Weekly Response #6 for EDP 610

R 6

Question:  The use of reinforcement is a controversial topic in education.  In spite of its drawbacks, why is reinforcement is still used in our schools?

            Although educational systems from different cultures are not the same, children’s behaviors and thoughts are similarly shaped by various reinforcements from teachers, parents, peers, and others around them.  The feeling of being changed without sufficient acknowledgment is not a positive one.  As such, it is not surprising that Mr. Kohn (1993) views rewards as a tool to manipulate and control people’s behaviors, and that this tool should not be used in education.  Instead of rewards, Kohn argues that “an engaging curriculum that is connected to children’s lives and interests” (p. 124) is a better choice, which has some merit.  However, after serious consideration, I find myself in agreement with Mr. Chance.

The first thought that came to my mind is how this process affects adults: do we, as adults, care about rewards, prizes, evaluations, or comments from others in our daily life?  We can consider actors who perform intensely in hopes of winning an Academy Award, athletes who exercise daily hoping to participate in the Olympic Games and scientists who reap tremendous glories from winning Nobel Prizes…  The world in which we live is full of rewards for the purpose of encouraging more contributions from people in different fields.  This process to some extent drives our society and civilization to move forward.  If this is the reality which children will face when they grow up, I do not see a reason to terminate the use of rewards for children, because one task of modern education is to cultivate the ability of children to adjust in a competitive society. 

As James (1962) indicated, ambition, pugnacity, and pride are children’s native reactions that will not disappear even if after they grow up.  Winning prizes or rewards in this sense is driven by the nature of children.  Of course, we need to be cautious when using rewards because not all children will receive prizes for any one activity.  It is believed that failures decrease children’s interests on certain tasks; however, I insist that it also could be viewed as an opportunity for educators to teach children how to face and tackle the failures in their lives, which is a necessary lesson.  Similarly, operant conditioning is a law of behavior.  There is essentially no difference between applying this law of behavior and the law of gravity.  The more important consideration is how to use reinforcement sensibly rather than condemning the law.

An engaging curriculum might be ideal by making instruction and learning related to children’s interests and lives.  However, is it realistic in all contexts?  Teachers who have practical experiences understand, as we discussed in class, how difficult it is to unearth different objects that are natively interesting to every student in such a demanding educational system.  Further, I argue that building these connections between knowledge and students’ lives is beneficial but not always plausible.  When children are young and  content is simple, we can ask how many pens they have after putting one more into their pen case.  However, when studying analytic geometry, students may not see an instant application for this knowledge to their lives.  In educational systems, if rewards, praise, and golden stars result in  students studying more effectively, why not use them? 

Mr. Chance (1996) points out that “reinforcement is powerful” and the use of reinforcement should be administered carefully. I felt grateful for my main teacher in high school.  She praised every student who made some progress compared to their past scores.  She taught me that one cannot always win, and that there is always someone with more skill in a subject than I.  Outdoing my own prior performance is sufficient proof that I am a winner.  However, not all students have good memories of reinforcement.  One of my friends was punished and humiliated by his teacher because he did not follow the classroom discipline very well. He hated that teacher so much that he dropped the course.  Several years after graduating from high school, he still felt angry about that teacher.  These two examples remind us that if educators decide to use reinforcement, Mr. Chance’s guideline for rewards should be followed.