Danielle Goodman

9/30/2022

Tasks Write Ups

Teacher: Ms. Tracy Coulter

School: New Brighton Middle School

Reinforcement Sampler (Inclusion)

I decided I wanted to do my reinforcement sampler with a student(s) that would actually

benefit from being reinforced in school. I talked with my co-op Ms. Tracy about who she thought

this task would work best with. We automatically agreed on having it be done with two boys in

the 6th grade learning support class. This task was done with two students in the 6th grade at

New Brighton Middle School who receive learning support in two of their classes. Zymere and

Corbin are the names of the boys we chose. They both also have IEPs in Math and ELA, not just

one. The boys struggle with task completion and being attentive in class. A lot of the times, we

catch them dozing off or completely doing something not related to what the materials they are

supposed to be working on. They both were also scoring very low on their IXL diagnostics or not

doing them at all. We figured these students could benefit greatly if they had an activity that went

with the homework and schoolwork they are assigned. I wanted them to see that there was a

reason behind reinforcements. Therefore, the point was to show how there can be rewards if they

can accomplish task in and out of school. Not only will this reinforcer allow myself to know

what they enjoy for regular class activities, but also for my token economy and my teacher. It

was important that I gave them choices. In total there were twelve choices. Two of the choices
were fill in the blank. With some reflection from the task, it would have worked better with only

having half of the choices available. During the morning, both students have a study hall/free

block where they normally just work on their homework or their IXL’s. So my co-op allowed the

boys to come to her room and work like they normally do. In the free block, the boys come and

catch up on work that is past due or coming up, because Ms. Coulter knows they do not normally

get it done when they are at home. The papers were sat on two desks at the front of the room,

where I went over the project. I explained that I was still in school and this was one of the

assignments I needed help with. I asked both boys if they were comfortable with helping me do

this assignment for my class and they both agreed. I then showed them the paper that had the

reinforcement options. I read the directions to them and then allowed them to begin at their own

pace. After they checked six out of the twelve that they enjoyed the most, I made them go back

through and mark the three that they favored the most. Then I pulled each boy aside to ask

specifically about each three they marked. I wanted to make sure it was narrowed down to just

three because it only made sense for three reinforcers that went along with the token economy.

Once they chose the main three, that allowed us to look into the token economy as well. The

reinforcement sampler will be used to help further the boys during their schoolwork and allow

me to know ahead of time what can reinforce them to do their assignments. This reinforcement

sampler took about fifteen to twenty minutes in total. We started right around 8:20 and finished

about 8:35-8:40 and then went into a math worksheet they needed to finish for Ms. Coulter.

Overall, it was a simple reinforcement strategy, but turned out well for the needs of my

assignment. I needed to know what main things the boys would both respond well too. Luckily,
they both choose similar choices which allowed us to have an easier time setting up our prizes

for the token economy. While I think there are things that I could have done differently, the end

results gave me what I needed to reinforce the students.

Token Economy

I wanted to use my reinforcement sampler with my token economy, therefore the boys

that I choose for my sampler, Corbin and Zymere, were the same ones I used for my token

economy. It took a couple days for me to ask random questions about what they liked in order to

come up with a good idea for what to make the boards of. At first, I thought I would have to

make two but I luckily saw their “About Me” sheets in homeroom and soon learned both boys

liked the NFL and football. I was hoping they would like different teams, but turns out they both

like the Steelers. So I tried to be creative and turn my token economy into a football field. In a

sense, it looks as if they are competing against each other because they are starting on opposite

sides, but in reality they will receive the same chances as each other. They will have to complete

100 yards in order to get the final prize - a pizza party (really just a slice of pizza, drink, and

maybe chips). The first prize will be candy they prefer, the second prize is a soda, the third prize

is extra computer time, and the final prize is the pizza. It will be implemented through the

homework being completed, their willingness to participate in class, and the progress they are

making on their IXL’s. They can receive up to 30 yards/points a week, with 10 bonus points

throughout. Completed homework in both classes can be 5 points that day - half in Math and half

in ELA. The other five points in the day will depend on if they come in with completed IXL's or

participation in class. That should average about 10 points a day. I will have a grid with me on
my clipboard that I bring into every class to monitor the points they earn. At the end of math,

right before lunch, we will discuss where they are in their points and how much they need to

accomplish to get their next prize. Since they both are struggling in school daily, adding in a

positive motivator might help the boys strive to do their work more and participate in class. Task

completion and participation are the two behaviors the boys struggle with the most. That being

said these two should be the focus of the token economy. My co-op and I both agreed that with

the extra bit of motivation they both might just succeed with this project. I showed the students

the football field after we did our reinforcement sampler. I explained the rules, the process, and

the amount of time they had to win the prize. I let them start on Thursday and this was only for

bonus points today. The full points will start the next week. I wanted it will be over a span of

three weeks. The first week will be 10/4-10/6. The second week will be 10/10-10/13. The last

week will be 10/19-10/20. The final prize will be given 10/24 if they reach the goal, which I have

a feeling they will. If they do not reach the goal in enough time then I will expand the project

longer, which my co-op said might be a better idea than just three weeks.

Overall, I believe that this token economy will help both boys succeed in their classes,

and hopefully raise their grade a little just from participating in class, having their IXL’s and

homework done. They are both great young boys who try hard to pay attention in class, but

struggle more than not. If this is expanded over three weeks, it may allow the boys to either have

more time to complete the materials or lose its worth. I want them to see the importance of this

not just as helping me with my assignments, but also helping them with their own.