This classroom management/discipline approach centers around four types of punishment/reinforcement:

• Positive reinforcement: Giving extra credit for a question answered with much thought

 

• Positive punishment: A meeting with the principal

 

• Negative reinforcement: Removal from list of students who have to answer questions

 

• Negative punishment: Decrease in free time

In behavior modification, positive reinforcement is the most effective, while punishments are comparatively ineffective. Teachers are expected to encourage good student behavior instead of criticizing misbehavior.

Have you tried out any of these models? How did they go? What model works in one classroom may not be as effective with a different set of students. Think about the flow of your classroom and the needs of the children in it, and then decide what model would most effectively manage your classroom.