Positive Reinforcement

To properly manage a classroom, I feel it is important that teachers use some form of positive reinforcement techniques. As stated in the Positive Reinforcement article, “Positive reinforcement is anything that occurs after a behavior that increases the likelihood that the behavior will reoccur.” This reinforcement can be a supportive word, such as “good job on that group project,” or an extrinsic reward such as candy or extra recess time.

The article Positive Reinforcement explains that these rewards only hold value if the student has completed or accomplished a goal or achievement. If rewards or positive feedback are given to a student without the student earning it, then the extrinsic reward will not be meaningful and the positive behavior will not continue.

Positive Reinforcement focuses on group contingencies and the different ways that students can earn extrinsic rewards. Of all the methods that students can be assessed in group work for deserving positive reinforcement, I strongly support Independent Group-Oriented Contingency. The Positive Reinforcement article states “In an independent group-oriented contingency each student is only responsible for his or her own behavior. The only thing that makes this group-oriented is that everyone participating has access to the reinforcers on the same terms.”

I feel Independent Group-Oriented Contingency is a fair and appropriate way to assess student behavior. By allowing each student to be responsible for their own behavior, students can be rewarded for their efforts. Oftentimes, there is a student in the group that may be disruptive and ruin the extrinsic reward for the rest of the group. I do not feel that a student that is behaving and participating should be punished because another student is disruptive or uncooperative.

The second beneficial resource I discovered on the topic of positive reinforcement is How to Use Positive Reinforcement in the Classroom by April Sanders. This article presents instructions that will aid teachers in reinforcing student’s strengths as opposed to focusing on their weaknesses.

At the beginning of every school day, start the day off on a supportive note. Look for a student that is following directions well and praise this student instead of reprimanding the students that are disruptive or noisy. I feel this tip is helpful, because perhaps the misbehaving students will observe the praise a student that behaves is receiving and follow suit.

The tip “using praise specifically” is also an instruction that I support. I believe that if a teacher is going to praise a student, then the teacher should explain why the student is being praised. If the teacher says “good job” to a student, there may be confusion as to what the student was successful at, and the behavior may not occur again. However, if the teacher says “good job keeping your voice down during group work,” then the student may try to speak in a lower voice more often during group work because the teacher directed the praise towards a specific behavior.

When a good behavior or action arises, be immediate in praising the student. The article How to Use Positive Reinforcement in the Classroom states “Delayed positive reinforcement does not reinforce anything. Sometimes it even confuses those students who have a short memory.” I agree with responding to positive behavior immediately. By clearly stating why the student is receiving the reinforcement, the student has an understanding of what they are successful at, and the behavior is more likely to continue.

Resources:

Positive Reinforcement. (2005). Retrieved June 2, 2009, from University of Kansas Special Connections Web site: http://www.specialconnections.ku.edu/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/specconn/main.php?cat=behavior§ion=main&subsection=classroom/positive

Sanders, A. (2009). How to Use Positive Reinforcement in the Classroom. Retrieved June 2, 2009, from eHow Incorporated eHow How To Do Just About Everything Web site: http://www.ehow.com/how_4556420_use-positive-reinforcement-classroom.html

Rewards and Incentives in the Classroom

Rewards and incentives in the classroom motivate students to strive for a higher education. When students are rewarded for good behavior or class participation, the positive attribute is likely to continue thanks the incentives of an extrinsic reward. Since I am moving towards my goal of managing my own students and classroom, I decided to research rewards systems to better assist the success of my future class.

The article Motivational Tools by Emma McDonald explains the importance of using a rewards system in the classroom. To decide the type of rewards system that is most appropriate for your class, a teacher needs to first decide the goal they are trying to achieve. As I read the article, I discovered a participation rewards systems that I found simple and interesting.

The first rewards system I would like to use in my future classroom is “Red Tickets.” Red tickets are designed to promote class participation from each student. At the discretion of the teacher, red tickets are awarded to students that contribute and volunteer insight to class discussions and small group work, and whom assist their classmates with class work. The students that receive a ticket write their name on the ticket and place the ticket in a jar. At the end of the week, the teacher will pick four or five names from the jar, and these students will receive a reward.

I think the concept of the red tickets reward system is a smart and simple way to motivate students to participate during class. If a student knows that they can receive a small reward such a free homework pass by making good choices, the student is more likely to contribute than if there was no incentive. Also, the concept behind red tickets is straightfoward; the students understand what is expected of them to achieve a red ticket.

The second article I discovered that detailed various rewards systems is Classroom Rewards Reap Dividends for Teachers and Students by Cara Bafile. In this article, fourth grade teacher Kristina Campbell explains “By offering rewards, we are trying to show them [students] that by attending school and getting an education, they will be rewarded. There are the immediate rewards, such as prizes and treats, and long-term rewards, such as a job, college, and a future.” I agree with the concept of the rewards system and the assistance it offers teachers when attempting to manage a classroom. Students need to see that their hard work, whether behaviorally or through participation, is recognized by the teacher and worth positive reinforcement in the classroom.

To promote good behavior in the classroom, Classroom Rewards Reap Dividends for Teachers and Students, explains Lee Canter’s card system, which uses red, yellow and green cards. Each day, the students begin on a green card. The students stay on this card color when they maintain positive behavior. If the student’s behavior is disruptive or negative, the student’s card will change from green to yellow, or from green to yellow to red, depending on the severity of the poor choices and behavior. However, when the student reaches a yellow card or red card, the student is given chances to redeem themselves. Good behavior and positive actions allow students to enter the green card zone again. If students can maintain green or yellow behavior for an entire week, then an extrinsic reward is presented to the student.

I felt Lee Canter’s card system is a helpful tool in managing the behavior of students. While I understand that students will still misbehave and the rewards system is not fool proof, I still believe that having the incentive of an extrinsic rewards system will counteract behavioral issues.

Besides the developing of a rewards system, both articles also explain the type of extrinsic rewards that are successful in the classroom. The article Motivational Tools reminds teachers to use rewards that are not gender specific. For example pizza parties, movie day, and no-homework passes are inexpensive ways to reward class participation and positive behavior. The article Classroom Rewards Reap Dividends for Teachers and Students, suggests “Make the reward meaningful to your students. Opportunities for student choice can be particularly effective.” I thought this proposal would be effective for many students. For example, certain students may work harder to achieve a free homework pass to use at their leisure as opposed to the opportunity to participate in a pizza party.

Resources:

Bafile, C. (2000, November 28). Classroom Rewards Reap Dividends for Teachers and Students. Retrieved June 1, 2009, from Education World Incorporated Education World The Educator's Best Friend Web site: http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr300.shtml

McDonald, E. (2008, October 23). Motivational Tools. Retrieved June 1, 2009, from Education World Incorporated Education World The Educator's Best Friend Web site: http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/columnists/mcdonald/mcdonald030.shtml

Power Teaching Techniques

As I began to research effective classroom management techniques, I discovered the concept of power teaching, and decided that I wanted to learn more of what this method of teaching entails. I stumbled upon the Power Teaching website created and written by Jeff Battle, a devoted user of power teaching techniques. Power teaching was developed by teachers that believe that all educators no matter the grade level deal with students that lack discipline, background knowledge and fundamental problem solving skills. “Orderly fun” is the main goal of power teaching.

Since there are many power teaching topics and management techniques, I chose to focus on a simple class attention grabber. The teacher say “Class!” and the students respond “Yes!” However, this attention grabber has a hook to obtaining the attention of the students. The class must respond using the same voice of the teacher. If the teacher says “Class!” in a silly voice, the students must respond “Yes!” in a silly voice.

As stated on the Power Teaching website, Jeff Battle explains the Class-Yes! Technique as “If I say ‘Classity-class-class!’ they have to say ‘Yessity-yes-yes!’. If I say it loudly they have to respond loudly. If I whisper, they respond in a whisper. They have to match my intensity” (1).

The principles that this method of teaching focuses on appear successful simply because students enjoy learning if they are given the opportunity to have fun while doing it. By following rules and motions that are made enjoyable through games, students are more likely to participate and less likely to ignore the teacher. I thought this simple concept is a unique and fun way to grab the attention of students and to make them interested in what the teacher has to say. I feel every classroom should have a time and a place for students to be able to let loose and be expressive while maintaining control.

After reading about the background and methods of power teaching, I discovered a You Tube video, Power Teaching’s Classroom Management System that showed the basic techniques of power teaching in action. This video featured a first year teacher applying the power teaching method’s which proves that any teacher can master these concepts and ideas.

The teacher’s creative method for student’s self expression was enlightening. It seemed as if I was watching “controlled chaos.” At the beginning of the video, the teacher promoted loud voices, big gestures and big smiles. She also told her students to recite the class rules in both regular voices and silly voices. By doing so, the children actually wanted to learn the class rules, and would remember them, because they were enjoying what they were learning.

The students were permitted to yell and clap and sing in a high octave, yet within seconds, the teacher would maintain control in a quiet and kind voice. As soon as the teacher said “Class, class” the students would respond “Yes, yes” and return to paying attention to the front of the room. I was shocked that the student’s attention to the teacher was automatic; every child responded immediately, with all eyes on the teacher and hands folded.

As students would complete individual silent work, the class was reminded that no one should be off task. The teacher would also warn the students that their assignment time was coming to a close by counting backwards from the number ten to the number one. I appreciated this new teacher’s mild mannered voice in speaking to her students. Her gentle tone still showed that she meant business, yet she never raised her voice.

The teacher was shown instructing a small group of students and had the students sit around her at a small table instead of lecturing at the front of the class. This helps the students in keeping them focused and energized, since the teacher can monitor their actions and direct the lecture to specific students.

During the video, the teacher would look for the quietest table, promoted small group work, and high energy lessons. Because the energy levels in the class were so high, learning and having fun in the teacher’s lessons were interchangeable. Each student appeared to understand what was expected of them and enjoy the classroom activities. The teacher also used multiple props such as personal white boards and markers that the students used to write answers. This method kept the students focused and on task, helping them to think of individual answers while working in small groups.

In Power Teaching’s Classroom Management System, the teacher referred to the class as “my friends.” This allows the students to connect to the teacher on a more personal level, and feel valued and respected by the teacher. The teacher also responded to the students with positive reinforcement methods when they chose the correct answer.

Personally, I loved this video. I thought the ideas presented on classroom management were unique and creative, and the students responded to the teacher in a positive manner. It is evident that the power teaching techniques in the video are working by the student responsiveness and student interviews.

Resources:

Battle, J. (2009). The Big 6: Class-Yes! Retrieved June 1, 2009, from Wordpress Power Teaching Web site: http://classroompower.com/power-teaching-your-first-steps/the-big-six/power-teaching-the-big-6-1-class-yes/

Biffle, C. (2009). Power Teaching's Classroom Management System : 3rd Grade. Retrieved June 1, 2009, from You Tube Web site: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8WpiueGP5s