A few Encouragement Strategies to Increase Positive Student Behavior

Disruptive Behavior and Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS)

Disruptive behavior on the part of pupils in any given learning setting tends to worry parents as well as teachers. To provide multidimensional frameworks for student help, Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) utilization is essential. Aligning the support plan with student needs is necessary, especially for those children who require more assistance.

Encouraging Positive Behaviors through Suitable Feedback and Specific Praise

This method entails providing the student with suitable feedback regarding their completion of specific tasks successfully by identifying the achievement and properly praising that performance. For instance, praising Doug specifically for completing certain activities on his own could be one strategy to promote independence. According to Rhodes (2014), research results show that the use of specific praise through the provision of explicit attention for proper classroom behavior is sufficient to improve on-task responses in over 90% of students. Consequently, this strategy is based on directing praise to an individual student while at the same time pointing out the specific aspect being praised. It, therefore, promotes desired behaviors and improves the student’s self-esteem.

Implementation

Carrying out this approach requires skill and efficiency in a manner that allows the students to understand what is being praised. It is crucial to note that specific praise is not only used to make the student know that they have done the right thing but also to see exactly what is being praised. The teacher may commend Doug for doing a nice job in answering a question or congratulating him on completing a certain task on his own and so on. It is equally important to make eye contact, with the student, move closer and smile to show the student how much you appreciate his achievements. For praise to further develop the desired behavior, the conduct should be described with specificity for instance mentioning the difficultness of a task and approval of the student’s endurance and creativity. During the application of this approach, it is important to praise with sincerity and enthusiasm and offer the praise immediately (Villeda et al., 2016).

Caution

While specific approval is an efficient tool in improving student behavior, several aspects must be considered during its implementation. First, the instructor must be cautious and avoid combining praise with criticism. Doing so tends to water down the significance and effects of the praise. Secondly, the specific praise should fade slowly with respect to the maintenance of student’s success (Villeda et al., 2016).

Group Contingency for Behavior Change

Group Contingency plans are recognized as some of the best ways of reducing problematic behaviors, strengthening healthy habits, and instilling necessary skills to the respective students. Additionally, they involve the provision of reinforcements and rewards to more than one person hence encouraging cooperation among members of the group. Group contingency is divided into dependent, independent and interdependent components. The dependent group contingency involves the provision of rewards to a group based on the behavior of one or more members. The independent group contingency rewards only the members who meet a particular criterion. On the other hand, the interdependent model rewards the whole team if they all meet the stipulated criteria (Monfore, 2012).

Implementation

The dependent group contingency can be initialized so that the team members can assist and encourage Ellie. While rewards may be the driving force, the ultimate impacts include promotion of positive group interactions and increased self-esteem and participation when considered a “hero” for winning awards for the team. Later on, the independent and interdependent contingency models can be initiated once the student has developed increased participation in class discussions and efficient interaction with peers is established. Moving from one program to another is important, since each contingency has its role, for instance, the independent group contingency will motivate the student to maintain the current interactions with the group. Similarly, the interdependent approach encourages cohesiveness when working together towards a common goal since it exploits the effects of peer influence since members can help one another to earn the reward. Essentially, these three group contingencies have to be applied based on the students’ progress towards participation in a group work (Ennis, 2014).

Caution

Peer pressure in group contingency methods can have adverse implications for some students (Lai, 2016). If the program is initiated, managed and monitored correctly, it is a safe, efficient and economical approach for behavior change in the classroom since it encourages solidarity, promotes healthy competition, and most of all improves student participation in teams.

Conclusion

To sum up, encouragement strategies can be quite helpful when it comes to the developing positive behavior in students for the best learning outcomes. Before the selection of the appropriate approach, it is vital for one to assess the issues faced by a student, evaluate possible encouragements strategies, and then implement it. Additionally, caution must be taken to avoid the negative repercussions that may arise during implementation by ensuring monitoring and assessment of plan performance.

References

Ennis, C. (2014). An evaluation of group contingency interventions : The role of teacher preference. Tampa : University of South Florida Scholar Commons.

Lai, Ch.Ch. (2016). The effect of group contingencies on students’ behavioral problems in a classroom. Culminating Projects in Community Psychology, Counseling and Family Therapy. Paper 20.

Monfore, M. (2012). Group-oriented contingency management. Richmond : Virginia Department of Education.

Rhodes, E. (2014). The use of behavior specific praise and the caught being good game to improve class-wide behavior. Florida : University of South Florida Scholar Commons.

Villeda, S.T., Shuster, B.C., Magill, L., & Carter, E.W. (2016). Behavior-specific praise in the classroom. Nashville : Tennessee Behavior Supports Project at Vanderbilt University .