Motivation and Reinforcement in the Classroom

What is Motivation?

  • Motivation is the desire an individual has for a given consequence.
  • An individual is motivated when they engage in behavior to obtain reinforcement.
  • Motivation energizes, directs, and sustains behavior.
  • Key component to teaching students.

Examples of Motivators

  • Computer time
  • Social time with friends
  • Alone time
  • Reading or coloring
  • Time away from school
  • Dancing
  • Food items
  • Music
  • Board games
  • Going outside
  • Transportation vehicles
  • Movies
  • Electronics

Motivation and Learning

  • Motivation can be looked at on an individual level or across the board in the classroom (small/large groups)
  • Without motivation, teaching becomes more challenging.
  • Motivation directs behavior towards particular goals.
  • Motivation leads to increased effort and energy.
  • Motivation determines which consequences are reinforcing or punishing.
  • Motivation enhances performance when the right motivators are used.

Individualizing Motivation

  • Not all students respond the same way to motivators.
  • Be flexible with reinforcers.
  • Types of motivators:
    • Social activities
    • Objects and toys
    • Sports and gross motor activities
    • Alone time
  • Motivation can differ greatly across students.
  • Build flexibility into defining rewards and reinforcers.
  • Some motivation may be intrinsic, and some may be extrinsic.
  • Outside interests becoming distractions may signify not using effective reinforcement

Identifying Motivators

  • Keep an open mind and think about what each student likes and dislikes.
  • Communication and resources can help to find reinforcers.
  • Talk to parents, previous teachers, current teachers to understand the student better.
  • Preference assessments can help figure out student likes and dislikes, different types can be used tailored to the instructor's needs.
  • Students respond to novelty and variety.
  • Individualize strategies.
  • Something reinforcing for one person may be unpleasant for another.

Preference Assessments

  • Identify an individual's favorite things to use as rewards or reinforcers.

Types of Preference Assessments

  • Interviews or Questionnaires
    • Quick and easy way to assess a student.
  • Direct Observations
    • Involve watching students and keeping track of likes and dislikes, and are more time consuming but provide a more accurate assessment.
  • Systematic Assessments
    • Most accurate but take more time.

Interviews or Questionnaires Details

  • Quick and easy way to gather information.
  • Questionnaires can have open-ended, comparison, or reinforcement assessment questions.
  • Can get information from parents, friends, and teachers via phone, electronically, or in person.
  • Students can sometimes fill them out if cognitively appropriate.

Questionnaire Example

  • Favorite questions (e.g., favorite food, social activity).
  • Choice or comparison questions (e.g., snack vs. drink).
  • Ranking of top favorites.

Direct Observation Details

  • Present individual with free access to items and record engagement time.
  • Typically no demands or restrictions.
  • More accurate than a questionnaire because you see the student engaging, take up more time and effort than questionnaires.
  • Can be done over multiple days or sessions.
  • Helps determine the strongest preference of items.

Systematic Assessment Details

  • Present objects and activities to a student.
  • Types: single item, paired assessment, forced choice, multiple choice.
  • Determines the level of preference.
  • Takes the most effort and time but is the most accurate.
  • Helps determine a hierarchy of preferences.
  • Rank items with low, neutral, or high preference.

General Preference Assessment Guidelines

  • Update frequently to avoid boredom.
  • Consider the communication level of the student.
  • Consider time available to administer the assessment.
  • Ensure access to preferred items during the assessment.

Preference vs. Reinforcer

  • A preference is a reinforcer if it increases the frequency of a behavior following each presentation.

What is Reinforcement?

  • Occurs when a stimulus change immediately follows a response and increases the future frequency of that type of behavior in similar conditions.
  • Reinforcement after completing independent work increases future independent work.

General Reinforcement Rules

  • Individualize for students.
  • Identify specific behaviors or skills to reinforce.
  • Reinforcement should be contingent upon the behavior.
  • Provide novelty and variety.
  • Rotate reinforcers and provide choices.
  • Systematically fade reinforcement over time.

Helpful Hints When Using Reinforcement

  • Individualize: Some reinforcers can be used across the classroom, but some students need unique reinforcers.
  • Limit access: If a student has access to something all the time, it won't be as powerful.
  • Rotate and vary reinforcers.
  • Try not to mix category types during assessments.
  • Be creative and think outside the box.

Creating a Positive Classroom Environment

  • Important for preventing problem behavior and supporting academic achievement.
  • How a teacher responds to students sets the classroom tone.
  • Prioritize positive reinforcement.
  • The way positive reinforcement is carried out is more important than the amount.

Examples of Positive Reinforcement

  • Verbal Positive Reinforcement Statements: Good job, descriptive feedback, behavior specific praise.
  • Nonverbal: Smile, thumbs up, pat on the back, a tap on the desk.
  • Privileges: Special seats, free time, additional recess time, first in line for school lunch, fun Fridays, dance breaks.
  • Rewards: Stickers or other tangible items.
  • Incentives: Tokens or tickets that can be cashed in later.
  • Individual Preferred Activities: Computer use, time in a special area, preferred job in the classroom.

Preference Levels of Items

  • High Preference Items
    • Most powerful and strong reinforcers.
    • Student truly loves these items.
    • Save for big times of the day when you need strong reinforcement.
    • Limit access to maintain high preference status.
  • Neutral Preference
    • Sometimes overlooked.
    • Not very powerful, but acceptable to the student.
    • May not be effective in changing behavior.
  • Low Preference Items
    • Not of interest to the student.
    • May be disliked and could be punitive if presented.
    • Should not be used as a reinforcer.

Reinforcement and Behavior

  • A reinforcer is a stimulus change that increases the future frequency of a behavior that immediately precedes it.

Positive Reinforcement Implementation

  • Positive reinforcement can be the most powerful tool if effectively used.
  • Completion of work before reinforcement.
  • Verbal response before reinforcement.
  • Appropriate group behavior before reinforcement.

Types of Reinforcement

  • Individual Reinforcement
    • Individual reinforcement schedules
    • Token systems
    • Verbal praise
    • Natural reinforcement
    • Social reinforcement
    • Activity reinforcement
    • Tangible reinforcement

Token Systems

  • Tokens or points are given immediately to be exchanged for reinforcers later.
  • Tokens act as visual evidence of progress.
  • Value of tokens is unaffected by the mood of the person delivering the token.
  • Students are less likely to get tired on any one reinforcer because tokens can be exchanged for a variety of reinforcers.
  • Tokens remind teachers to reinforce students more often because the teacher has to distribute the tokens.
  • Steps:
    • Define and teach the desired behaviors.
    • Select tokens.
    • Select reinforcers and create a bank.
    • Set token value (number of tokens earned for the desired behavior) and reinforcer cost.
    • The student can cash in tokens at the end of the week or day.

Group Reinforcement Strategies

  • Group Contingencies
    • Independent: Contingencies are in place for all students, but the reward is based on the individual student's behavior.
    • Interdependent: Contingencies are in place for all students, and the reward is based on all students in the class reaching a specific level of behavior.
    • Dependent: Contingencies are placed for all students, but reinforcement of the whole class is based on the performance of only a few students.

Group Contingency Examples

  • Good Behavior Game
    • Assign times of day to play the game.
    • Define the behaviors to be counted.
    • Divide the classroom into teams.
    • Score the target behaviors.
    • The team with the lowest or highest score receives a reward at the end of the week.
    • Reinforces appropriate behaviors.
  • Mystery Motivator
    • Delivers random reinforcement for appropriate classroom behaviors.
    • Provide random reinforcement to students for appropriate behaviors during the week.
    • Give feedback to students on their behavioral performance with variable reinforcement.
    • Reveal the mystery motivator at the end of the week.
    • The unpredictability of the reinforcement schedule supports more consistent levels of student behavior.

Large Group/Class-Wide Reinforcement Reminders

  • Set reasonable expectations for the whole class.
  • Update preference assessments for the whole class.
  • Give behavior-specific praise.
  • Give feedback to students for areas they need to improve in.
  • Model and show what you expect.
  • Be consistent and immediate with reinforcement whenever possible.

Classroom Reinforcement Ideas (with student involvement)

  • Behavior bingo
  • Classroom coupons
  • Terrific tickets
  • Superhero stars
  • Punch card systems
  • Classroom management systems

Final Word on Reinforcement

  • Individualize reinforcement for students whenever you can.
  • Reinforcement should be contingent on a specific behavior.
  • Assess reinforcers as often as needed.