Routine child

guidance

practices should

include but are

not limited to the

following:

1. Having a soundunderstanding aboutthe principles of childgrowth anddevelopment;

2. Preparing a stimulatingand educationalenvironment with avaried curriculum andplenty of age appropriateplay materials;

3. Creating consistentroutines and planningways to have smoothtransitions, enablingchildren’s waiting timesto be productive;

4. Modeling appropriatebehaviors and positiveattitudes;

5. Learning about thechild and familyhistory;

6. Recognizing children’sfeeling when discussingtheir unacceptable behaviorwith them, (separation ofone’s disapproval of thebehavior from the care andrespect for the child);

7. Reducing opportunitiesfor problem behaviorsbefore they begin byfocusing children awayfrom potential problemsand expanding effortstowards redirection;

8. Helping children learnabout natural consequencesbecause appropriate naturalconsequences appeal totheir sense of logic, “When Ido this; this is whathappen”;

9. Providingopportunities forchildren to learnguidelines foracceptable behavior;

10. Resolving problems asthey occur and remindingchildren of the rules whena problem erupts, (whenappropriate childrenshould play a role inresolving their problems);

11. Being clear aboutrules and beingconsistent in applyingthem;

12. Understanding howindividual children respondto different cues, andunderstanding that nosingle technique will workfor all situations;

13. Helping children“brainstorm” to solveproblems and makechoices because it helpspromote self-esteem andteaches problem solvingskills;

14. Knowing when torespond to inappropriatebehavior and noticingappropriate behavior;

15. Creating an individualaction plan for a child thatidentifies the child’schallenging behaviors andincludes ideas for how thechild care teacher/providerand the child’s parents canwork to resolve them.

16. Teaching childrencoping mechanism suchas, “Talking a break,”and, “Picking anotheractivity”.

Punishment

Punishment is a rough orinjurious penalty. It is theapplication of an(aversive) stimulus in aneffort to reduce thefrequency of a behavior.

(Or, more properly, apunishment just is anystimulus which, whenapplied, reduces theincidence of a givenbehavior).

According to the findings ofmost operant behaviorist,it doesn’t work nearly aswell as reinforcement.Punishment has a morerestrictive and technicaldefinition.

Along with reinforcement itbelongs under the OperantConditioning category. OperantConditioning refers to learningwith either punishment orreinforcement. It also referred toas response-stimulusconditioning.

In psychology, punishmentis the reduction of abehavior via a stimuluswhich is applied (“positivepunishment”) or(“negative punishment”).

Making an offending studentlose recess or play privilegesare examines of negativepunishment, while extrachores or spanking areexamples of positivepunishment.

The definition requires thatpunishment is onlydetermined after the fact bythe reduction in behavior; ifthe offending behavior of thesubject does not decreasethen it is not consideredpunishment.

There is some conflation ofpunishment and aversive,though an aversive thatdoes not increase behavioris not consideredpunishment.

• It is designed to stopunwanted behavior byinflicting retributionthat is painful orunpleasant.

• It does not teachalternatives or enhanceunderstanding.

•Good Behavior resultingfrom punishment is theoutcome of fear.

15 Strategies to use in

class:

1. Enforce Rule Consistently-so students know theoutcome and punishmentof their behaviors.

2. Positive/NegativeFeedback- so student knowwhat they need to changeas well as what they aredoing well.

3. Clear Direction- so there is no confusion as to what is being asked.

4. Give Choices- so students have a sense of empowerment and leadership.

5. Reasonable Rules- that are suitable for the given age group.

6. Variety- use a varietyof activities whenplanning a lesson oractivity.

7. Use non-verbalCommunication- such asbody language to helpstudents stay on track.

8. State and DemonstrateRules- so students have aclear understanding ofwhat is to be done orexpected of them.

9. Give Advance Warning-for transitions so studentswill have adequate timeto finish activities andprepare for the next.

10. Ignore Minor Behavior-unless it poses a safelyrisk or is interruptingother student, “pick yourbattles.”

11. Avoid Repetition- thiswill teach students to bemore attentivelisteners.

12. Use ProximityControl- by standingnear by students thatare acting up.

13. Focus on Student’sSuccess- student’ssuccess breeds moresuccess.

14. Modeling- modelpositive behaviorsstudents can imitate.

15. Observation- watchbehavior and attitude.Problems outside theclass might be occuring.

Prepared by:Jerold A. Jamen