Response to Kristy
-- I like your idea of having students write down their inappropriate behaviors
and then have parents and other teachers sign them. It appears to be a good
way to get students to acknowledge their behaviors, understand why that behavior
was inappropriate, and think about what they should have done instead and
what they will try to do in the future. But ...I am wondering if this might
cause some students to regard writing as a bad thing. Do they begin to think
of writing as a punishment, as opposed to a way to express one's thoughts,
feelings, or actions?
Response to Annette -- I agree with you that removing recess privileges
is an effective negative reinforcement for elementary students. They thrive
on that time to play and communicate with their peers. I also agree that remove
student's recess is often a punishment for the teacher as well. The teacher
must then give up his or her free/prep time to monitor the student. We
have a similar problem with our school's demerit system. The demerits consist
of a photocopied slip of paper which must have information such as date, student,
teacher, offense, and return date filled in. In order to have a copy to turn
into the office, the teacher must fill out two demerits for each offense,
one for the office and one for the student. On my part, I feel that the task
of filling out the demerits is very tiresome. It sometimes does not seem worth
the struggle. You often have to stop the instruction, or at the very least
divide your attention, to take time to fill out the slips. As for the end-of-quarter
party, we do that as well. Students have a No Demerit party every quarter.
Those students who received no demerits during the quarter attend the party,
while other students must spend the afternoon in study hall. The party consists
of an afternoon of such things as organized sports, movies, a trip to the
skating rink, or just free time to spend with friends. For this next quarter,
teachers are thinking of renting a local theater to take the kids to watch
a movie instead of bringing the movie to them. The thought is that a trip
away from school might be more of an incentive for good behavior. The problem
comes in when students loose their party privilege near the beginning of the
quarter. At that point, the reward is no longer an option and therefore is
no longer a positive reinforcement for that student.
Response to Sheree B -- I have also used time-out as a classroom management
strategy. I have found it successful in some situations and ineffective in
others. It depends a great deal on the particular situation and the student's
personality. If you are dealing with a student who enjoys alone time, or time
away from the classroom instruction, then the time-out does become a negative
reinforcement. As a teacher
of students with disabilities, I have several students who fit in with the
student you described. They are looking for attention and don't really care
if it is negative attention or positive attention. Sometimes, this is an adverse
effect of their disability or their home environment, at other times, it is
simply an effect of their outgoing personality (having the need to be the
center of attention). I have found that when these students receive negative
attention from a teacher, or other authority figure, their peers often give
them sympathy, or positive attention in return. This reverses a teachers attempt
at negative reinforcement. This is a particular problem that I, as well as
the other junior high teachers, with this years 8th grade class. When you
pull one student aside to speak to them regarding their behavior, grades,
or whatever, within just a class period or two, the whole group knows the
student's side of the story. (Now, for the most part, this "gossip"
is typical for junior high students) However...this class is especially bad
about going after revenge for what they see as a a wrongdoing against their
classmate. They see no problem with ganging up on the teacher, and the faculty
as a whole. This causes a disruption for not only that particular class period,
but for the whole day. This group has already been "grounded" from
their lunch recess (spending the time sitting in the bleachers). Just a couple
of weeks ago, we had a substitute teacher leave (cursing) in the middle of
the day. This teacher, from what I have seen of him is a typically calm, and
easy-going man, couldn't take their constant rude and disrespectful behavior
any longer.
