Behaviour Management Assignment!

[Guest]

Hello everyone! I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas!

I am on the forum tonight looking for some advice. I am currently doing a foundation degree assignment on behaviour management.

Fortunately I don't work with any children with a real challenging behaviour.I'm a children's worker whose main role includes working in our Creches or running 'Stay and Play' sessions. I am trying to to do my assignment on positive reinforcement and rolemodelling, and how we manage children's challenging behaviour through the ethos of these groups/sessions.

The problem I am having is finding arguements for and against these methods by theorist or in current research! Although I have found an interesting book called " Young Children's Behaviour" by Louise Porter, where she challenges the use of rewards with children.

 

I would appreciate any ideas or comments on this subject, as I just can't seem to get myself motivated!!!

 

Best Wishes, Mandy xxx :

[Guest]

The behaviourists believe children can be moulded and primed to behave as directed by adults who use positive and negative reinforcement techniques. Try googling Skinner - there is loads of info out there about his work. (Watson also carried out some questionable techniques in his quest to control children's behaviour.

 

Kohn argued against these techniques and wrote a book that I found fascinating - it really gives an opposing view - worth lookin up!

(Kohn, A. (1993) Punished by Rewards.)

 

Not sure if this is quite what you are looking for ..... but I have found A.S. Neill very useful too! He believed that children are too readily controlled - and advocated allowing them to govern their own behaviour. Try googling him or have a look at one of his books - I have found him easy to read - unlike some.

(Skinner, B.F. (1971) Beyond Freedom and Dignity

Skinner, B.F. (1974) About Behaviourism.)

 

Good luck - it's not easy studying at this time of year!

[HappyMaz]

Was listening to an interesting discussion on the radio today invoving Arik Sigmund - all about how children need boundaries and consequences and that parents need to stop trying to be their child's best friend. He has a new book out - the Spoilt Generation which might be worth a look. Would be interesting to see what theorists he quotes to back up his assertions! It is here on Amazon.

 

Maz