Consequences

Consequences are what happen as the result of a behavior. There are those which we "manufacture" and apply; such as praise, reprimand, grades, granting or taking away privileges, etc. When inappropriate behaviors persist in spite of our usual efforts, it may be because the unintended, more natural consequences are more reinforcing than those we impose. Identifying the consequences that are reinforcing the misbehavior can help us limit their power, as well as help us to invent additional consequences that can compete with, or replace, the rewards they give. While this should include both positive and negative consequences, rewards for appropriate behavior are more effective than negative consequences. 

Frequency of Consequence

If acting silly is being reinforced by other students in the classroom laughing, this natural consequence can be earned as often as as the child wishes. Perhaps the natural consequence for talking out is that the child did not have to make the uncomfortable effort of controlling himself. For either of these students, an end-of-the-day smiley/sad face may do little to decrease these misbehaviors. Even if the reward at the day is as huge as an ice cream party, it may be too much to ask for some students to deny themselves for an entire school day. When misbehaviors persist in spite of increased negative consequences, continuing this strategy is clearly ineffective and is probably a negative effect on the tone of your classroom. This is when it is time to increase the frequency of positive consequences. 

Choosing Rewards

A reward is only effective is the child values it. If your current system of rewards is not effective, you could ask the child directly what they would be willing to work for and developing a contract to earn it. If this is not successful, it may be because even though the child would like to earn the identified reward, it is still not powerful enough to offset their desire for the natural consequences the receive as a result of the misbehavior. 

For example, while a student would love to earn a pass to the library, the desire for peer attention may be stronger. Identifying the function of the misbehavior will help identify the types of rewards that are the most powerful. The following can be used in this process:

• Reinforcement Survey

• Forced-Choice Reinforcement Menu

• Reinforcement List

Praise

The most simple consequence is teacher praise. We may consider on-task behavior the expected norm for students, take it for granted, and not provide much praise for this. Rather than taking it for granted with a student who has a problem with this, and only offering negative feedback when it is not happening, make a special effort to give positive praise when you see

Effective praise is specific, personalized, and sincere.

• Specific and Personalized: Name a specific behavior that this child has had difficulty with before. “I can see that you really took your time to write neatly. This looks great!”

• Sincere: The child should feel that you are truly celebrating a success. If there is an undercurrent of it being backhanded, you will be doing more harm than good. 

I often hear the argument that rewarding a student for meeting minimal behavioral expectations is unfair to the rest of the class. Is it unfair for a student with a deficit in math to receive additional support in math? Rick Lavoie explains this very simply, “Fairness does not mean that everyone gets the same, fairness actually means that everyone gets what he or she needs.” (Full video here)

A Note About Group Consequences

Group consequences can be very helpful for teaching teamwork and can use peer pressure to your advantage. However, a student with particularly difficult behaviors can cause an unfair burden on the group, leading to resentments and social exclusion.