Responsive Components
In the domain of classroom management, three foundational components are crucial for fostering a positive and effective learning environment: Error Correction, Feedback/Praise, and Reinforcement.
Error Correction
After a student has engaged in inappropriate behavior or given an incorrect response, it is necessary to correct the error. This simply involves a statement of what the student should do in the future.
View: Getting Behavior Back on Track (1:46)
Specific error correction can increase the likelihood of appropriate behavior, as it gives student feedback regarding the expected behavior instead of just hearing “no” or “don’t do that.” There are four steps to effective error correction:
- Signal that an error has happened.
- State the preferred behavior.
- Reinforce what went well.
- Prompt or reteach (Myers et al., 2017).
For additional information:
- Listen to this podcast on Managing Inappropriate Student Behavior. (37:05)
Feedback/Praise
View: Behavior-Specific Praise: High School Example & Non-Example (1:53)
Feedback and praise can be other ways to increase the frequency of positive events. Oftentimes, teachers fall into patterns of giving non-specific praise such as “good job” or “nice work.” While this is not harmful, the lack of specificity does not help students know exactly what they did that led the teacher to deliver positive feedback. Another facet of feedback and praise is that is has to be timely, in that it occurs right after the behavior. This simple strategy is easy to implement, but there are a few tips to work on increasing the frequency of specific praise and feedback. One tip is to select some target students who would greatly benefit from the targeted attention and work on providing behavior-specific praise to them. Another idea to increase the frequency of specific feedback is to select a target positive behavior and call it out whenever it happens (Musti-Rao & Haydon, 2011).
For additional information:
- Listen to this podcast on Behavior-specific Praise: The Power of Pointing Out the Positive (30:09)
- Watch this video on Providing Positive and Constructive Feedback. (20:04)
Reinforcement
View: How to Use Positive Reinforcement for Positive Behaviors–Digitability Professional Development (3:31)
Another practice that has been proven to increase positive behavior is the use of reinforcements. There are two types: positive and negative. With positive reinforcement, students receive something when the desired behavior occurs. This can be praise, an item, or a preferred activity. With negative reinforcement, something unpleasant is removed after the desired behavior occurs. Examples of this might involve canceling homework or an assignment. For both positive and negative reinforcement to be most effective in increasing desired behaviors, the teacher must be knowledgeable about what the students like and do not like; moreover, teachers must provide reinforcements frequently (Sobeck & Reister, 2020).
For additional information:
- Listen to this podcast on Grace and Consequences. (49:31)
- Listen to this podcast on Five Keys to Using Positive Reinforcement. (6:25)