Reinforcement is a process of encouraging or strengthening a particular behaviour, attitude (s), or response through various means such as rewards, gifts,praise, recognition, positive feedback etc. Positive Reinforcement will go a long way in helping or boosting individual self-esteem because it is a powerful tool that can significantly impact on individual behaviour, motivation and overall well being.
Positive Reinforcement is effective in learning environment, as it helps learners to be focus, knowing that there is a reward if they are able to attempt some questions effectively,it helps learners to develop interest, sustain their interest, take risks and help them reach their full potentials.
Examples of Positive Reinforcement are;
Verbal Praise, e.g Good of you!
Stickers or star.
Rare Privilege.
Treats or rewards.
Written acknowledgement, e.g Certificate, Recommendation Letter etc.
The Key Benefits of Positive Reinforcement are;
Boost Confidence and Self Esteem.
Encourages Positive Behaviours and Habits.
Motivate Learners to take risks and try new things.
Fosters growth mindset.
Strengthens Relationships and Builds Trust.
Increases Resilience and Perseverance.
Promotes a Condusive Learning Environment.
Decrease bullying and some other undesired behaviours among the learners.
Promotes Creativity and healthy rivalry among the Learners in Class.
Increases Resilience and Perseverance among the Learners.
How to Implement Positive Reinforcement.
Identify the behaviour.
Set clear and specific expectations among the group, class or team members.
Choose Reinforcer.
Provide immediate reinforcement, e.g reinforce the behaviour as soon as it occurs.
Be Consistence in Reinforcing.
A practical examples of Reinforcement and it's impact on the learners or the individuals involves;
A Student/Pupil/Learner with a complete home work can be praise verbally, this will encourage the learners to do more, and also trigger those that didn't complete theirs or didn't do at all, to want to attempt theirs.
An employee that meets targets can be encourage yo do more by given bonuses, incentive, increment in wages or salary, recognition etc, this will also trigger other team members to buckle up.
A Respective and/or Obedient Child, can be given a special treat among the other siblings who are not, s/he will wants to do more, while others emulate.
The power of positive reinforcement can not be overemphasized in the society, learning environments, office settings, religious grounds etc. It should therefore be noted that facilitators, teachers, parents, human resources managers, employers and religious leaders should maximize this crucial tool to arrest the attentions of learners, sustain it, employees to more and be resilient.
The image, apart from the Hive Education Logo is mine.
Posted Using INLEO