Developing the Habit of Nipping Potential Misbehavior in the Bud - Essay Example

Reinforcement entails either the introduction of a favorable stimulus or the withdrawal of an aversive stimulus with the sole intention of encouraging or discouraging desired and undesired behaviors respectively (Nevid 187-188).

Contrastingly, punishment entails the introduction of an aversive stimulus, which more often than not inflicts physical or psychological harm on the victim, with the sole intention of deterring undesired behaviors. In light of this, it is possible for teachers to deter their students from engaging in disruptive behaviors. As outlined in Module 4’s text, a hierarchy of intervention strategies exists for teachers to use to deter unwanted behaviors (COMP 4.22). Almost two years ago, I happened to be interning at an elementary school in the district, when I came across the most bizarre disruptive behavior from a student.

Approximately ten minutes into the lesson, this young boy would start tapping his pencil on the desk rapidly. As time elapsed, the tapping got louder, which caused students seating near him to lose their concentration. At first, I wrote this behavior off because I simply assumed that it was the student’s way of internalizing taught concepts. It was only when students started complaining about the behavior, that I decided to intervene. Immediately the boy began tapping his pencil ten minutes into the lesson, I first ignored him for a minute.

However, as the tapping got louder, I made eye contact with the student, and soon increased the physical proximity between the student and me. This did not seem to deter this bizarre behavior, and I could tell that the student was unaware of my intention. Therefore, I decided to touch his hand gently, an action, which forced him to spontaneously stop the behavior. Excited that I had achieved what I had set out to do, I walked away from the student. By the time I got to the front of the classroom, the tapping commenced.