Positive and negative reinforcement

Positive and Negative Reinforcement are part of environmental stimulus that influence behavior. A reinforcer is the consequence of a response that increases the frequency of the response that it follows. A reinforcement is the act of following a response with a reinforcer.
Positive reinforcement
The consequence that influences an increase of behavior through the representation of a stimulus. In other words, the addition of a reward for a desired behavior. The word positive in this context means adding something to the situation. So it's not necessarily always something pleasant.
There are two different forms of positive reinforcement, extrinsic and intrinsic reinforcements.
Extrinsic reinforcers are reinforcers from the outside environment. Examples of extrinsic reinforcers would be
# concrete reinforcers such as an object or something tangible. (snacks, candy, toys, etc...)
# social reinforcers, a gesture given to communicate positive regard. (Giving a thumbs up for great work)
# Activity reinforcer, an opportunity to engage in an activity that is more interesting than the current situation.
Intrinsic reinforcers are things that an individual learns to do on their own in performing a certain task. For example, doing more than you need to without being told or asked to do so, and the satisfaction of helping someone.

An example of positive reinforcement would be a student working to get As in school to get his or her parents' praise and recognition.
Another example would be a teacher telling her students that if they have good behavior with a sub when she's gone, taking into account that good behavior is always expected in the classroom, she will reward them with stickers.
Negative Reinforcement
It increase a behavior through the removal of a stimulus, typically an unpleasant one. Here the word negative means taking away. "When people make a response in order to get rid of something and the frequency of the response increases as a result."
An example of negative reinforcement is when Alexis is misbehaving in class her teacher sends her to the buddy room that she does not enjoy being in. Her behavior eventually gets better because she doesn't want to be sent to the buddy room again. In this scenario, the teacher negatively reinforces her misbehavior by taking her out of the classroom and Alexis negatively reinforces being sent to the buddy room by taking away her bad behavior.
Another example would be a student turns in an assignment late, and is negatively reinforced with a bad grade, the behavior becomes a unwanted behavior for the student.
Another example would be when a student gets bad grades her parents ground her for a month but says that they will lessen the duration of her being grounded if she gets an A on her next test.
Positive and Negative reinforcement in the classroom
As teachers it's important to provide positive reinforcement to your students. Positive feedback and the feeling of pleasure and satisfaction that the feedback can bring are most desirable forms of classroom reinforcement. As teachers, to reach a desired classroom behavior, instructions must be given very clearly and tailored to individual skill levels and abilities. A change in behavior and desired reaction to positive reinforcements is also more likely to occur when students learn the value of academic success. Make sure that when using reinforcements they are consistent and regular for desired behaviors.
Extrinsic reinforcers aren't always necessary, it's better to have students perform tasks and have desirable behavior on their own. Should reinforcements be given, the best approach is intrinsic reinforcement, the feeling of pleasure and pride from accomplishing a task, whether challenging or not, and the feeling of satisfaction when helping someone. Students are more willing to engage in activities that they find more enjoyable or satisfies their curiosity, and will readily behave in ways that lead to success and accomplishments.
It's more ideal to create a classroom environment where there are few or no stimuli that students would want to get rid of. This will help students have more intentional behavior for academic success and desired behaviors.
It's important that teachers think about how the students will benefit from positive and negative reinforcement. You must determine whether particular reinforcers are truly reinforcing for students. Some students might work at academic tasks to be successful and feel accomplished but some might do it for the social benefit of spending time with their peers.
As teachers, when a student is struggling with a particular subject, positive reinforcement can be used to encourage them and provided extra assistance to understanding what's being taught.

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