Resources for unit 3

The teachers can apply operant conditioning in the classroom by:

• Deciding what behavior they want from learners (clear instructional objectives) and reinforce that behavior when it occurs. Each correct response of a learner should be reinforced.
• Providing feedback on progress and linking rewards with that progress.
• Using positive reinforcement: Teachers can use rewards like praise, stickers, or tokens to reinforce desired behaviors, such as participation, completing tasks, or staying on task.
• Using negative reinforcement: The removal of an undesirable stimulus, such as reducing homework for consistently good behavior, can encourage students to behave positively.
• In classroom management, teachers can establish clear rules and routines, providing consistent consequences for actions (e.g., a time-out for disruptive behavior).
• Using repetition and drills: Through frequent practice (e.g., activities, tests), students learn through repetition and reinforcement of learned behaviors.

But the use of positive reinforcement in changing behavior is almost always more effective than using punishment. This is because positive reinforcement makes the person or animal feel better, helping create a positive relationship with the person providing the reinforcement.  

Although reinforcement can be effective in education, and teachers make use of it by awarding good grades, and praise, there are also substantial limitations to using reward to improve learning.  To be most effective, rewards must be contingent on appropriate behavior.

In some cases, teachers may distribute rewards indiscriminately, for instance by giving praise or good grades to children whose work does not warrant it, in the hope that they will “feel good about themselves” and that this self-esteem (confidence in abilities) will lead to better performance.  Studies indicate, however, that high self-esteem alone does not improve academic performance.  

When rewards are not earned, they become meaningless and no longer provide motivation for improvement. Another potential limitation of rewards is that they may teach students that the activity should be performed for the reward, rather than for one’s own interest in the task.  If rewards are offered too often, the task itself becomes less appealing. Some children may engage in an activity for a reward, rather than because they simply enjoyed it.  

Punishment is generally less effective than reinforcement in changing behavior.  For instance, students who are punished for bad behavior are likely to change their behavior only to avoid the punishment, rather than internalizing the norms of being good for its own sake.  Punishment also tends to generate anger, defiance, and a desire for revenge.  Punishment is more likely to create only temporary changes in behavior because it is based on coercion and typically creates a negative and adversarial (conflict or opposition) relationship with the person providing the punishment. When the person who provides the punishment leaves the situation, the unwanted behavior is likely to return.