Positive Reinforcement in the Classroom

Positive reinforcement is a powerful motivational tool that can empower students to push themselves to work hard and achieve amazing things. It can also be an effective way to reward and encourage good behaviour in class, helping to foster a positive learning environment. In this article we will outline what positive reinforcement is and its benefits. We will also provide examples of how you can use positive reinforcement in your classroom.

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What is Positive Reinforcement?

Positive reinforcement refers to positively rewarding desired behaviour such as academic success, active participation or showing respect towards other classmates. This behaviour is positively reinforced through verbal praise, rewards or privileges. For example, a student who consistently does well in the weekly spelling test may be rewarded by being given the opportunity to pick a film for the class to watch at the end of term. Consequently, students are encouraged to maintain the desired behaviour and are consistently rewarded for doing so. In comparison, negative reinforcement refers to punishing undesirable behaviour often by taking something away or assigning less enjoyable tasks, such as tidying the classroom. 

Positive reinforcement is arguably more effective when it takes place over a long period of time such as the school year or term. This is because it sets the expectation that the desired behaviour should be a student’s consistent approach to school and their studies, rather than a short-term approach simply to get a reward after one week of good behaviour. 

It’s important to find a healthy balance between positive and negative reinforcement as responding to negative behaviour with positive reinforcement can have the opposite effect, undermining discipline and rendering reinforcement of any kind redundant. 

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Types of Positive Reinforcement

There are many different types of positive reinforcement including:

• Rewards – Rewarding a student is one of the most palpable types of positive reinforcement. The reward offered can vary and doesn’t necessarily have to be something of great value. In fact, it can be made even more meaningful if the reward is something rooted in academics, such as allowing a student to be the first to pick from a selection of books, films or craft supplies or rewarding them with an important responsibility such as being in charge of watering the classroom plant for a week. Physical rewards can also be given such as sweets or stationary, however it’s important that the reward doesn’t become something of such high value, whether monetarily or socially, that students strive to attain it for the wrong reasons. 

• Praise – Not all rewards need to be physical and vocally praising a student is another great way to positively reinforce behaviour. Not only does this acknowledge the effort and hard work that a student has put in, it highlights the benefits of this behaviour to other students so that they are encouraged to model it themselves. Verbal praise recognises the hard work that a student has done and motivates them to continue this work. 

• Group Work – Group activities can be an easy way to inject fun into the classroom. Games and group exercises encourage collaboration and mutual respect as students work together to solve a problem, win a quiz or create something wonderful. Using group work as a means of positive reinforcement introduces some levity into the classroom whilst keeping things educational. When students are then able to enjoy a fun activity together as a result of good behaviour, it encourages them to continue this behaviour so that they can keep having fun moments together. 

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Benefits of Positive Reinforcement in the Classroom

The benefits of positive reinforcement include:

• Active participation – students are encouraged to participate as they know their hard work will be recognised and rewarded. 
• Consistent good behaviour – as good behaviour is rewarded students will naturally seek to continue this behaviour. 
• Open communication – positive reinforcement can help to strengthen the trust between students and teachers as students know their hard work is recognised. This can encourage them to be more vocal with teachers about issues they may be facing before it leads to disruptive behaviour. 
• Positive learning environment – when success is celebrated loudly everyone is able to share in the experience. This creates an environment where students feel supported and can encourage one another to work hard. 
• Increased motivation – having achievements and hard work recognised is a powerful motivator and can help to improve a student’s confidence making them more willing to try new and potentially difficult things. 

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8 Examples of Positive Reinforcement in the Classroom

There are many different ways in which positive reinforcement can be introduced in the classroom. One of the easiest ways to introduce positive reinforcement is through verbal praise, however it’s a good idea to have a range of ways to positively reinforce behaviour in your arsenal so that students remain engaged. 

When providing positive reinforcement, remember that the focus should be on the good behaviour that is being rewarded, not on the reward itself. If too much focus is put on what the reward is rather than what is being rewarded, students may inadvertently try hard purely to attain something of high monetary or social value. Having a range of ways to positively reinforce behaviour can help to prevent this and ensure that all students are catered for as some students will naturally prefer some rewards over others. 

Below you will find 8 examples of positive reinforcement in the classroom. These examples can be modified so that you can offer a tailored experience to your students. 

1. Verbal Praise – As mentioned, verbal praise is one of the easiest and quickest ways to positively reinforce good behaviour. Ensure that you are being specific with the praise that you are giving and highlight the behaviour or work that garnered the praise rather than a blanket statement of ‘well done.’ 

2. Sticker Chart – Sticker charts can be used to track good behaviour over a specific time period such as a week or a term. Once a student attains a set number of stickers they can receive a reward, directly showing them how their good behaviour leads to good things. It also allows students to visually see how they are doing and evokes healthy competition as they work towards a goal rooted in good behaviour. 

3. Certificates – These can work in tandem with a sticker chart and be presented as a reward for good behaviour. Certificates add a more formal element to the recognition that a student receives and provides them with a tangible reward for what they have achieved. Certificates can also be tailored to a specific student’s success such as improving their handwriting or spelling. 

4. House Points – If your school has houses then house points are a good way to encourage collective good behaviour. Students can be encouraged to work hard for the good of their house thereby contributing to the success of a larger community. If your school does not have houses then you can still encourage collective good behaviour with class-wide reward systems which all students enjoy the benefits of at the end of term. 

5. Public Recognition – Public recognition can elevate the verbal praise that you give a student by reinforcing that their good behaviour is something that everyone should recognise and celebrate. This can be done in front of the class at the start of the day or during a school assembly and reaffirms to students that successes and hard work are things that should be celebrated loudly. Moreover, it can also serve to inspire other students to act in a similar manner. Public recognition could also include contacting a student’s parents to let them know about their good behaviour. 

6. Additional Responsibilities – It might seem contradictory to reward good behaviour with more responsibility but this can be a powerful motivator for some students. Providing a student with more responsibility as a reward reaffirms your trust in them and faith that they will continue their good behaviour and try their hardest with their new responsibilities. The responsibilities could range from writing the date on the board each morning for a week, to being form captain for a term depending on what works for your setting and the student. 

7. Games – Effective positive reinforcement shouldn’t minimise or trivialise the good behaviour nor should it render your classroom a constant ‘fun house.’ Nevertheless, a reward such as playing a game, whether that be an educational game or a quick 15 minutes to play something completely unrelated to school, can be a fun and creative reward for students and a temporary break from the more formal classroom structure. 

8. Badges – Visual markers of good behaviour provide students with something to be proud of and to ‘show off’ to other students and their family. Badges can be used as rewards and given to students who embody certain positive qualities such as being a team player, being kind to others or always trying their best. These badges then become something that students wear with pride and an indicator of the good behaviour they have demonstrated and should now uphold. They can also act as important motivators for other students. 

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Positive reinforcement is an incredibly effective tool that evokes good behaviour in students. Recognising achievements and positively reinforcing good behaviour encourages students to be proud of themselves and what they can achieve. In turn, this helps to strengthen relationships between students and teachers as students learn that their hard work is in fact noticed and will be rewarded. Positive reinforcement allows you to highlight what your students are doing well rather than focusing on what is lacking. This encourages mutual respect and helps to build a positive, respectful and collaborative learning environment. 

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