Educators use behavioral management techniques in the classroom. Some people incorrectly ascribe certain practices, such as psycho-surgery, sterilization, electro-convulsive therapy and drug therapy, to behavior management. Misconceptions abound to the extent where many teachers avoid using the phrase to avoid confusing parents.
Behaviorism is often unfairly associated with punishment. Skinner, the father of behaviorism, argued that caretakers should never use aversive techniques to control behavior and should only use positive reinforcement. When teachers use behaviorism, they most commonly use positive reinforcement. Some view positive reinforcement techniques as forms of bribery. However, bribery is a reward for committing an action that is illegal, immoral or corrupt. Giving attention for appropriate behavior is preferable to having students engage in negative behaviors to receive attention. Some fear that children will only learn to behave appropriately to receive the reward and will then return to negative behavior. However, teachers can prevent this by not giving students a reward until they have not engaged in negative behavior for a certain period of time.
Educators sometimes assume that children should only carry out actions for intrinsic rewards. For example, children should quietly study because they enjoy learning, not because they want an "A." However, adults commonly carry out actions only to receive a reward. For example, many adults do not like their jobs, but continue to work for the paycheck.
At the university level, some believe that students reach a level of maturity that makes teaching easier. However, research published at the National Institutes of Health shows that the brain continues to develop throughout the student’s entire life. Instructors must continue managing the classroom at the university level. The ability of the instructor to engage the student and assess the various skills held by the students can strengthen the student’s interest and motivation. Instructors must be sensitive to different learning styles, so they can maximize the extent to which students retain knowledge.
Instructors need feedback so they can know where they are excelling in the classroom. However, some feel that grades will influence student ratings of the instructors and that instructor feedback is thus inaccurate. However, schools can time feedback so students do not know whether they’ll receive high marks until after they rate the instructor.