5 Errors Educators Make When Delivering Positive Reinforcement

Mr. Johnson's Class

Mr. Johnson is eager to incorporate positive reinforcement in his classroom. He's read a few articles about it and is optimistic that this strategy will enhance student behavior and academic performance.

Morning Math Class

During the morning math session, Mr. Johnson announces that the first student to complete their worksheet will get a gold star sticker. John finishes first, but Mr. Johnson is caught up helping Emily with a tricky problem and doesn't get around to giving John his sticker until the end of the day.

Reading Time

While the students engage in individual reading time, Mr. Johnson walks around the classroom distributing candy. He gives one to each student, irrespective of whether they are quietly reading or chatting with their friends.

Art Session

When art time rolls around, Mr. Johnson tells the class that anyone who paints a tree will receive verbal praise. Sarah, who isn't particularly fond of art but loves math, decides to paint a tree. When she's done, Mr. Johnson gives her enthusiastic praise.

Afternoon Review Game

In the afternoon, the class splits into teams for a review game. Mr. Johnson announces that the winning team will get extra recess time. Team A wins the game initially, but then Mr. Johnson decides to give Team B a chance to answer a bonus question, which they get right. Now, he declares both teams the winners and grants them extra recess time.

End of the Day

At the end of the school day, Mr. Johnson finally remembers to give John the gold star sticker he had promised in the morning. By this point, John is packing up his backpack and seems disinterested in the sticker. Mr. Johnson is a little puzzled; he's been using these gold star stickers all week for various activities, and they seem to have lost their sparkle for the students.

Though Mr. Johnson's intentions are good, he finishes the day feeling somewhat defeated and puzzled as to why his positive reinforcement strategies didn't have the impactful result he had expected. As time goes on, Mr. Johnson's classroom starts to unravel slowly. Students become confused and frustrated, not knowing when or why they will receive reinforcement, leading to decreased motivation and increased disruptive behaviors. The inconsistent and poorly timed reinforcement creates an environment of uncertainty, causing even well-behaved students to disengage, ultimately undermining the educational objectives and harmony of the classroom.

Errors in Delivery

Positive reinforcement is a powerful tool that teachers can use to shape and encourage desired behaviors in the classroom, enhancing not only academic performance but also social skills and self-esteem. However, even with the best intentions, the delivery of positive reinforcement can sometimes be flawed or ineffective, diminishing its potential impact. To ensure that this strategy truly benefits students and creates a conducive learning environment, it's critical to understand and avoid common mistakes that can undermine the effectiveness of positive reinforcement.

1. Inconsistency: Inconsistency in delivering reinforcement can undermine its effectiveness; however, this doesn't mean you have to reinforce a behavior every single time for it to be effective. In fact, a variable schedule of reinforcement, where rewards are given unpredictably but consistently, can actually strengthen the desired behavior. The key is to maintain a consistent strategy in how and when you use variable reinforcement, as haphazard or random reinforcement can confuse students and make it unclear what behaviors are actually being rewarded.
2. Delayed Reinforcement: Timing is crucial in the effectiveness of positive reinforcement. Ideally, the reinforcer should be given immediately after the desired behavior is displayed. Delaying it can weaken its impact and may not produce the intended change in behavior.
3. Non-Contingent Reinforcement: Another mistake is giving positive reinforcement regardless of the student's behavior. This non-contingent reinforcement can lead to a situation where the student does not understand what behavior is being reinforced, thereby reducing the efficacy of the reinforcement to bring about desired behavior changes.
4. Using the Wrong Type of Reinforcer: Sometimes teachers use a type of reinforcement that is not meaningful or motivating to the student. What may be rewarding for one student may not be for another. Teachers should aim to understand individual preferences and tailor the reinforcement to the student's interests and needs.
5. Ignoring Satiation: Reinforcers can lose their effectiveness if they are delivered too frequently or in too high a quantity, a phenomenon known as 'satiation'. Teachers must regularly assess the effectiveness of the reinforcers being used and make adjustments as necessary to maintain their impact.

Mr. Johnson's Class Revisited

Let's revisit Mr. Johnson's class, but now let's take a look at it as he delivers positive reinforcement without these 5 errors.

Mr. Johnson is committed to effectively implementing positive reinforcement in his classroom. He has taken the EveryDay BehaviorTools Course and is ready to apply what he learned.

Morning Math Class

At the start of the math session, Mr. Johnson informs his students that they will earn points for each correct answer, as usual. The digital point system on the board updates in real time, giving students instant feedback.

Reading Time

During individual reading time, Mr. Johnson circulates the room, handing out small tokens to students who are fully engaged in reading. However, this time, instead of providing a token after every 10 minutes of reading, he varies the timing, sometimes after 7 minutes, sometimes after 12, keeping the students more engaged and less sure of when the next token might arrive.

Art Session

As students work on their art projects, Mr. Johnson offers praise or small tokens not only for completed projects but also for exceptional creativity or technique, doing so on a variable schedule to keep students intrinsically interested in their work.

Afternoon Review Game

The class is divided into teams for a review game in the afternoon. Mr. Johnson promises the winning team an extra five minutes of recess and sticks to this promise. However, during the game, he introduces "wild cards" at unpredictable times that allow teams to earn extra points, adding an element of surprise and excitement to the game.

End of the Day

As the students pack up, Mr. Johnson hands out gold star stickers for achievements made during the day, reinforcing these immediately. However, for acts of kindness between students, he employs a variable schedule, sometimes praising the action immediately and other times providing a token later in the day.

Mr. Johnson finishes his day satisfied and confident that his use of positive reinforcement has kept his students motivated and focused on the tasks at hand. With the effective and strategic use of positive reinforcement, Mr. Johnson's classroom eventually transforms into a hub of focused learning and constructive behavior over time. Students clearly understand the expectations and feel motivated to meet them, leading to a cycle of positive behaviors and academic achievements. As the classroom culture solidifies around these norms, Mr. Johnson finds that he can gradually fade the artificial reinforcement, as students begin to find the work itself and the supportive classroom environment to be naturally reinforcing.

By being aware of these common mistakes, like Mr. Johnson, teachers can more effectively use positive reinforcement to motivate students and promote desired behaviors. In the end, the effective use of positive reinforcement is critical for increasing student engagement, promoting desired behaviors, and creating a more effective and harmonious learning environment.

If you understand the importance of effectively delivering positive reinforcement, and you'd like to become an instructor in our EveryDay BehaviorTools course which is grounded in the use of positive reinforcement for improving behavior, check out this video below and reach out to Drew Carter at [email protected]

About the Author

Specializing in human performance, coaching, and organizational leadership, Dr. Paul "Paulie" Gavoni is a behavior scientist and educator who has worked across education and human services for almost three decades. In this capacity, he has served the needs of children and adults through various positions, including COO, Vice President, Director of School Improvement, Leadership Director, Professor, Assistant Principal, School Turnaround Manager, Clinical Coordinator, Therapist, District Behavior Analyst, and Director of Progam Development and Public Relations at?PCMA . Dr. Gavoni is passionate about applying Organizational Behavior Management (OBM), or the science of human behavior, to make a positive difference in establishing safe, productive, and engaging environments that bring out the best in faculty and staff so they can bring out the best in the learners they serve. He is an active board member of the?Opioid Awareness Foundation ?and?World Behavior Analysis Day Alliance .

Known for his authenticity and practical approaches, Dr. Gavoni is the host of the Top 1.5% globally ranked?Crisis in Education Podcast ?and a sought-out speaker at various Educational and Behavior Analytic Conferences Internationally. He a the Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling co-author of The Scientific Laws of Life & Leadership: Behavioral Karma; Quick Wins! Accelerating School Transformation through Science, Engagement, and Leadership; Deliberate Coaching: A Toolbox for Accelerating Teacher Performance; and MMA Science: A Training, Coaching, and Belt Ranking Guide. Dr. Gavoni is proud to introduce OBM and Applied Behavior Analysis to worldwide audiences through his numerous publications and his work with PCMA to create productive, safe, and positive cultures.

Beyond his work in education and human services, Dr. Gavoni is also a former Golden Gloves Heavyweight Champion and a highly respected striking coach in combat sports. Coach “Paulie Gloves,” as he is known in the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) community, has trained world champions and UFC vets using technologies rooted in the behavioral sciences. Coach Paulie has been featured in the books?Beast: Blood, Struggle, and Dreams a the Heart of Mixed Martial Arts , A Fighter’s Way, and the featured article Ring to Cage:?How four former boxers help mold MMA’s finest . He is also an author who has written extensively for various online magazines such as Scifighting, Last Word on Sports, and Bloody Elbow, where his?Fight Science series ?continues to bring behavioral science to MMA. Finally, Paulie was also a featured fighter in FX’s highest-rated show at the time, The Toughman, and as an MMA coach in the Lifetime reality series?Leave it to Geege .