Positive Reinforcement to Increase Academic Performance

Reinforcement is the means by which behavior is increased. Also known as consequences, positive reinforcement adds something that will make it more likely the behavior will occur. Negative reinforcement is when something is removed, it is more likely to continue. The Reinforcement Continuum Reinforcement happens all the time. Some reinforcement occurs because the item or activity is naturally reinforcing. At the highest end of reinforcement, reinforcers are social or intrinsic, such as praise or self-esteem. Young children, or children with low cognitive or social functioning, may require primary reinforcers, such as food or preferred items. During the course of instruction primary reinforcers should be paired with secondary reinforcers. Primary Reinforcers: Primary reinforcers are things that reinforce behavior that provide immediate gratification, such as food, water or a preferred activity. Often very young children or children with severe disabilities need primary reinforcers in order to be engaged in an educational program. Food can be a powerful reinforcer, especially preferred food, such as fruit or candy. Often young children with severe disabilities or very low social functioning are started with preferred foods, but they need to be paired with secondary reinforcers, especially praise and social interaction. Physical stimulation, like piggyback rides or airplane rides are primary reinforcers that pair the therapist or teacher with the reinforcer. One of the principal goals of a therapist or teacher is for the therapist or teacher to become a secondary reinforcer for the child. When the therapist becomes a reinforcer for the child, it becomes easier for the child to generalize secondary reinforcers, like praise, across environments. Pairing primary reinforcers with tokens is also a powerful way to replace primary reinforcers with secondary reinforcers. A student earns tokens toward a preferred item, activity or perhaps food as part of their educational or therapy program. The token is also paired with secondary reinforcement, like praise, and moves the child toward appropriate behavior. Secondary Reinforcers:  Secondary reinforcers are learned reinforcers. Awards, praise and other social reinforcers are all learned. If students have not learned the value of secondary reinforcement, such as praise or rewards, they need to be paired with primary reinforcers: a child earns a preferred item by earning stars. Soon the social status and attention that go with stars will transfer to the stars, and other secondary reinforcers like stickers and awards will become effective. Children with autism spectrum disorders lack an understanding of social interaction and do not value praise or other secondary reinforcement because they lack Theory of Mind (ToM), the ability to understand that another human has emotions, thoughts and is motivated by personal self-interest. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder need to be taught the value of secondary reinforcers by having them paired with preferred items, food, and preferred activities. Intrinsic Reinforcement: The final goal of reinforcement is for students to learn to evaluate themselves and reward themselves with intrinsic reinforcement, the feeling a person gets from a job well done, for successfully completing a task. Still, we need to remember that people do not spend 12 years in college, medical school and residency just for the honor of being addressed as doctor. They are also hoping to earn the big bucks, and rightly so. Still, when intrinsic rewards accompany employment, as in being a special education teacher, they may compensate for some of the lack of status and income. The ability to discover intrinsic reinforcement in many activities that lead to the big bucks does, however, bode well for future success. Socially Valid Reinforcers Socially valid reinforcers refer to reinforcement schedules that are age appropriate. Seeking reinforcers that do not set students apart from typically developing peers in their age group is really part of providing FAPE—a Free, Appropriate Public Education—a legal underpinning of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 1994 (IDEIA.) For students in middle school or high school, putting Super Mario stickers on the backs of their hands is not age appropriate. Of course, students with the most difficult behavior, or those who do not respond to secondary reinforcement need to have reinforcers that can be paired with social reinforcement and faded as more socially acceptable reinforcement can take its place. Socially valid reinforcement can also help students understand what is cool or acceptable to typical peers. Rather than letting middle school aged students watch a Telletubbies video as a reinforcer, how about a National Geographic video about bears? Or perhaps anime cartoons? Identifying High Preference Reinforcers In order for reinforcement to be effective, it has to be something the student or students find reinforcing. Stars on a chart might work for typical 2nd graders, but not for second graders with a severe disability. They certainly wont work for high school students, unless they get to trade them for something they really want. There are several ways to discover reinforcers. Ask Parents: If you teach students who are not communicating, students with severe cognitive disabilities or autism spectrum disorders, you should be sure to interview parents before the students come to you, so you have some of their favorite things. Often offering a favorite toy for a brief period is a strong enough reinforcer to keep a young student on task.An Informal Preference Assessment: Lay a number of things that children of the same age enjoy playing with and watch what a student shows the most interest in. You may seek similar toys. Also, other items that have shown to be of interest, like toys that light up when you squeeze them, or accordion tubes that make noises when you pull them can be shown and modeled to students to see if they gain their attention. These items are available through catalogs that specialize in providing resources for children with disabilities, such as Abilitations.Observation: What does a child choose to use? What activities do they seem to prefer ? I had a child in an early intervention program who had a pet turtle. We had a nicely painted model turtle of vinyl, and he would work for an opportunity to hold the turtle. With older children, you will find they may have a Thomas the Tank Engine lunch bag, or a Cinderella Umbrella that they cherish, and Thomas and Cinderella may be good partners for reinforcement.Ask the Students: Find out what they find the most motivating. One way to do that is through Reinforcement Menus that  offer students things they can choose. When you collect them from a group, you can decide which items seem to be the most popular and arrange to make them available. A choice chart with the choices they have made can be very helpful, or you can create individual choice charts as I have for middle school students on the Autism Spectrum. If you want to control or limit the number of times they can make each choice (especially computer time, when you have limited computers for a large group) you could als o make tickets with strips at the bottom to tear off, a little like the postings for used cars at the Laundromat.

The Souls And Purest Hearts By George Bernard - 1147 Words

Kindest Souls and Purest Hearts As George Bernard once said, â€Å"life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself,† which is a way to view life’s simplicity. There aren’t any ground rules life hands to you when you are born; therefore it is your life to own. I can’t tell you the way to live your life, but I can tell you to make it a good one. Take risks. Opportunities. Stop settling. Make new friendships or better yet, protect your old ones.With that being said, I am taking my life day by day. I am determined to fulfill the contentment and hope I desire due to my passion for traveling, my faith, and family and friends. My traveling experiences have ignited my interests in continuing to explore different parts of the†¦show more content†¦I stood in awe, trying to not react or scare them off. Was it French? German? I wasn t sure but I admired it. I stayed close around until the family walked off continuing to sight-see. Traveling to D.C. made me realize how much I enjoyed seeing new places and I look forward to new adventures in my future. Being an active member at my church has enriched my life. For example, participating in youth functions monthly has made me the person I am today. Every year my church has annual festivals and different celebrations that I take part in. I have met people with the kindest souls and purest hearts through the activities and it is the reason why I enjoy volunteering my free time. Because of the church, I ve given my time to support needy families around the community; for the past two years, I have devoted my time during Christmas break to go to Rio Bravo to h and out gifts for a family. I was in charge of making this family’s Christmas their best yet. However, the family I was assigned only spoke Spanish and even though Spanish is not something I expert in, seeing a little girl tear up over a Barbie set warmed my heart. The feeling of seeing the little girl’s reaction was a touching and pleasing moment for the parents and myself. With love in their eyes, the parents thanked me and joined their appreciative daughter in playing with her gift. Knowing I supported a family for the holidays with food andShow MoreRelatedMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words   |  702 Pages VICE PRESIDENT PUBLISHER EXECUTIVE EDITOR ASSISTANT EDITOR PRODUCTION MANAGER PRODUCTION ASSISTANT EXECUTIVE MARKETING MANAGER ASSISTANT MARKETING MANAGER MARKETING ASSISTANT DESIGN DIRECTOR SENIOR DESIGNER SENIOR MEDIA EDITOR George Hoffman Lise Johnson Carissa Doshi Dorothy Sinclair Matt Winslow Amy Scholz Carly DeCandia Alana Filipovich Jeof Vita Arthur Medina Allison Morris This book was set in 10/12 New Caledonia by Aptara ®, Inc. and printed and bound by Courier/WestfordRead MoreStrategic Marketing Management337596 Words   |  1351 Pagesare two types of organization: those with a marketing department and those with a marketing soul. Those with a marketing department tend to believe still that the business models and formulae that have worked well in the past will continue to work well in the future, despite the sorts of often radical changes that have affected and still are affecting the vast majority of markets. Those with a marketing soul can be seen to be those organizations in which the senior management team has recognized that

Music Therapy And Its Effects - 854 Words

Music therapy is not currently a widely recognized option of treatment. If an individual goes to see a healthcare professional nowadays, it would be highly unlikely that that individual would receive a recommendation for music therapy treatment. Yet, music therapy is an established field of medical science that dates back to the time of the ancient Greeks. So, what is music therapy? Music therapy is defined as â€Å"treatment including creating, singing, moving to, and/or listening to music† (â€Å"What is Music Therapy†). In other words, music therapy is simply a patient interacting with music in some shape or form. If combined with another suitable method of treatment, Music therapy has been shown to provide rehabilitation for patients suffering with physical, psychological, and emotional disorders. Music therapy can provide specific physical benefits to patients. In a study performed by Bradt et al., it was concluded that music therapy could be helpful for cancer pa tients to provide pain and anxiety relief: â€Å"it is recommended that music therapy is made available to cancer patients during active cancer treatment† (1270). Music therapy in general seems to be a useful tool in providing pain and anxiety relief. Furthermore, music therapy seems to have highly beneficial effects for patients neurological defects. For example, according to Rice and Johnson, whose article focuses on therapy for patients with Sensorimotor deficiencies, â€Å"NMT [neurological music therapy] interventionsShow MoreRelatedMusic Therapy And Its Effects2117 Words   |  9 Pagesabout the issue if music is good for healthy body and mental recently. This phenomenon makes the music therapy becomes popular. 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Just simply listening to music calms and puts the brain at ease. Music Therapy is beneficial to this specific group because though they may have deficits socially, they show none when it comes to musical affect. This form of therapy allows autistic children

Personal activities free essay sample

If my personal activities portion of this application seem a little skimpy, or perhaps not as full as many other applicants, I’d like to offer an explanation: â€Å"Cenobites are not idlers, nor is the recluse a do-nothing. I ask that you look past my lack of reported activities, and think along the lines of Victor Hugo; it may not seem as if I’ve done much extracurricular work, but perhaps there’s more than just what appears on the surface. I believe that many people are not all they seem, and just need someone to look a little deeper and find what truly makes them worthwhile. Gold must be dug for before you can appreciate its worth, and I think the same goes for individuals. No, I have not been as active as some of my peers in after-school activities or clubs, but it was not, I assure you, out of disinterest; I regret not participating more, but other things were on my plate, just as I’m sure there were important things on the plates of those who did pa rticipate. We will write a custom essay sample on Personal activities or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I never participated in track or another sport; I waited until I got home so my sister and I could walk together instead. I was not in chorus, and I dropped out of band in my ninth grade year. I did not enjoy playing saxophone or singing as much as I did listening to someone with actual talent (of which I freely admit I had little.) Instead I taught myself piano and have been playing on my own for eight years; I don’t have much talent in this area either (probably from not having a real teacher), but I know enough to play my favorite songs and I enjoy it immensely. Rather than having a job, though I applied for quite a few, I took care of my nephews every day after school so their parents, my siblings, could have a little peace; they needed help, and still do, more than I needed a small income. I don’t have an answer for every activity in which I didn’t participate; some simply didn’t interest me, while others I had no way to attend. But I was still active, and I was still participating. But how would I list these activities on an application? â€Å"Writing to Enhance Skills Club,† â€Å"Reading to Broaden Horizons Meetings,† or maybe â€Å"Creativity for Sheer Enjoyment Team†. If I could list such activities, believe me, I would in a heartbeat because I was very involved in each. But instead I just have this statement, and maybe one more quote from Mr. Hugo: â€Å"A man is not idle because he is absorbed in thought. There is a visible labor and an invisible labor.† I appreciate your time, and I hope that as you consider other candidates and me for admission, you remember to look for the invisible, even though it is sometimes difficult to spot.