Principles to Help Apply Behaviorism in the Classroom
The list below includes specific recommendations for employing Behaviorist principles, research, and practice to help manage student behavior.
*Reinforce only behaviors that you want repeated. (Rationale- Any behavior you reinforce is more likely to be repeated. So be careful about what you reinforce.)
*Make a clear connection between the child’s behavior and the reinforcement or punishment. (Rationale- While the relationship between student behavior and the consequence you employ, reinforcement or punishment, may be clear to you, it may not be apparent to the child. It is critical that you explain the relationship is the consequence is to have the desired impact).
*Set standards so that success is a realistic possibility for each student. (Rationale- If you set standards for behavior that are out of the reach of a child, he or she will most certainly fail to meet your expectations because he or she is not able to. If you punish a child for this failure he or she is likely to develop a sense of helplessness and in the end will simply stop trying because he or she knows that he or she can not succeed. Such a way of thinking is very difficult to reverse).
*Use the weakest reinforcer to strengthen behavior. (Rationale- Sometimes a small reinforcer, even something relatively insignificant, can have the desired impact if the child values it. Verbal praise, for example, is one of a teachers best tools. The first reinforcer you use may not produce the desired results if it is not strong enough or desirable enough for that child. How ever, the next reinforce could then be a bit stronger or more desirable. If you start to big, you may not be able to produce another reinforcer that will exceed that 1st one the second time around.)
*Remember that what is an effective reinforcer for one student may not be for another. (Rationale- A reinforcer must be valued by the child or it will not have the desired impact. As teachers we tend to reuse ideas we have had success with. But in the case of reinforcement, just because a specific reinforcer works in one situation, with one individual, does not mean it will in another situation or with a different student. Clearly, if you are to use a reinforcer that works for a particular child, you need to know what that child values.)
*When possible, avoid using rewards as incentives. (Rationale- This idea is tied to work in intrinsic motivation. If a child is intrinsically motivated, that is motivated by internal desires, reinforcement will actually decrease the probability that the behavior will occur again. Ultimately we want children to learn and behave because of internal drives, not external rewards).
*Reinforce at a high rate in the early stages of learning. Then reduce the frequency of reinforcement as learning solidifies. (Rationale- This allows the you to establish the behavior then make the behavior less dependent on receiving reinforcement and more dependent on the expectation of receiving reinforcement at some point. See schedules of reinforcement.)
*Use punishment infrequently. (Rationale- Punishment has significant negative side effects. One of which is that it tends to loose its effectiveness over time. So to receive the same impact you need to escalate the severity of the punishment. If you use it infrequently then kids tend to take it vary seriously “She really means it”).
*Use punishment that is proportionate to misdeeds. (Rationale- If you over-punish then you will develop a deep sense of unfairness and resentment in the child that tends to undermine learning. If you under-punish the child is likely to think, “That was not so bad, maybe it is worth the risk to do it again”).
*Use punishment that is as severe as reasonable. (Rationale- While you do not want to make it to severe you need to make it significant in order for it to have the desired impact. If you combine infrequent use with severity you are likely to get the greatest impact if it is proportional).
*Remember that what is punishment for one child may actually serve as reinforcement for another child. (Rationale- Just like reinforcement, the question is- what is works for this child. You could intend to punish and actually be reinforcing a behavior.)
*Avoid using embarrassment as punishment. (Rationale- Embarrassment hurts children in a number of ways. It is demeaning, the punishment becomes about the child rather than the behavior. It damages a child’s social status and sense of self-worth. The cost is not worth what little benefit might be derived.)
*Reinforce only behaviors that you want repeated. (Rationale- Any behavior you reinforce is more likely to be repeated. So be careful about what you reinforce.)
*Make a clear connection between the child’s behavior and the reinforcement or punishment. (Rationale- While the relationship between student behavior and the consequence you employ, reinforcement or punishment, may be clear to you, it may not be apparent to the child. It is critical that you explain the relationship is the consequence is to have the desired impact).
*Set standards so that success is a realistic possibility for each student. (Rationale- If you set standards for behavior that are out of the reach of a child, he or she will most certainly fail to meet your expectations because he or she is not able to. If you punish a child for this failure he or she is likely to develop a sense of helplessness and in the end will simply stop trying because he or she knows that he or she can not succeed. Such a way of thinking is very difficult to reverse).
*Use the weakest reinforcer to strengthen behavior. (Rationale- Sometimes a small reinforcer, even something relatively insignificant, can have the desired impact if the child values it. Verbal praise, for example, is one of a teachers best tools. The first reinforcer you use may not produce the desired results if it is not strong enough or desirable enough for that child. How ever, the next reinforce could then be a bit stronger or more desirable. If you start to big, you may not be able to produce another reinforcer that will exceed that 1st one the second time around.)
*Remember that what is an effective reinforcer for one student may not be for another. (Rationale- A reinforcer must be valued by the child or it will not have the desired impact. As teachers we tend to reuse ideas we have had success with. But in the case of reinforcement, just because a specific reinforcer works in one situation, with one individual, does not mean it will in another situation or with a different student. Clearly, if you are to use a reinforcer that works for a particular child, you need to know what that child values.)
*When possible, avoid using rewards as incentives. (Rationale- This idea is tied to work in intrinsic motivation. If a child is intrinsically motivated, that is motivated by internal desires, reinforcement will actually decrease the probability that the behavior will occur again. Ultimately we want children to learn and behave because of internal drives, not external rewards).
*Reinforce at a high rate in the early stages of learning. Then reduce the frequency of reinforcement as learning solidifies. (Rationale- This allows the you to establish the behavior then make the behavior less dependent on receiving reinforcement and more dependent on the expectation of receiving reinforcement at some point. See schedules of reinforcement.)
*Use punishment infrequently. (Rationale- Punishment has significant negative side effects. One of which is that it tends to loose its effectiveness over time. So to receive the same impact you need to escalate the severity of the punishment. If you use it infrequently then kids tend to take it vary seriously “She really means it”).
*Use punishment that is proportionate to misdeeds. (Rationale- If you over-punish then you will develop a deep sense of unfairness and resentment in the child that tends to undermine learning. If you under-punish the child is likely to think, “That was not so bad, maybe it is worth the risk to do it again”).
*Use punishment that is as severe as reasonable. (Rationale- While you do not want to make it to severe you need to make it significant in order for it to have the desired impact. If you combine infrequent use with severity you are likely to get the greatest impact if it is proportional).
*Remember that what is punishment for one child may actually serve as reinforcement for another child. (Rationale- Just like reinforcement, the question is- what is works for this child. You could intend to punish and actually be reinforcing a behavior.)
*Avoid using embarrassment as punishment. (Rationale- Embarrassment hurts children in a number of ways. It is demeaning, the punishment becomes about the child rather than the behavior. It damages a child’s social status and sense of self-worth. The cost is not worth what little benefit might be derived.)