In theory, operant
conditioning (Skinner, 1953) is a learning process that involves an increase or decrease in
the likelihood of a targeted behavior resulting from provided consequences. Consequences can be either reinforcements or
punishments. While child-centered
classroom management advocates such as Noddings (2001) and Kohn (2006), hold
behavioral theories in disrepute, there is still a place for basic elements of
behavioral theory when striving to develop a classroom culture of mutual
respect, high expectations, and civility.
Few would argue that these tenets lay the foundation whereby constructivist,
child-centered principles can then take hold to build nurturing learning
communities aimed at helping students independently make good choices and
develop self-management.
Educators should use reinforcements only when the
expectation is to increase or minimally maintain the desired behavior. By contrast, use a punishment only when the
desire is to remove or mitigate an undesired behavior. Anything else is fraught with possible
unintended consequences.
For positive reinforcement, the reinforcer should be
seen as important, desirable, or relevant to those exhibiting the desired
behavior. Reformists such as Noddings (2001)
and Kohn criticize behavioral theory
for classroom management on this point because they don’t believe in
reinforcing good behavior and punishing students for poor behavior, advocating
that students should have more choices and opinions. Yet even Kohn acknowledges structures and
restrictions are acceptable if “they protect students, provide for flexibility,
are developmentally appropriate, and lead to student involvement” (Arends,
2012, p. 206).
In this regard, using
praise to promote understanding of high expectations, mutual respect, and
civility is an important classroom management approach, especially for younger
students needing to learn socially from those more cognitively or socially advanced
(Vygotsky,
1978). Raising self-awareness, self-management, and social awareness are
important tools for the child-centered approach. Yet, is it possible to completely divorce
classroom management from strategies grounded in behavioral theory?
“Let’s see who else
will quietly raise their hand to answer the next question. Thank you for sitting so quietly and raising
your hand.” This simple strategy, grounded
in behavioral theory, will quickly help develop a desired classroom culture based
on high expectations, mutual respect, and civility.
So how did behavioral
theory get such a bad reputation? Does
the name Pavlov ring a bell? Any theory aligned with training or “conditioning” animals
is going to be problematic with parents.
Who wants to think their school is “training” children?
The concern with teachers using behavioral theory as
the core of their classroom management is the likelihood a certain behavior will
increase due to the presentation of something pleasant after the behavior. The misuse
of “punishment” based on the perception that yelling, humiliating, or
embarrassing students initially works too often results in the increase in yelling,
humiliating, or embarrassing students. Good
people can easily become bullies rather than teachers.
For this reason, anyone seeking to implement
elements of behavioral theory into his or her classroom management should avoid
punishment. It is also very important to
avoid confusing negative reinforcement and punishment. They are different. Negative reinforcement involves an increase in
a behavior. By contrast, punishment
involves a decrease in a behavior (Amabile, 1985). Because of the unintended consequences often
resulting from the misuse of negative reinforcement, avoid this strategy too!
As an example, if a young mother closes the door
when her child tantrums and experiences peace and quiet thereafter, she would
be inclined to repeat the door closing strategy to thereby experience more
peace and quiet. Therefore, this is an
example of negative reinforcement. Notice
that while the mother realizes increased peace and quiet, the increase in door
closing whenever her child tantrums holds the possibility of unintended
consequences related to the child's behavior. Is there any effort to identify the cause of
the child's behavior?
How does this appear in the school? If a teacher closes the door when a
neighbor's noisy students are returning from recess and thereafter experiences
quiet in her class, she would be inclined to repeat the door closing strategy
to experience quiet whenever a neighbor's noisy students are returning from
recess. Therefore, this is an example of
negative reinforcement. Notice that
while the teacher closing the door increases quiet in her classroom, the
increase in door closing whenever her neighbor's noisy students are returning
from recess holds the possibility of unintended consequences related to the
neighbor's noisy students behavior. Is
there any effort to mitigate the behaviors exhibited by the neighbor's noisy
students?
Too often, the result of negative reinforcement is
the offending stimuli ends up shaping your behavior. Educators should reflect upon how negative
reinforcement can reinforce bad habits. As
a social
constructivist (Vygotsky, 1978),
the educator should recognize the ability to shape the offending
behavior/stimuli to ensure high
expectations, mutual respect, and civility within the class room and school.
References
Amabile, T. M. (1985). Motivation and creativity: Effects of motivational orientation on
creative writers. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48, 393-399.
Amabile, T. M. (1985). Motivation and creativity: Effects of motivational orientation on
creative writers. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48, 393-399.
Arends, R.I (2012). Learning to Teach, 9/e. McGraw
Hill. ISBN: 978-0-07-802432-0
No comments:
Post a Comment