Effective classroom behaviour management: positive teaching

Effective classroom behaviour management is an essential prerequisite for effective classroom learning. In the literature reporting behaviour analytic studies of classroom behaviour management, the vast majority of studies reported are based on contingency management procedures in which the consequences of classroom behaviour are systematically manipulated. Disruptive behaviour in the classroom is widely acknowledged as being one of the major problems facing many, if not most, teachers, and children with behaviour problems are a common type of referral to educational psychologists. Positive teaching advocates increasing teacher praise and approval and decreasing disapproval and reprimands. Brophy has made the point that praise may or may not function as a positive reinforcer and that teachers may employ praise for purposes other than reinforcement. Positive teaching tends to be associated with strategies based on praise and reward. The aim of the experimental studies was to determine the effect of positive contingent teacher touch on the classroom behaviour of infant-class children.