of “purse-withitness,” the mother/child connection, and the “eyes-in-the-back-of-the-head” examples. For example, most women who carry purses are unconsciously aware of having possession of them at all times. In fact, if a woman inadvertently walks off without her purse, she will often times only get about 10 feet away before she is suddenly aware that she does not have her purse with her. This awareness is with most women all the time.
A similarly omnipresent awareness is the mother/child connection.
This is that feeling developed by mothers with young children that allows them to multi-task and still be aware of where their children are and what they are doing at all times.
It is that feeling of needing to check on something that comes over parents when the house seems too quiet, even though the child or children are playing at home.
It is that feeling the mother or parent gets when a child has left that cirde of safe personal space. Such awareness is vital in successful child rearing.
Such awareness is also vital in teaching, and over the years has become known as the eyes-in-the-back-of-the-head syndrome that successful teachers have.
When teachers have this, they possess special radar for everything that is going on in the dassroom. They are able to engage a small group in instruction and at the same time be aware of that child in the far corner and what is happening near the door to the dassroom. it is a feeling that all is well or that subtle feeling that something is amiss.
It is the talent to notice that someone has stepped into the room, to acknowledge them non-verbally and never miss a beat with the lesson
However, there is a tangential quality critical to the effective application of withitness.
The children in the classroom must be convinced that, in fact, the teacher knows what is going on in all areas of the classroom at all times.
Kounin asserts that this is communicated when the teacher selects the proper student for correction.
For example, suppose the students are working in small groups.
While the teacher is working with one group, one student begins to harass another student. The second student demands that the first one stop the teasing. If the teacher has withitness, the harasser will be corrected and the student who spoke will not be corrected. But the teacher who is not totally aware of what is going on may correct the second student for speaking out inappropriately. This will communicate to
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The second reflection of withitness is the teacher’s ability to first correct the more serious of two disruptive behaviors. For example, across the room, two students are having a serious disagreement with some pushing near an activity or learning center. At the same time, another nearby student is off
If this happens too often, the children are reinforced in their assumption boundaries.
with highly developed withitness do not allow misbehavior to spread from wastebasket.
throwing paper at the wastebasket too. The teacher should have noticed this first behavior and corrected it immediately.
student behavior and selective timely communication with students about their behavior.
Kounin seems to indicate that withitness is usually communicated via the correction of negative behavior, but it can also be
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