Joseph Lancaster and behavior modification in education

In the early 1800s, Joseph Lancaster (1778-1838) developed an inexpensive method of education large numbers of the poor in England. Referred to as the "monitorial system," his method utilized students as monitors who performed many of the tasks normally undertaken by a teacher; it was used to teach classes that often exceeded a thousand students at one time. Student monitors were responsible for teaching and evaluating small groups of individuals in a somewhat regimented fashion. An incentive system was also used in a manner that closely resembles current applications of positive reinforcement in educational settings. Lancaster devised a token economy in which students earned tangible reinforcers for academic performance and deportment. Interestingly, the system spread quickly in the 1800s, and was implemented in many countries throughout the world. Its use declined as a result of both specific sources of dissatisfaction, such as the lack of individualization and dependence upon rote memorization, and general changes in the philosophy of education.