by Niya Cyrus, Managing Editor
As you enter the classroom, you feel a wave of tiredness takes over your body. You only got about five hours of sleep the night before, and you simply did not have the energy to make it up three flights of stairs before coming inside.
You are a little early for class, so you decide to sit down and place your head on the table, thinking you can get a couple seconds of shut-eye before class begins. You feel a tap on your shoulder to let you know the class is about to start.
Your teacher, Mr. Cyrus Ishikawa, math teacher, asks if anyone wants candy to wake them up because he can tell the class is about to fall asleep. The class immediately lights up and everyone is ecstatic.
Almost everyone can remember a time when they were rewarded for doing something well, whether it was for simply cleaning up their room or for winning first prize at a competition. This is an example of positive reinforcement, where something is added to make future behavior more likely. There are also times when objects or privileges can be taken away for not performing up to standards or even following directions. That’s negative reinforcement.
Positive reinforcement is often used by educators to motivate their students to perform up to expectations or even just to give them a boost of energy.
“Research has found that adolescents are more motivated by positive incentives and have some difficulty staying motivated in an effort to avoid penalties,” said Ms. Marlen McKinney, a history teacher who also teaches the AP Psychology course. “Teenagers, for example, are more likely to be able to learn new habits if they are offered a positive motivator – a reward – rather than threatened with a punishment.”
These two types of reinforcement can have effects on the brains of children and young adults as they grow and develop.
Since students feel they are being listened to and appreciated, they are able to pay deeper attention to the subject at hand. They are able to feel as if they are cared for and that their best interest is at heart, according to Ms. McKinney.
This can go a long way in making the difference in a student who does not even like the subject they are being taught. They could dislike the topic, but because the teacher wants to see incremental improvement, they will put in my time and effort to see the teacher happy.
“Ms. Fitzpatrick will ask her students to write a few things that you are proud of in your paper. When she corrects your paper she puts positive comments on what she thinks you did well,” said Natalie Peoples ‘21.
Some ways in which teachers use positive reinforcement in the classroom could simply be by adding a gold star to the top of a test or even rewarding the students with a smiley face next to an observation answered correctly on a project or paper.
“On quizzes and tests, because they are higher stakes, I will put smiley faces on the paper. In class when a student goes deeper in their thinking I will give them high fives,” said Mr. Will Robertson, science teacher.
Not only do students benefit from this, but teachers do as well.
“I know that teachers greatly benefit from seeing their students perform increasingly better in class,” said Ms. McKinney. “That’s why teachers teach—to help their students learn. To open their students’ minds to the thought of loving—or at least appreciating—the subject matter.”
When teachers use positive reinforcement instead of negative reinforcement, the student-teacher bond is enhanced. This can make the biggest difference for a student and a teacher in the long run when they both have seen the hard work and encouragement pay off