Espiritu, Danica L.

April 26, 2020

2ED01C SNED_108

FINAL REQUIREMENT

1. Research on the following topics and discuss the following terms given below:

Behavioral Methods for Maintaining and Increasing Positive Behaviors

Behavior is the term for actions made by an individual or a group of people. This
is influenced by a number of factors such as age, personality, interaction with others,
culture, home environment as well as gender. In the school context, teachers often
observe positive student behavior, poor student behavior and anti-social student behavior.
As educators, we strive to maintain and increase positive student behavior and at least
correct and decrease poor student behavior as well as anti-social student behavior, hence
the need for practicing Behavior Management. Behavior Management is a whole school
approach, meaning it is not limited on the four walls of the classroom and it is not just a
job for teachers alone. Behavior management includes producing a positive learning
environment that stimulates positive behavior and decreases anti-social behavior; and at
the same time it is about using a variety of strategies to deal with poor behavior wherein
children will learn from their mistakes and will learn to take responsibility for their
wrong doings. Maintaining and increasing of positive behaviors cannot obtained
overnight, behavior management must be consistent and teachers are not just the
responsible beings to practice this, it must be done by school staffs, parents and students
as well.

There are many strategies on how to handle poor behaviors and increase positive
behaviors, but it is important to know that these strategies may not work for all students,
and may not work everytime. Thus, as an educator it is also important to know, be
familiar and practice a variety of effective behavior management strategies.

What is Reinforcement?

Reinforcement occurs when one is working to get a task done or showing a

certain behavior motivated by a consequence or a reward. The term reinforcement in
introduced by Ivan Pavlov in 1903 and is quite similar to the term strengthen, in the field
of Psychology reinforcement refers to any stimulus that encourages the designated
behavior or increases the probability of a specific response. Reinforcement happens in
our daily lives without even recognizing it. As a student, we study hard because we know
that it is our key to have a better life in the future. Employees are reinforced by getting a
paycheck. There are four types of reinforcement that were introduced by B.F. Skinner
and these are the following:

A. Positive Reinforcement – It occurs when the desirable stimulus reinforces the

behavior, making it more likely that the behavior will reoccur. An example of this
is giving praise when an individual shows positive and required behavior.
B. Negative Reinforcement – It happens when one has taken something negative
away in order to increase a desired response. Meaning, one strengthens a behavior
to avoid or to stop a negative outcome. For example, a student has to leave home
earlier to avoid heavy traffic, and so he won’t be late in class. The desired
behavior here is to be punctual in class, and the negative stimulus here is to be
stuck on traffic and to be late in class, in order to avoid this we practice negative
reinforcement by leaving home earlier.
C. Punishment Reinforcement – It means that an undesirable stimulus is introduced
to discourage the behavior. An example of this is disciplining a child through the
method of spanking or anything that child would not wanted to happen that serves
as a consequence for a bad behavior. Punishment reinforcement can be equalized
with Negative reinforcement.
D. Extinction Reinforcement – this happens when there’s a removal of a stimulus to
decrease a behavior. It means taking something away so that a response is
decreased. For example, a child is trying to manipulate his parent by throwing
tantrums to get what he want. As a result, the child repeatedly to do this because
he knows that his parents will give him what he wants if he just throw tantrums.
To discourage this, the parent should ignore the child when he’s throwing
tantrums, if the parents consistently ignores this problem behavior, it is high likely
that the child will reduce engaging in throwing tantrums as his actions are no
longer effective to what he is seeking.

Types of Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement was further subdivided into four types. These four types
are differentiated by the type of positive stimulus—also known as a reinforcer—that is
used.

The four types of reinforcers are:

1. Natural reinforcers - reinforcers that occur directly as a result of the behavior

(e.g., a student studies hard and does well on her exams, resulting in good
grades).
 2. Token reinforcers - those that are awarded for performing certain behaviors
and can be exchanged for something of value (e.g., parents devise a reward
system in which the child earns stars, points, or some other token that they can
save up and turn in for a reward).

3. Social reinforcers - those that involve others expressing their approval of a

behavior (e.g., a teacher, parent, or employer saying, “Good job!” or
“Excellent work!”).

4. Tangible reinforcers - reinforcers that are actual physical or tangible rewards

(e.g., cash, toys, treats).

The effectiveness of a reinforcer depends on the context. Natural reinforcers are

often the most effective, but social reinforcers can also be extremely powerful. Tokens
are often more useful with children.

Humanistic Approach

Humanistic approach in behavior management emphasizes the ability of the

student to learn control over his or her behavior. Instead of insisting on immediate
behavioral change or compliance, students were allowed to develop control among
themselves. Teachers use humanistic approach to facilitate learning, this approach is
related to the term student-centered education, wherein students learn ways to look at
experiences and situation differently and by themselves. In humanistic approach, the
child is the problem solver, with this being said they tend to realize that they have
control.

Humanism rejected the assumptions of the behaviorist perspective which is

characterized as deterministic, focused on reinforcement of stimulus-response behavior.
Humanistic approach believes in the following principles:

 People have free will

 People are basically good, and have an innate need to make themselves
and the world better
 People are motivated to self-actualize
 The subjective, conscious experiences of the individual is most important

Character Education

Character Education is about teaching children values and norms of the social life
in order for them to perform and function well as self-disciplined citizens. Virtue as the
foundation of a purposeful, productive, and fulfilling life justifies the need for character
education. We all strive to have a just, compassionate, and flourishing society hence the
 need for character education also. Character education is a whole school approach,
teaching values are embedded in every activity that the school does, it is not merely a
subject. It can be taught into formal or non formal settings. Research has demonstrated
that character education results in improved academic achievement as well as
cooperation, respect and compassion therefore, it builds positive relationships among
people.

Importance of Character Education

Character education is important and necessary as modern societies are struggling

with disturbing trends of bullying and violence. Character education can help people
build good character that in turn can help build good societies. A society needs values
education to survive and thrive; we can’t survive without building relationship with other
people. Character education is important to teach in school because some students
weren’t able to receive this at home. Character education builds a person, we learn who
must we become, how to react to a certain situation, and how to interact with other
people. Lastly, as teachers we need to help prepare the students to face the many
opportunities and unknown dangers that are in today's society. Character education gives
the students the knowledge and the skills especially the values they need to know in order
to deal with these dangers in the society properly.

2. Choose one approach, which do you think is good to increase good behavior and
decrease inappropriate behavior?

To answer this, it must duly noted that that there is no single and consistent
strategy or approach that is effective to increase good behavior and decrease
inappropriate behavior, some approach may not be effective to some children or an
approach proven to be effective may not be effective anymore if used repeatedly. This
promotes the need for knowledge as well as application of a variety of approaches to help
students increase good behavior and decrease inappropriate behavior.
Teaching children in early childhood education as well as in special education
settings is more likely to use the behavior management or the reinforcement approach.
Children at this young age are still in quest to determine what is right and wrong, hence
the need for guidance. I believe that children at a very young age may not learn by
themselves yet without a foundation which is the guidance and reinforcement approach
from the parents. By giving simple rewards or praises, children at this age tends to boost
themselves, they will tend to have confidence on themselves, a sense of independence as
well because they already know the right thing to do and most of all with reinforcement
there is more likely to have a chance on repeating the desired behavior. These children
needed something to push themselves to do the desired behavior because sometimes they
do not understand the purpose of that desired behavior and as a child we only do
something that we know is beneficial for us.
Some might say that this is spoiling at some point but it must be noted that not all
rewards are materialistic, as mentioned above there are four types of reinforcers. And I as
a future educator, I would like to instill to the young minds of my students that the best
reward that they should pursue are the long term ones. Meaning, even though they will be
given token reinforcers and tangible reinforcers, as educators we must teach them and
make them understand that these rewards worth lesser than social reinforcers and mostly
natural reinforcers.
From the past few days, I am conducting a homeschooling sessions with my
cousins who share the same roof with us and I can say that reinforcement behavior
management approach is really effective. But, I do not give tangible reinforcers, but
instead token and social reinforcers and from time to time, I am trying to teach them and
make them understand the long term effect of their behavior. For example, I have
observed that on the first few days of our learning sessions, my cousins were too noisy,
and these children talk at the same time that I am talking. So what I did was to gave them
a challenge called “Bawal Maingay Challenge”, and of course they asked what’s the prize
if they survived the challenge, I showed them our Board of Awards and told them that
those who do not speak if they are not asked to will get 100 points and these will be
shown to their parents; and honestly I couldn’t believed that it actually worked, I mean at
first they may have made noises while working but as time passes by I can see that they
are trying to control their behavior and trying their best not to talk with each other while
working on their writing tasks and while I am discussing some lessons. But this type of
positive reinforcement is short-term, they can only enjoy and benefit from this until the
Enhanced Community Quarantine is lifted.
Here’s another example of reinforcement behavior management, one time one of
my cousins whom is also a member of my learning session, do not want to read
ABaKaDa chart with her Aunt, so I told her that, if you did not learn ABaKaDa she
might not be able to finish her school and might not become a doctor, when I said those
she sat quietly and looked like she was teaching, and after a few second she said, I
wanted to be a doctor, and so again I told her you can’t be a doctor if you do not know
how to read these ABaKaDa chart, and at some point it worked because she read a few
lines aloud but still didn’t want to repeat it.
The key for reinforcement behavior management to work for a long term is to be
consistent on reminding them that something good will happen to them if they do good.
And telling them the long term effect of their good behavior must be true and it must be
explained to them carefully. It may cause us stress us on repeating the same
reinforcement for them but that is how they learn through consistent guidance. And if
they have already instilled it in their minds and hearts, then they might already be able to
manage their behaviors on their own.