Overcorrection
Overcorrection procedures
involve having the student engage in repetitive behavior as a penalty for
having displayed an inappropriate action. There are three different
types of overcorrection procedures:
Restitutional
In this variation, the student must return the environment
to the previous condition (before the display of the "bad" behavior AND
make it even better. So if a youngster throws trash on the floor,
s/he is required to pick up that piece/item that was thrown AND
much more (perhaps all the other trash on the floor, the material that
fell behind the radiator, or even the garbage in the hallways/yard of the
school). Now it's your turn. Determine how restitutional overcorrection
would be used in the following situations. What would be required
of the student?
-A student uses a marking pens to write his name on a desk top
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-A student hits another
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-A child intentionally throws cups of liquid (e.g., juice, teacher's coffee) onto the floor
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Positive practice
Upon having committed an infraction, the student
must repeatedly practice the correct
behavior for that situation. Consider what you might require of the
student for:
-Making a mistake during the playing of a Piano piece
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-Throwing a balled up piece of paper at the waste paper basket
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Negative practice (not
officially an overcorrection procedure, but in the same family of interventions)
Upon having committed an infraction, the student
must repeatedly practice the wrongly
displayed behavior. What would be required for a student
who:
-Made a mistake while playing a piano piece?
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-Was caught smoking in the bathroom?
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-Was caught spitting on the hallway floor?
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-Wrote graffiti in ink marker on his/her desk top?
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While some of the examples above (piano playing) seem rather innocuous, some of the overcorrection interventions strike us as being rather mean spirited. Things could become even worse if the youngster refuses to do what is required. Will you force him to do the repetitive task? Is that possible?Desirable? Legal?Dangerous?
Additionally, anytime we punish, there are problems. Resentment, rebellion, retaliation, revenge, or general damage to the bond between student and teacher are apt to result. Given the requirements of this practice, we may also have legal issues on our hands...What if the student in the graffiti example develops carpal tunnel syndrome? In many districts, the causing of pain or discomfort (writers cramp) is considered to be "corporal punishment"! Please engage in thoughtful reflection and consider all the concerns before implementing overcorrection procedures. You should have tried other interventions first, and continue with setting them up for success and catching 'em being good.
These are some of the concerns we hold for overcorrection
procedures. Perhaps it is best if the student is given a choice of
doing overcorrection voluntarily OR
accepting some other consequence. It might be best used as a procedure
of last resort. If many other interventions have failed, then perhaps
the most dramatic forms of overcorrection can be justified. However,
it is probably best to approve the procedure with the student's parents/guardians
and your supervisor/administrator before engaging in this intervention.
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