Imagine standing in front of a room full of hyperactive seven-year-olds running around and pushing each other. Now imagine it's your job to shut them up, sit them down, and teach them the basic rules of subtraction. What would you do? Would you scream to overcome their shrill voices? Would you tell them that anyone who wasn't seated in the next ten seconds would lose ten minutes of break time? Perhaps you would tell them that there is a reward waiting for the child who stays the quietest and most still in the next ten seconds. Each of these strategies can be affective with students. But using positive reinforcement like rewards instead of negative reinforcement like punishments creates an overall more supportive learning environment. As an education specialist and experienced student teacher, I know firsthand how important it is for teachers to find a way to manage classroom behavior while creating a positive and stimulating educational environment. Because punishments reinforce negative behavior, positive reinforcement should be the first method used by elementary school teachers to manage students' behavior, in order to help them achieve social and academic achievement, allow students to build a work ethic stronger and provide a positive environment in which students can be more successful. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Punishments and negative reinforcement have been the traditional method of classroom management since the implementation of public and group education. In his article Corporal Punishment in Schools: Theoretical Discussion and Personal Experience Omar Alsaif states that in the past, teachers used negative reinforcement as strong as corporal punishment because they believed it would improve their students' work ethic and abilities (19). Recently in America this method has been rejected to the point of making its use illegal in schools. Teachers are adopting more positive ways to encourage their students rather than creating an environment of fear. This can be a difficult transition for educators to make. Elementary school teachers, in particular, are entrusted with one of the most difficult yet most important jobs in the world, educating the next generation and paving the way for its future. Naturally the responsibility and stress of the job would lead teachers to use the simplest method to implement classroom management. While yelling at students or implementing punishments may be easy, they are neither the most effective nor the best methods for students. [Story, Flattery] There is substantial evidence that negative reinforcements such as punishments actually have the opposite long-term effect that teachers hope for. Christina Kennedy and Kristine Jolivette, both professional child behavior researchers and authors of the article The Effects of Positive Verbal Reinforcement, found that punishments, especially when administered in a public setting that can cause humiliation, can actually stimulate negative behavior in students as rebellion or social withdrawal (212). Because of these effects, positive reinforcement should be the focus of teachers as they work toward strong classroom management. Of course, as a teacher, I understand the temptation for teachers to lose their temper, yell, threaten, or simply make their students obey by any means possible. But creating a healthy learning environment through positive reinforcement will, in the long run, help teach students torespect the teacher and others. Positive reinforcement encourages students to achieve both socially and academically. Academically, students will naturally be encouraged to succeed by teachers who seem genuinely concerned about them. A study conducted by Kanacri et al., found that children who perceived their teacher and learning environment as positive were more likely to show better academic adjustment the following year (1102). The use of positive reinforcement and rewards for success not only encourages good behavior but also helps build positive relationships between teachers and students. When students feel that the teacher is on their side, instead of constantly scolding or punishing them, they are more likely to strive for the academic success encouraged by the teacher. Socially, modeling mutual respect helps students learn to interact with each other appropriately. The use of negative reinforcement and punishment in a public classroom can be socially harmful to a student. Imagine being a shy girl in first grade who talks animatedly to the girl next to her and doesn't hear the teacher ask the class to be quiet. Imagine the teacher scolding the little girl for being disobedient and asking her to sit in the “quiet chair” in the corner while all her friends stare at her. Yes, the child would stop talking in class, but she might also reduce her talking a lot during the school day, which is socially unhealthy. Now let's imagine instead that the teacher offers a reward to the students who have been quietest in the class. Each student would be thrilled to be chosen for the reward and would focus on being silent in class without having to be scolded or publicly humiliated. It seems like this concept should be obvious to experienced teachers. Unfortunately, the implementation of positive reinforcement as a classroom management method has been slow and is still rare to see in many classrooms. Using positive reinforcement to implement classroom management helps students create a stronger work ethic from a young age. As mentioned above, students who feel encouraged and supported by their teachers are more likely to succeed academically. But this academic success does not simply happen without effort on the part of students. They work hard and are satisfied with the results because they are encouraged by the positive learning environment around them. Because this incentive can be given at such a young age, they begin to subconsciously build a strong work ethic that will last a lifetime. Teachers who encourage their students to work hard in elementary school are building hard-working future college students. Using positive reinforcement is one of the best ways to create this type of encouragement and incentive. Positive reinforcement in a classroom creates a positive learning environment. An example of this from my teaching experience came when I was a student teacher for a first grade class at a local private school. The host teacher created a reward system for her students using colored cotton balls. Every time a student or group of students was particularly attentive or obedient they received a colored cotton ball. Students with the most cotton balls at the end of each month received a reward such as candy or a toy. The students were excited to take part in the lesson and work hard for their cotton balls. They were proud of the rewards they received and understood the connection between their positive behavior and positive consequences..