Strategies for Strengthening Behaviors

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Assignment: Identify and explain six or more strategies for strengthening behaviors.

Reinforcement, by definition, is anything that strengths behaviors. There are many strategies that increase target behaviors. When corporeal punishment was first removed from schools, teachers found it challenging to regain a sense of power in the classroom. Most of us were raised with a strong influence from punishment. Punishment is actually a defensive position, and weaker as well as less effective than reinforcers.

Ever get behind in a chess game or sports contest? Once a person becomes anxious or feels like things are not going well, he or she tends to become defensive. In contests, that's usually the beginning of the end. Is that true in classrooms as well? When things are going well, are we more likely to be positive, to reinforce the behaviors we like? And is the reverse true? When things become raucous or students seem out of control, do we reach for punitive or defensive behaviors?

Punishment does not increase the behaviors we want, and it does not teach new, better responses. Punishment feels powerful when we are angry, but each time we use punishment, we lose good will, lessen student motivation and make it more difficult to establish a relationship with students. Punishment takes away student initiative and desire to learn, too. It is nearly always a losing strategy. In our frustration, and with the adrenalin surge we get from striking out, we sometimes feel like it is more powerful than reinforcements and rewards, but this isn't really the case.

This is an excellent time to increase the reinforcers in your teaching repertoire. The Hyman text gives some great examples of reinforcement strategies throughout Chapter Three.

Reinforcement and Punishment

Extinction -- stops behavior instantly

Personalizing the concepts:

You may want to talk with others about some of these ideas. It is easy to believe that something you do will punish or reinforce a behavior and then find out it does not. Here are two examples:

If I want my dog to stop barking, I can command her to do so - and sometimes she does stop, though not very often. I think she believes I am joining the fray and adding my own vocalizations to hers. If I go pick up the barking dog and hold her, she is likely to stop immediately. I can also get up, leave the room and go to the refrigerator. The moment I do that, she follows me, seems distracted, and barking stops.

In one school the teacher told the first graders they had to complete their work to go to recess. Those who did not complete the work were kept in. Each week, the number of students staying in from recess grew and the number of first graders staying on task decreased. The teacher believes she is giving out positive reinforcement - since children who stay on task and complete morning work get to go to recess. What is going wrong?

Want more questions to chat about? What is the difference between a punishment and a consequence? What is the difference between a privilege and a reward? Do rewards and praise help or hurt students? When does it make sense to keep students in or give them detention?

SUGGESTED STEPS

1. Review Chapter Three in Hyman.
   
2. Define the differences between punishment and reinforcement
   
3. Write at least six strategies for increasing behaviors.

RUBRIC for activities:
Give an accurate definition for reinforcement and punishment, and write at least six strategies for increasing or reinforcing behavior.

Course Created by J'Anne Ellsworth & Center for Technology Enhanced Learning

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