Nathanial is a 3-year-old boy in my class who is struggling immensely with obeying the classroom rules and routines. He is an only child, his grandmother looks after him mostly, as both his parents work full time jobs, and currently every day is a struggle for him in class. This blog post is going to look at how interventions, employing B.F. Skinner’s theories, can help Nathanial with his defiant behaviour, to make kindergarten a more enjoyable, meaningful and stress-free experience for him.
A Look Into Behaviourism
Skinner's theories can be broadly categorised as behaviourist theories (Lumen Learning, n.d.). Behaviourism is a division of Psychology which began at the end of the nineteenth century. It was first pioneered by Russian psychologist, Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936). It was later developed by Edward L Thorndike (1874-1936), John B. Watson (1878-1958) and BF Skinner (1904-1990). It’s key principle is the idea that all behaviour is linked to a neurological connection between stimulus and response.
Skinner expanded on Pavlov’s theories, finding that the relationship between stimulus and response was far more complex than a simple reaction (as was the case with Pavlov’s dogs). He noted that humans tend to repeat behaviour that is rewarded and steer away from behaviour that is punished, and can therefore learn to modify their behaviour to gain positive experiences and avoid negative consequences (UK Essays, 2018).
The technical name that Skinner gave to this stimulus/response connection was “Operant Conditioning”. In the classroom, students can be “conditioned” to perform certain desirable behaviours as opposed to other undesirable behaviours, in anticipation of reward or punishment (Renner, R. 2018).
The Behaviour
Nathaniel engages in a variety of disruptive and undesirable behaviours on a daily basis in Kindergarten.
He doesn’t like being told what to do, and will blatantly ignore the teachers when they try to intervene
He refuses to follow classroom routines and rules
He refuses to follow directions, and the guidance of adults
He frequently remains in place, refusing to move when told to do something
He procrastinates on instructions and tasks if they are not to his liking (only completing tasks or activities he enjoys)
He plays with toys or other classroom items instead of following instructions
He isn’t able to share nicely with his peers; snatching toys and books from them
He is unwilling to let issues go, creating a scene before attempting to compromise
He has frequent tantrums and meltdowns, consisting of excessive screaming, crying, and stamping his feet
He is easily triggered into an irritable/angry mood
He frequently challenges the authority of adults
He is unable to admit mistakes, and
He is inflexible in his emotions
It is known that children misbehaving have a harder time learning in school (Morin, 2021), and generally spend little of their day actually engaged in the class (Strain et al, 2017). Nathaniel's actions are negatively affecting not only Nathanial, but his classmates and his teachers.
Nathanial | Classmates | Teachers |
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Goals
Strain et al (2017) believes the most effective strategies to address challenging behaviour include environmental, social and emotional manipulations that focus on preventing challenging behaviour and promoting appropriate social behaviours.
Morin (2021) recommends using a Behavioural Intervention Plan (BIP) to address the behaviour and prevent it getting in the way of learning.
A BIP is a “formal, written plan that teaches and rewards good behaviour, and attempts to stop bad behaviour”. It should ideally be made by a school team, not the teacher alone, after careful observation, monitoring and interviewing (with the teacher/s and the family). It should also be updated frequently, as children and situations do change over time.
The timing of intervention is also very important. When Nathaniel is having a tantrum or meltdown, it is likely to be due to one of 2 main reasons; he is looking for attention, or he doesn’t want to perform a task or activity. Strain et al (2017) recommends two strategies during episodes, 1). give minimum attention (to avoid reinforcing said reasons for the behaviour), and 2). don’t engage in any form of behaviour modification, as it probably isn't going to be effective. Behaviour modification strategies should mostly focus on times when Nathaniel is not engaging in severe challenging behaviours.
Involving Nathaniel’s family in the process of addressing behaviour is another key area of behaviour modification. Teachers need to effectively communicate the intervention plan with Nathanial’s family, who in turn need to communicate this with all of Nathan’s caregivers. It is important for school-life and home-life to be on the same page in terms of Nathanial’s discipline. Initially, this would need to be in the form of a meeting, where the teacher will be able to show Nathanial’s parents his behaviour charts, as well as find out a bit more about Nathanial’s home life. Once an intervention plan has been established, a follow-up meeting can be arranged, to explain the plan to the family, and get them on-board. Certain interventions will need to also be followed through at home, to ensure consistency. Thereafter, a weekly communication journal can be completed, either in the form of a written journal, or an online journal, where both the teachers and Nathanial’s family record progress.
Incentives + Consequences
According to Skinner’s theory on operant conditioning, there are a total of 4 consequences to address Nathanial’s behaviour, namely positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment and negative punishment.
Examples for each category to apply to Nathanial include:
1. Positive Reinforcement:
Give Nathanial something he likes, after completing desirable behaviour, e.g. praising him, placing his name onto the green traffic light system, giving him a sticker
2. Negative Reinforcement:
Take away something he doesn’t like, after completing desirable behaviour, e.g. remove his name from the yellow traffic light system (on the behavioural reward system yellow indicates he won't get a sticker at the end of the day if he remains on the yellow)
3. Positive Punishment:
Give him something he doesn’t like, after showing undesirable behaviour, e.g. a time out, or placing his name on the yellow or red traffic light.
4. Negative Punishment:
Take away something he likes, after displaying undesirable behaviour, e.g. avoid giving him attention, delay outside play by a couple minutes with the use of a timer, or remove a sticker from his sticker chart.
The Strategy
Ankucic, M (2021) recommends 3 key components when using reinforcement strategies: immediacy, frequency and consistency. Students need to feel the connection between their behaviour and the consequences, and teachers need to display frequency and consistency so students always know exactly what to expect.
Jowen (2021) has a great 5-point system for addressing undesirable behaviour in the classroom using Skinner’s theory of conditioning. From setting goals, to recording and evaluating, it is extensive, and highly useful. Below is an illustration of applying this system to Nathanial's behavioural modification.
Increasing Engagement
Personally, I prefer more reinforcement than punishment in my classroom. Skinner too, after years of observing behaviour in response to various stimuli, concluded that rewards are a much more effective way of guiding behaviour than punishment (UK Essays, n.d.). They lead to a more desirable and social atmosphere, in which children are free to be themselves and express themselves, as opposed to constant fear of punishment. Punishment can be effective in helping reduce the worst excesses of undesirable behaviour but I don't believe it should be the number one driving force for classroom management. My 3 key areas I will focus on to increase engagement for Nathanial (and his classmates) are:
Addressing positive behaviour
It is important to acknowledge positive behaviour as frequently as possible, in both big and small situations. Giving students recognition for positive behavior, such as participating, following rules and directions, is far more effecting in managing, promoting and correcting undesired behaviour, than negative reinforcement. Studies have recommended a 5:1 rule, 5 positive affirmations for every 1 criticism, as well as extending praise more frequently to those students who engage in more undesirable behaviour, such as Nathanial. The praise also needs to be soon after the desired activity is exhibited to help students make associations (PBIS World, n.d.).
Praising Good Behaviour
Providing praise can be a particularly excellent motivator for students like Nathanial. Research suggests it helps boost students’ engagement, motivation, confidence, self-esteem and resilience. It also increases students’ drive to please, thus sparking an internal desire to try, persist and push through difficult barriers. Positive praise is especially important when students are feeling stuck or frustrated, when they have overcome something, when they show initiative, when they engage in positive behaviour previously struggled with, or when they step out of their comfort zones and take risks. Praise can be done quietly, or in front of the whole class, it can be verbal or physical (high-five, fist-bump), and it should be delivered in a positive tone with clear direction to its receiver (PBIS World, n.d.).
Reward Systems
Research shows rewards can be a great form or encouragement and motivation for students, engaging them through visual, tangible indicators of performance. They are particularly beneficial for students needing outward motivators (PBIS World, n.d.). Renner, R (2018) warns against making use of rewards too frequently in the classroom, as they rely heavily on extrinsic motivation. This can hinder students' ability to develop intrinsic motivation as strongly, thus when rewards are removed, the behaviours they shaped are likely to decrease or disappear too. Therefore it is recommended to use a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic motivators in the classroom to drive engagement and motivation.
In conclusion, Nathanial is a bright boy, who deep down is trying to navigate his new life in Kindergarten and the struggles and frustrations that come with it. At face value, he may appear to be"spoilt" or "naughty" , but in reality, he is just in desperate need of behavioural modification, that Kindergarten can provide for him. Effectively applying Skinner's theory on Operant Conditioning should allow him to learn and develop an ability to choose desirable behaviour over undesirable behaviour, and in turn make Kindergarten a happier, more rewarding environment for himself and his peers.
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