What is reinforcement in education

Jacqueline Williamson graduated with a BBA in Personnel Admin., an MPA in HR Management and an MS in Education.

NEVER use "scare tactics" or embarrass students in front of peers as a reinforcement technique. This can produce disastrous results.

To reinforce means “to strengthen.” In education, we use reinforcement techniques to provide students with feedback on the acceptability of their performance and thus, to strengthen desirable performance and minimize or eliminate undesirable performance. The specific techniques used to reinforce behavior or learning may vary in relation to what the instructor finds most effective. Be aware of the effects each technique can have on adult learners.

There are three reinforcement techniques I will address in the article.

1. The first type of reinforcement is rewarding. This is classified as Positive Reinforcing.
2. The next type of reinforcement is punishment. This is classified as Negative Reinforcement.
3. The final type of reinforcement is extinguishing. This is done to eliminate a behavior and is designed to encourage or discourage behaviors or learning. Another term for this is behavior modification.

Always encourage students to ask questions. This will insure that they have an understanding of the lesson or concept.

A positive reinforcer is any action by the teacher that encourages the student to behave in the desired way. Reduced to its most basic form, positive reinforcement (reward) theory states that when a student performs some act, such as giving a correct answer to a teacher’s question, and they are rewarded for it by the teacher, they are more likely to repeat the act in the future.

The purpose of the positive reinforcement is to reward the correct behavior that took place immediately before the reinforcement. The effect is to make that behavior more likely to recur. As the student repeats the response and is given further rewards, the behavior becomes more firmly established until it is “learned.”

Rewards may take the form of special privileges or personal approval. Often, the rewards for learning will come from the reinforcement provided by the learning outcomes.

Classroom Example

I will use a real-life example to validate the use of positive reinforcements. In the Administering Medication Class, the focus was on vocabulary building. Medical terminology can be difficult for students to learn if they are not familiar with it. By creating a game out of learning the vocabulary words and rewarding the student with “bonus points,” the students were exposed to an enjoyable learning experience. The students were able to increase a lower grade when these “bonus points” were applied. The results were two-fold. Not only did the students gain knowledge but they were also receiving compensation (improved scores on exams.)

Research demonstrates that if learning is to take place, the following four guidelines must be followed:

1. The subject matter must be presented to the student at their own level.
2. The subject matter must be presented in a logical sequence.
3. The student must know when they are making correct or incorrect responses.
4. Reinforcements must be given as the student gets closer and closer to the defined goal.

Positive reinforcement is by far the most useful and effective type of reinforcement to use while teaching subject matter. Positive reinforcement creates an atmosphere that is inductive to learning. It also makes the learning processes quicker and more efficient. When you have only a limited variety of reinforcing words, expressions, motions, and rewards available to you, it is advisable to use them well.

Reviewing with students in discussion groups allow them to help each other in the learning process.

I mention these techniques only for purposes of information. They can be less desirable methods to use and the effects can be detrimental or threatening to the student. Caution is recommended when considering one of these.

A negative reinforcement is used to discourage undesirable behavior through the use of punishment as consequence. This procedure is generally used with children and not recommended for use with adults. Since most adults work and/or have limited time, it is not feasible to “keep them after classes” or refer them to the school administration for reprimand.

Extinguishing

When a student behavior is not followed by any reward or other reinforcement, that behavior is likely to occur less frequently. This kind of “no reinforcement” tends to reduce the behavior to extinction and is, therefore referred to as extinguishing. The most common form of extinguishing is ignoring the student behavior concerned. This is another procedure that I would not recommend for your adult learner.

Students love it when you turn learning into a game - especially older learners!

Other Effective Techniques

Verbal and Nonverbal Cues

There is a striking relationship between teacher behavior that is stimulating, imaginative, and physically animated and student learning. Gestures, facial expressions, and movements seem to help students comprehend the structure of the lesson, to direct their attention to the important ideas as they occur, and to stimulate attention. They also reinforce desired student behavior by letting students know when you approve of their questions or comments. Make sure that the message you wish to relay is displayed in the appropriate verbal and nonverbal cues you use.

Strengthening Techniques

Two effective strengthening techniques I will mention are summaries and reviews. Summaries and reviews both allow students to look at material again (either with the same focus or from a different perspective) in order to help them grasp the key concepts and retain them. In summarizing a lesson, you

1. Condense the important points covered into a brief summary,
2. Review with the students all the important points covered,
3. Encourage students to ask questions or express ideas, and
4. Use students’ responses to reinforce or clarify the important concepts.

Summing it up!

Summing It Up

Important points to remember:

• A positive reinforcer is something that increases the probability of the behavior being repeated.
• Positive reinforcement must follow the desired behavior, not precede it.
• The reinforcement should follow the student’s response immediately or very shortly afterward.
• At first, the positive reinforcement should be given for every correct response, then less frequently.
• The reinforcement must be omitted when the desired behavior does not occur.
• Negative and extinguishing reinforcement techniques are not recommended for reinforcing adult learners.
• Use both verbal and nonverbal cues to reinforce student behavior.

Once you have decided to incorporate your method of reinforcing your students, remember to strengthen the techniques with summaries and reviews. Your students will appreciate the extra effort.

© 2013 Jacqueline Williamson BBA MPA MS

Jacqueline Williamson BBA MPA MS (author) from Memphis on July 16, 2017:

Observe your students. This will give you important insight which should aid you in deciding what reinforcements work best. Even if you teach a large class; one size doesn't always fit all!

Jacqueline Williamson BBA MPA MS (author) from Memphis on January 30, 2015:

Just teaching a new concept; then moving on to something else is not the best way of insuring comprehension. Reinforcement is needed so that students retain what has been taught and will be able to reapply it.

Jacqueline Williamson BBA MPA MS (author) from Memphis on October 10, 2014:

In order to justify that your students are learning it is imperative that you reinforce the information being relayed. Repetition is the basic reinforcement tool!

Jacqueline Williamson BBA MPA MS (author) from Memphis on May 21, 2014:

It is always important that your students realize the positive implications of a job "well done." Threatening your students with negative outcomes create feelings of anxiety and can produce results that are counterproductive.

Jacqueline Williamson BBA MPA MS (author) from Memphis on April 26, 2014:

There are two types of reinforcement techniques: The Carrot and The Stick. The first type of reinforcement utilizes rewarding for doing a good job. The second type of reinforcement utilizes punishment for doing a bad job. Teachers should strive to use the first and NOT the latter.

Jacqueline Williamson BBA MPA MS (author) from Memphis on December 16, 2013:

Just teaching is not good enough. You have to take the extra effort to reinforce what you've taught to ensure that your students are prepared to go to the next level.