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Parent/Teacher Connection: Give Positive Reinforcement



Classroom management is all about learning how to work with a large of group of diverse children in an organized and controlled manner. Like parents, a teacher needs to get through tasks that may not entertain the child at all times (parents have to grocery shop/teachers have to teach long division). The activity may not be inherently interesting to the child and therefore, behavior can become an issue as they try to entertain themselves.

One skill that a teacher employs is positive reinforcement.

 Positive reinforcement is an action that occurs after a positive behavior is shown. For example, if a child raises his hand instead of blurting, he gets a reward. Or, if a child says "please" and "thank you", they are rewarded. It gives treats to good behavior and therefore increases that chances that the behavior is done again. The child wants the reward, so they repeat that good behavior.

There are many ways to do this in the classroom and at home:

  • Nonverbal Praise - give the child a hug, high-five, thumbs up or a genuine smile.
  • Social attention - get 1:1 time with the parent or just undivided attention from the adult or a peer (ie attention that they want to be getting)
  • Small treats - stickers, pencils, erasers, small toy (cheap but special to the child as they earned the small treat). Dentists and pediatricians do this for their patients so they associate the doctor with a treat (positive).
  • Activities & Privileges- getting to play on their iPad, sit somewhere special (eat dinner somewhere "fun"/get to sleep in the living room/do homework in a different room), getting extra time on tech/TV, getting to pick an activity on the weekend.
  • Secondary rewards - having a sticker chart or a jar that is filled with marble. Often, the idea is that a child earns a sticker/marble for a good task and when they fill the chart/jar they get a larger reward.
Rewards must be given consistently and promptly. At first, the child should be reinforced every time that they do the required task. If you want them to say "thank you" when they receive something, then you must smile/high-five/give a sticker every time they do it. 

Ideally, the reward should be given immediately after they do the action you want them to do. If that's not possible, do it as quickly as possible so they connect their action to the positive reinforcement. 

Know your child. Some kids respond better to attention and social rewards. Your child may wash his hands/clean his room/do his homework just because he wants a hug and a high-five from his mom. 
-Other kids may respond to privileges as they see the reward tied to something they like doing - it's more clear to them (10 min on iPad vs. 30 min on iPad...big difference!) 
-Some kids need to physically touch their reward. Your child may respond to earning stickers either
in a chart or for a collection. These rewards, if you choose to give them something tangible, should be very cheap and used sparingly, supplemented with other treats like extra dessert or choosing the next TV show.

Positive reinforcement can work wonders. Unlike punishment, a child can see the immediate benefit of doing the right thing. They will want to repeat it over and over again. Teachers and parent, if consistent, can have children being good citizens with positive reinforcements.

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