What can Ms. Rollison do to increase the chances that her students will behave appropriately in class?
Page 10: Positive Consequences
After a student follows a rule or procedure, his or her teacher can provide a positive consequence. A positive consequence, often referred to as reinforcement, is a means by which teachers can increase the probability that a behavior will occur in the future. Positive consequences should be:
- Something the student considers pleasant or rewarding
- Inexpensive
- Appropriate to the classroom environment
- Easily and quickly administered or awarded
Positive consequences reinforce desired behavior. Although the ultimate goal is for students to regulate their own behavior by responding to intrinsic motivators (e.g., feeling proud), initially teachers might need to deliver more concrete reinforcers to encourage appropriate behavior. By delivering tangible, social, or activity reinforcers, teachers help students learn how to control their own behavior. The table below presents some common examples of each of these types of reinforcers.
| Tangible | Social | Activity |
| reinforcers that the student can see, touch, or hold | reinforcers that involve interpersonal interactions | reinforcers that involve the student engaging in a desired activity |
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|
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Although teachers should use a range of methods to deliver positive consequences, one commonly used method is a token economy. In this method, students earn tokens or points for appropriate behavior, which they can exchange for a tangible item, the opportunity to interact with others, or a special activity. Listen as Lauren Acevedo discusses how she uses a token system in her classroom (time: 0:50).
Transcript: Lauren Acevedo
In my classroom, I have “Bear Bucks,” which are just essentially little tickets that I pass out, and on there it has a place for the student to check if they got one for being respectful, responsible, or safe, and they write their name on them. And then in my classroom on Fridays I have a Bear Bucks Store, and they’re able to spend their Bear Bucks on different things, from incentives that I’ve purchased, or they can spend thirty Bear Bucks and eat in the classroom with me, or they can spend twenty and change their name for a day so they get to be called by a different name, which they get really excited about. Then I’ll often use those Bear Bucks for random drawings. If I need to send a student on an errand, I’ll pick a Bear Buck from the bag rather than just picking on somebody that I normally would pick on, so that’s been really effective because the more the Bear Bucks they have in the bag the better their chances are.
Delivering Consequences
The manner in which a teacher delivers a consequence is important. For example, a positive consequence provided by a frowning, rushed teacher may not have the same effect as a consequence delivered by a smiling teacher who takes the time to explain to the student what he or she did correctly. Furthermore, teachers should never underestimate the power of positive consequences when trying to prevent unwanted behaviors or encourage desired behaviors. Listen as Lori Jackman explains the importance of delivering positive consequences (time: 1:04).
Lori Jackman, EdD
Assistant Professor of Special Education
Towson University
Baltimore, MD
Transcript: Lori Jackman, EdD
It’s really important to have a variety of positive consequences. Not to say that every time a child does what you need them to do you have to reward them, recognize that behavior, but certainly at the start of a management system you would want to be a little bit more heavy handed with the positive reinforcement so that they can see that here’s the things that may happen if I do what’s expected and here’s the things that will happen in this planned sequence of things if I don’t do what’s expected. So when developing a menu of positive consequences it’s really important to as much as possible keep it free, keep it quick, and most importantly keep it to be something that your students are interested in. So sometimes asking your kids what it is that they would like to earn, you know, school supplies, a free pass to the drinking fountain, a chance to help you out by washing your boards, or setting up the promethean board, really helps connect with what they would like to do, but what is it that you’re willing to do within your meager teacher budget?
