Self Reinforcement

Self Reinforcement is the ultimate goal to teaching the children in our classrooms. When a child can self reinforce they are no longer relying on an outside source to supply their reinforcement. The individual knows what is reinforcing and then is able to manage their own behaviors. This is a life skill that is very necessary for the children we teach to blend into society. Self-recording charts are an example of how to teach students to monitor their own behavior. An advantage to charts like this is that students can observe and record more than one behavior at a time. In addition, meeting their goal on a self-recording chart can be rewarding in itself. Just filling in the chart and knowing they met their goals can be enough to keep them continuing to perform their desired behavior, even without praise or recognition from others. If self-recording is not enough to maintain their behavior, self reinforcement after completing a certain amount of steps could be used. For example, once the child has completed 2 assignments, then they could take a break for a few minutes and engage in a preferred activity.