"A Teacher's Perspective on Classroom Reinforcement."

Option 2 (1 hour)
"A teacher's perspective on classroom reinforcement."
(Behaviorism)
Mrs. LaSita : “I used stickers, marbles and privileges to encourage the children to behave.”
-The privileges the teacher is referring to are computer access, library time and recess time.
Mrs. LaSita: “I took away minutes from library time and recess for individuals; I also removed marbles from the jar when the class as a whole was misbehaved.
Mrs. LaSita: “In this class removing marbles from the jar seems to work best. The children do not want to keep their class mates from doing activities.
Mrs. LaSita: “I think my system works well for my class, I know the students in my class well enough to know how they work. We have very few behavioral problems. We are a well oiled machine!”
This observation took place at Edna Louise Elementary School in a third grade class, with Mrs. LaSita. The teacher was not exaggerating when she said that her class was a “well oiled machine.” In my time with this class I did indeed observe a very well working classroom. The students knew what was expected of them and responded very well to the teacher. I only viewed one instance of ill behavior when a few children were talking out of turn, the teacher threatened to take back marbles if this continued and the children ceased speaking. I was shocked at how well this classroom worked together. The teacher provided a clear behavior to consequence relationship and the students respected the relationship. The teacher provided a combination of both positive and negative reinforcement. This marriage between rewarding the class with stickers and activities, as well taking away privileges works very well for this class.