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Using positive reinforcement in the classroom effectively 
In order to use positive reinforcement properly in the classroom, teachers need to be aware of several important 
issues and implementation techniques. The first to remember is that the latency between the target behavior 
that you want to strengthen and the delivery of the R+ should be as short as possible. Without a very brief 
period of time between the behavior and the delivery of the reinforcer, the robustness of the R+ is diminished. 
It also helps with multi-step behaviors (e.g., counting by fives to one hundred in math) to reinforce a behavior 
that is a step in the proper direction to solving the entire problem. If the student can count to fifty by fives 

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correctly, that is step in the right direction and should be reinforced. This technique is also called 
reinforcing 
successive approximations
.
For any reinforcer to be effective, there must be a state of deprivation present in the person. For example, if a 
teacher uses M&Ms as an edible reinforcer for elementary-level students who follow the classroom rules, and 
one student, Elizabeth, consumes M&Ms for dessert at breakfast, lunch, and dinner at home, those M&Ms are 
not likely to be effective R+ in the classroom for her because she really has not been deprived of them. It is 
also wise to reward frequently with small amounts rather than having the student wait for one large reinforcer 
at some later point in time. Teachers should also remember the fairness issue when delivering R+. Giving 
Ralph only one kernel of popcorn as reinforcement for staying in his seat all day, when previously he was out 
of his seat, on average, about twenty-five times per day without teacher permission, is not a very fair situation 
for him. If at all possible, try to match the intensity of the behavior with the intensity of the reinforcer. 
In addition to being fair with reinforcement, teachers should also deliver reinforcement consistently. If a 
student is on a continuous schedule of reinforcement, then he or she must be reinforced after every 
demonstration of the target behavior that you are trying to increase. Similarly, if a student who misbehaves 
frequently suddenly demonstrates appropriate behavior worthy of reinforcement, then by all means reinforce 
the student even though the appropriate behavior may be infrequent. Teachers should not play favorites with 
reinforcement and anyone displaying the desired behavior should receive it — even a student who misbehaves 
frequently. Another teacher behavior that is required to deliver R+ appropriately is specificity. Use the 
student’s name, and state what she or he did that allowed for the reinforcement to be delivered; for example: 
“Ralph, I really like the way that you stayed in your seat for the entire reading period. Good job, and here are 
your three tokens that you can exchange for something in the surprise box right before we go to lunch. Again, 
nice work.” 
Another aspect in the use of positive reinforcement that needs to be considered is 
satiation
, or when a 
reinforcer loses power after it was once very desirable to a student. An analogous situation would be if a 
teacher always praised with “Good job,” but never varied from those two words. Satiation occurs when too 
much of the same R+ is delivered to a student. It is easy to spot because the rate or duration of the appropriate 
behavior begins to taper off or completely disappears. It is very common with edible reinforcement, but not 
so with activity reinforcers. Wise teachers vary the R+ that they deliver to students for appropriate behavior 
so that satiation has little chance of occurring.
Lastly, consider the use of 
vicarious reinforcement
in the classroom. This is when a teacher observes one 
student behaving appropriately, but sitting right next to the student behaving well is another student who is 
off-task and not doing what the teacher requested. Instead of making an issue by scolding the off-task student, 
an effective teacher will strongly and specifically praise and reinforce the student behaving appropriately, but 
purposely ignore the nearby misbehaving student. The misbehaving student will see that the well-behaved 
student is receiving something that he or she also wants in terms of R+ and will stop the off-task behavior in 
order to receive the R+ from the teacher soon thereafter. In essence, the use of vicarious reinforcement is a 
clear example of how it is almost always better to accentuate the positive rather than the negative in order to 
have students behave in the manner that the teacher wishes.
Animation: Vicarious Reinforcement 
This animated video demonstrates the use of vicarious reinforcement as a classroom behavior 
management technique. To view more instructional animations, see the links in the right sidebar.