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BOOST YOUR SKILLS
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Some teachers are
extraordinarily adept at the effective use of
praise, reprimands, and behavioral interventions,
but many teachers of "high maintenance" children
can benefit from some pointers or tips, so here are
a few tips.
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HONE YOUR USE OF PRAISE
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To increase the effectiveness
of praise, keep it:
- Contingent: praise the
targeted behavior when it occurs and only when
it occurs
- Specific: in your praise,
include a brief description of the behavior you
are praising (e.g., "Great organizing of your
papers, Johnny!"
- Sincere
Remember, however, that even
the most effective praise is probably not enough to
establish new routines. Use extrinsic rewards as
well as praise at the beginning of training.
Rewards don't have to be material items, but can
also include enjoyable activities such as special
one-to-one time reading a book together, a walk on
the beach together, staying up a bit later, being
the school librarian's assistant, etc.
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HONE YOUR USE OF REPRIMANDS
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To increase the effectiveness
of reprimands:
- Keep it short: use the
child's name plus two words
- Keep it soft: audible
only to the child
- Be close: you should be
within arm's length when delivering the
reprimand
- Touching the child on the
shoulder may help, but that varies by child and
situation
- Try to get -- but do not
force -- eye contact
- Do not engage in "public
hangings"
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USE ATTRIBUTION,
NOT PERSUASION
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Using attribution ("You're
being a good organizer" or "you're working hard at
organizing yourself") is more effective than trying
to persuade the child by saying things like "You
should be more organized" or "You should try harder
to organize yourself."
Using attribution also
conveys high, positive expectations for behavior.
This approach (attribution) can be applied to
academic and social behaviors.
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RISK OF IGNORING MISBEHAVIOR
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Praise desirable behavior and
ignore misbehavior or infractions? Maybe
not…..
Although many parents ask
teachers to ignore misbehavior, keep in mind that
ignoring misbehavior or undesirable behavior
doesn't promote appropriate behavior. Yes, you need
to prioritize and consider how much you target at
one time, and whether the behavior is likely to be
modifiable through environmental changes and other
supports, but ignoring misbehavior doesn't
necessarily extinguish it and may only allow the
misbehavior to become a bad habit. Just some food
for thought….
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