Behavior Management Tips: Positive Reinforcement

Alleviate student boredom, manage noise levels and promote good behavior with these tips for the classroom.

Boredom Buster
Are your students acting bored? Get something in their hands that makes them active learners. Teach them note taking, have them take notes during class and create questions for a classroom quiz. "A pencil in the hand (even if they're just doodling) often closes mouth and opens minds," says Jay Edwards, a resource specialist at Hemet (California) Elementary School.

Get Them on Tape
If a class is consistently noisy and disruptive, bring in a tape recorder; place it where it can be seen by the students, and record the class. At the end of class, give a quiz on the material covered, and see how they score. Then play the tape and discuss with students how they might improve their scores.

And the Winner Is ...
Throughout the week, "catch" students in the act of doing something good -- whether it's good work or a good deed. Write down each student's name and good behavior on a slip of paper, and place it in a jar. At the end of the week, draw a few names from the jar and hand out small prizes to the winners of the drawing.

Article by Linda Starr
Education World®
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