A large part of classroom management is knowing when and how to give either positive or negative reinforcement for desired and undesired student behaviors. This blog entry serves as a reflection upon this issue as discussed in The Art and Science of Teaching by Robert J. Marzano and attempts to provide appropriate examples of how to apply rules and procedures in the classroom. Although the following is applicable to grades K-12, I will focus my examples on the secondary level as that is what I plan on teaching.
Positive Reinforcement for Following Rules and Procedures
According to Marzano (2007), there are some common and effective ways to apply positive reinforcement in the classroom. One is to simply use verbal and nonverbal recognition. For example, verbal recognition might include a teacher expressing to a student that he or she did a good job, or recounting good behavior in detail. To do the latter, a teacher might explain to a class that it was appreciated that they came in quietly, sat down, and began to work after they had indeed done so. Nonverbal recognition, however, might simply include nods or smiles to indicate satisfaction.
Another form of recognition is tangible recognition, and this includes the use of a token economy within the classroom. For instance, students might be able to collect points when they follow directions which would eventually lead to a reward, such as extended iPad time. Tangible recognition might also include the use of a daily form where if expectations are met, points are written down. This would serve as a physical reminder to students of how they have improved. Finally, a third method might involve the use of color coded cards that a teacher places on the desk to indicate the student is behaving or not. The benefit of this is that improvement can be reinforced in front of their eyes (e.g., replacing a brown card with a green one to indicate a job well done).
A third form of positive reinforcement would be to include the student’s home in various ways. For instance, a teacher could call or send emails to the parents to recognize good behavior on a particular day. Additionally, a teacher might even consider creating certificates to print out and send home with students to indicate how well they have done.
Example:
Let us consider an imaginary student named Logan who has begun to show improvement following the classroom rules and procedures regarding entering the classroom quietly and sitting at his own desk. In this example, positive reinforcement is applied in a progressively strong manner to emphasize teacher satisfaction.
In the beginning of the year, Logan would enter the classroom loudly and either refuse to sit down or sit at a peer’s desk. One day Logan enters quietly but does not sit at his own desk. In recognition of his entering quietly, the teacher privately thanks him for this and presents him with a form where he can receive points for continued proper behavior. Over the course of a few weeks Logan eventually reaches the stage where he has followed the rules and procedures for five days in a row amassing enough points for a reward (e.g., additional computer time). In the evening after school the teacher calls Logan’s house to recognize his vast improvement.
Negative Reinforcement for Not Following Rules and Procedures
Marzano (2007) also discusses ways to apply negative reinforcement for not following rules and procedures in the classroom. One obvious way is to be proactive in trying to be aware of events outside of the classroom which might be causing students to act out in class. Another way to be a proactive teacher might be to give students private signals (e.g., lightly tap on their desk) to indicate that their behavior is becoming unacceptable without having to disrupt the class.
One more negative reinforcement strategy is to exercise withitness by occupying the entire classroom. What this means, for example, is a teacher not remaining stationary but walking around the whole room in order to keep an eye on each student. The benefit of this is that the teacher is able to notice potential problems before they escalate into something more serious. Additionally, teachers might consider using graduated actions as they occupy the classroom such such as first looking at a student, then moving towards him or her, and finally having to stop class to address the issue.
In the case that the previous strategies were ineffective, a teacher might consider applying direct-cost consequences such as timeouts, or even overcorrection (e.g., having a student push in everyone’s chairs if they refused to do their own). These strategies are intended to emphasize that students can lose access to privileges they have if they do not follow the rules and behavior, but if they do not work it might be time implement group contingency.
Group contingency might look like a teaching holding the entire class responsible for the poor decisions of a single or few students. When considering this, there are two options which include interdependent and dependent contingencies. The former depends on the success of the entire class in attempting a rule or procedure whereas the latter is essentially peer pressure from the majority of the classroom to accomplish some behavior. As this can be quite intense on students, this sort of dependent peer pressure is often reserved for extreme cases of misbehavior.
Finally, if all strategies have not worked well, it is likely time to bring the student’s parents or guardians into the situation. When home contingency comes into play, it is a good idea to not simply speak with the parents, but to also draw up a program or behavior contract where all members (including the teacher) can sign and be held accountable for. While this is quite intense for the student, there are times where even this is not useful. As such, teachers should have a mental plan prepared for dealing with students who are out of control and possibly dangerous. Doing so should focus on calming the student down until help can arrive.
Example:
Let us once again consider the imaginary student named Logan who continues to talk and look at his cell phone in class. In this example, negative reinforcement is applied in a progressively strong manner to emphasize teacher dissatisfaction.
In the beginning of the year, from time to time Logan speaks to the person next to him as well as plays around behind the teacher’s back in various ways such as poking his classmates. The teacher notices this and decides it is time to occupy the whole room by walking around and keeping an eye on Logan to make him understand she is aware of his actions. The next day Logan continues the same behavior so the teacher exercises graduated actions by first looking at him, then eventually moving towards him, and eventually having to stop the class to draw attention to his misbehavior.
For a few days this has worked and Logan is generally cooperative until the next week when he starts talking in class again and even takes out his cell phone when the teacher is writing on the board. The teacher notices this and applies the direct-cost consequences of holding his cell phone at her desk as well as removing his privilege to use the computer during free time. Logan does not like this and complains, which results in the teacher implementing interdependent group contingency. To not single him out, however, the teacher says that computer-use will only be allowed if all students are able to make it through the day without talking out of turn.
Logan understands this is likely because of him and completes the day successfully, but when he comes into school the next day he purposefully talks even more out of turn and begins to play a game on his phone out of spite. The teacher now has reached the point where weeks of applied strategies have failed and decides it is time to contact the parents. That afternoon when they all meet, the teacher, Logan, and the parents draw a up behavior contract which they all sign. In this contract are explicit promises to follow the rules as well as consequences for misbehavior. Additionally, the consequences extend outside of school to Logan’s home as well now.
Conclusion
In conclusion, having a behavior reinforcement plan will allow teachers to both reward and reprimand students in a systematic and clear manner. The following is a simple flowchart which illustrates the steps a teacher can take in the classroom:
Marzano, R. J. (2010). The art and science of teaching: A comprehensive framework for effective instruction. Alexandria, Va: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.