Punishment and The Missed Opportunity for Learning

Recommended Reading: Punishment and The Missed Opportunity for Learning By M.V. Fields

Punishment actually undermines children’s learning about appropriate and inappropriate behavior. Instead of youngsters thinking about the behavior that caused the problem, they end up thinking resentfully about the punishment. Punishment also focuses attention on what not to do rather than teaching what to do. Young children need information about acceptable ways of behaving, and they need help in understanding why certain actions are better than others (e.g., Hart et al., 1997). In other words, they need teaching instead of punishment. READ MORE.