Moving Forward Through Parents and Teachers’ Partnership

Modifying learners’ behavior is now considered as one of the major concerns of the teachers. Various behavior modification techniques like positive reinforcement, conditioning and full utilization of learners’ interest is no longer effective in modifying learners’ behavior.  Even if all of the applicable approaches have been utilized, the occurrence of the behavior still remains. Learners continue to perform the same actions over and over again even if they know that what they have been doing is wrong.

The reasons of the ineffectiveness of behavior modification techniques and approaches was revealed in the recently conducted research of Mars Sumalinog in the Special Education Schools in the Division of Malaybalay City. The study revealed that the reason behind the inefficiency of the behavior modification techniques is associated to the inconsistency of the implementation of behavior intervention. The inconsistency was found in the home of the children wherein the behavior modification technique was not implemented.

It is important to note that the occurrence of the unwanted behavior of the children are not only notice in the classroom but also in their home. The lack of consistency hiders the extinction of the undesirable behavior. Thus, modifying learners’ behavior would require the action from both teachers and parents. This means that in order for the learners to extinct the undesirable behavior, the learners need the help from both of their parents and teachers.

It is only possible for the learner to move forward and become better as a person, as a son or as a daughter, as a pupil and as a member of the society, if both the parents and the teachers are willing to take part in the continuous implementation of the necessary behavior modification technique. The sharing of responsibility of the teachers and the parents is the only key for the success of the behavior intervention. The learners will only move forward and will acquire values and necessary learning behavior if there will be a parents and teachers’ partnership.

By  Mars G. Sumalinog
    Special Education Teacher I
   Malaybalay City Central School