Development of a Classroom Token Economy - Essay Example

The Classroom Token Economy Name Institution Date Development of a Token Economy The Target Population of the Token Economy The target population is children in primary school from ages 5 to 11 years old. The method can be implemented in schools. It can also be used in institutional settings such as psychiatric hospitals or correctional facilities. In such institutions this method is used to manage children who may possess aggressive or unpredictable behaviour. It has also been successfully implemented in special educational institutions for children with developmental or learning disabilities, hyperactivity, attention deficit or behavioural disorders. In a classroom token economy it is used for students to influence academic, social and classroom skills (Educate Autism, 2013). Required behaviours by individuals For successful implementation of the token economy, the teacher should learn about the specific behaviour required to instil and not more than two behaviours at a time. If you try and instil a number of behaviours at the same time, the program is likely to not to succeed and it could even result in hatred between the facilitator and the target. The facilitator should be concise and clear when giving instructions and explain the consequences in the event of a failure to accomplish a task or certain behaviour. Required behaviours may include completing academic tasks, good mannerisms such as simple etiquette, interacting well with other children, answering questions correctly in class, scoring good marks in assessment or exam, accomplishing given tasks, behaving in certain manner among others. They should be described in a way that they are; specific, observable and measurable (Kids Making Change, 2013). The pupils on their part should be ready to exhibit behaviours that are compatible with the expectations of the laid out rules. They are supposed to be at the right place at the right time. In institutions, they are expected to be punctual for the start of the learning process. Active participation in class is also another form of behaviour required in a token economy. This can be exhibited through asking of questions and responding to the demands of the teacher. It basically indicates that the pupils and their teacher are together and that the pupils are successfully acquiring the concepts being passed across. The pupils are also required to relate amongst themselves well. Signs of solitude are not good in a token economy. The pupils will be required to assist one another when there is need and play together. By doing so, they develop socially and are able to solve their problems easily. List of Reinforcers Reinforcements are the meaningful objects, privileges and activities that individuals exchange for their tokens. Upon a successful initiation of the program, the tokens should be reduced gradually to allow the target to display the desirable behaviour or task independently without the use of tokens. The students should be able to exchange their tokens for something attractive and desirable and they should be allowed to choose their own rewards. These include; Reignfocers 1 Snacks 2 Toys 3 Extra free time 4 Outings 5 Authority over others The children should not be deprived of their basic rights, therefore items like food, water, clothing or shelter should not be used as reinforcers. There has to be a system of exchanging tokens that will maintain the children’s motivation but not costly to the facilitator. The tokens are given to individuals based on monetary value, its demand and the therapeutic values it has on the student. The reinforcement should not be valued so high as the students may give up and also not too low as it discourages the students’ motivation (Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders, 2013). The Tokens Tokens should be attractive, safe, easy to carry and dispense if physical and they should be hard to counterfeit. On their own tokens have little to no value thus they are collected and exchanged for something else more meaningful and attractive to the student such as meaningful objects, privileges or activities (reinforcements). Tokens Poker Chips Stickers Play Money Marbles Points Holes Punched On Paper Money is also a type of a token and it is not different from classroom token economy. This is because people earn money for doing their jobs but the salary you get is not what one wants instead it is a means to an end, that is, what one wants is what the salary can buy like a car or jewellery. The same concept is applied in classroom token economy, an individual will accomplish a task, earn tokens for back-up reinforcers, and the token is not what the individual wants but what they can exchange them for (Educate Autism, 2013). Storage of the tokens A token is durable and cannot be easily counterfeited. This is because most tokens are in the form of plastic metal or paper. Therefore, tokens as long as they are kept safe will last as long as a delay. Some methods of storage may include; Most tokens such as marbles, paper clips can be stored in jars or transparent containers where the student can monitor and evaluate his/her progress, Tokens such as tally points should be done on a board which is visible to students and an extra copy should be kept by the teacher just in case the ones on the board are erased. Stickers can also be put on visible boards either at the front or back of the classroom this enables proper feedback to students on their performance (Educate Autism, 2013). Exchange of the tokens At first dispense the tokens regularly then gradually decrease the number of tokens. This process of dispensing tokens should be immediate and fast. Always emphasize what the token is for while praising the individual’s name and behaviour. The teacher should avoid putting a lot of emphasis on the token but instead put emphasis on the accomplishment, this is achieved by not mentioning the name of the token when dispensing it. At first have frequent exchange times and then reduce them gradually. The next exchange time should be announced in advance so as to enable the individual to make accomplishments in anticipation of the tokens. We should however set a limit on how many tokens an individual can accumulate or carry from one exchange time to another. Tokens can be exchanged daily, weekly or monthly depending on the task or behavior to be accomplished. The token economy system should not last forever, it reaches a time when the individual has to accomplish tasks and behave in an acceptable manner independent of tokens and reinforcers. This is done by introducing delays and increasing them in exchange time for reinforcers. Thereafter switch gradually from token reinforcement to more natural reinforcement such as verbal praise. Alternatively we can decrease the value of reinforcers when it seems the student is unlikely to fall into irresponsible behaviour. However, there exist special instances where token economy is not effective. If this occurs, we can introduce special bonus earn off points to individuals who earn less than minimum tokens so as to encourage them to ‘graduate’ that is move to total control of one’s own behavior. There are those that reach a certain standard of appropriate behaviour and as such should be allowed off the system, these are called graduates and should be given bonus prizes. There is also the case of misbehaviour or breaking the rules, this habit should be punished appropriately by removing the number of tokens previously earned, response cost. The teacher should be careful not to over penalize as it may lose the individual’s motivation to perform. The token and the reinforcement should not just be expensive but meaningful to the individual or student. This system was established mainly to increase desirable behavior and decrease undesirable in individuals, however, it should be used when all other less intrusive and strategic ways have failed or when behaviour problems are severe and require a highly structured and consistent system. The teacher should ensure to inform the parents about the system when planning to implement it. This is because this system may be costly and takes a lot of effort to implement it successfully. It also important to note that there may be instances of no change in individual’s behaviour after completion of the process, which means it could fail (Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders, 2013). The tokens should be given in class at a designated time by the teacher and in the presence of other students to motivate them. Conclusion Token economy when implemented will yield good results though there are risks involved in such a system. These risks include neglecting other individuals or students, if the teacher does not have proper mastery of the system it may result in an increase in negative behaviour and there is also the risk of focusing more on a specific student’s behaviour he/she ignores other students (Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders, 2013). While implementing this system, many things should be put into consideration, these include; the tokens should be attractive and can be later exchanged for something more desirable, they should clearly define the target behaviour, the success of the token economy lies on the appeal of the reinforcers, there should be a stable system of exchanging token and the process should be consistent (Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders, 2013). References Educate Autism, 2013. Token Economy. Retrieved on 10th September, 2013 from Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders, 2013. Token economy system. Retrieved on 10th September, 2013 from Kids Making Change, 2013. The best way to streamline the behavior of a kid - Token Economy. Retrieved on 10th September, 2013 from Token Economies. Development and Generalization of adaptive behaviors through contrived reinforcement programs. Retrieved on 10th September, 2013 from Cooper, J., Heron, T., Heward, W. (2007). Applied Behaviour Analysis. New Jersey: Pearson Education. Hackenberg, T. (2009). Token Reinforcement: A Review and Analysis. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behaviour, 91, 257-286. Malott & Trojan-Suarez, (2006). Principles of Behaviour. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. Miltenberger, R. (2008). Behaviour Modification. Belmont, CA. Wadsworth Publishing. Read More