8: behaviorist tools

Part 1: Consider your CSEL intervention case study.  Are there tools from a behaviorist view for either encouraging productive behaviors or discouraging undesirable behaviors that you could apply to the case? What are they?

In my CSEL case study a student named Lisa is having difficulties behaving in her group during cooperative learning activities. Chapter 9 of our textbook discusses many behaviorist tools for shaping student behavior. First the chapter explains ways to use reinforcement effectively. Reinforcement is used to increase a behavior. In Lisa's situation, I would try to reduce her undesirable behavior. In behaviorism, the strategies for discouraging these behaviors are extinction, cueing, reinforcement of incompatible behaviors, and punishment.

• Extinction: this approach would be to reduce Lisa's negative behavior by never reinforcing it.  While it could be easier for me as a teacher to just let Lisa get the job she wants to avoid disrupting the class any further, that would only encourage her to act out more. Initially this could cause an increase in behavior, but hopefully would eventually help reduce it.
• Cueing: the book suggests using body language or physical proximity to remind students what they should not be doing. If that doesn't work, you could go a step further and use a verbal cue. After a conversation about her behavior, I could apply this strategy by making eye contact with Lisa when she falls off track. This would have to be a later step in the process to adjust her behavior, but a good way to monitor her progress.
• Reinforcement of incompatible behaviors: this approach works by rewarding a positive behavior that cannot be performed at the same time as the negative behavior.  In the case study, I could use this by reinforcing Lisa's positive behaviors like working well with her group or paying attention.
• Punishment: there are several guidelines provided for administering punishment. One that I think would work well in the case study would be to simultaneously teach and reinforce desirable alternative behaviors. I would do this by explaining the alternate behavior that I would prefer Lisa to enact instead. This would hopefully help keep her motivated and avoid discouraging her too much. 

Part 2: Now compare the interventions that you have identified above with what you think might work from a cognitive or constructivist viewpoint. How do they compare to behaviorist tools? What are the benefits of each theory, and what are the deficits? Which theory might play a larger role in how you determine classroom management?