There are many different ways to better the use of behaviorism in the classroom. This week we learned about two different ways that will lead us to be more effective teachers. The first technique is reinforcing effort. Not all students believe in the value of effort, but they"...can learn to operate from a belief that effort pays off..." (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn and Malenoski, 2007). It is up to us as teachers to show that a little effort can go a long way. The second technique is homework and practice. Like effort, not all students see the value of homework. Homework requires assistance from all parts of the students life to be completed correctly and be the valuable piece of work you intend it to be. Homework should never be busy work but, "...give the students a chance to review and apply what they have learned" (Pitler,Hubbell, Kuhn and Malenoski, 2007). Homework proves to the student and the teacher that they have really learned and are able to use those ideas and strategies.
Behaviorism focuses on positive and negative consequences and the outcome you wish to receive from them. One of the instructional strategies presented this week is "Reinforcing effort" which in my mind goes hand in hand with behaviorism. "Reinforcement increases good behavior" (Orey, 2001) by either taking away something or giving something as a reward. One great way to do this is by using a spreadsheet. Spreadsheets, or charts, using Excel, allow the students to see in an easily understood way, what is expected of them or what they need to do. This follows the idea of rubrics which I use very often in my classroom. Nothing is left to the imagination and students have no excuse to not act the right way. You can also use bar graphs. In Social Studies, we work on map and graphing skills. Students know how to create and read graphs. I think it would be beneficial for students to both read graphs that share their effort and grades as well as create them.
The second resource that was discussed in this weeks resources is "Homework and Practice". Homework can be, as stated by Orey, "a measurable and observable aspect of human behavior" (Orey, 2001). We must make sure we make the reward for doing homework at least a little enjoyable or the students, as proven in my Social Studies class, won't always do it. Students "repeat pleasurable acts and stop unpleasant acts"(Orey, 2001). I often praise students out loud for doing their homework, or give stickers or treats. I sometimes feel, though, that homework is something that should be done no matter what the reward and that the unpleasurable act of getting a zero should be enough to prevent them from not completing it again. This is a constant internal struggle I have. Using technoloy can be rough when it comes to assigning homework. In my school, I have to avoid this totally because not many students have computers at home. If they did, I might use sights like Brainpop or Flashcardexchange.com to help them review the previous days work. This would allow for that instant feedback while also being enjoyable for the students. I would also like to have a school blog that students could submit work to. Maybe someday I will be able to incorporate all of this into my classroom.
I believe that all of these techniques can be used with technology. Students and teachers can use software programs that allow them to create graphs and charts to map their levels of effort and how they relate to their grades. They can also use online assignments for homework in which they can get immediate feedback. Technology is easily integrated into all aspects of the classroom and really fits in neatly with behaviorism. I look forward to working more with learning theories and learning how to better integrate them, and technology, into my classroom.
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved
from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom
instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
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Arielle,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on students using a spreadsheet to track their work as well as their effort in their classwork, assessment and homework. I also feel that this would help to motivate them to a better job. I think creating charts is a useful skill to learn and use in science as well. Beginning with the next school year, my school will be given the opportunity to use blogs. I am planning to use this for discussion prompts that can be used by all the teachers in the seventh grade hall. I hope that this will help my fellow teachers to begin to also use technology with the students.
Hello Arielle,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that students should simple do their homework and not expected a external reward. It's frustrating for me when some of the feedback I receive from my students/parents about homework is negative.
This year has been a little better then the past. I have incorporated behaviorist theory into returning homework. My students sit in table groups and if everyone returns their homework the team gets a bear point.
In the past I have also allowed 10 minutes at the end of each day for homework. I did this because I knew some of my students didn't have the support at home to complete their homework and I thought it was important enough to practice those skills.
Arielle,
ReplyDeleteI also believe that using a spread sheet to track the students progress helps the students to be more accountable for their actions. One thing that I use with my students in class is praise as well so that the students receive positive reinforcement rather then negative. Every day when I start an assignment I give the students about 10 to 15 minutes to start working on their homework. I found that it helps with the students being able to understand the material and with the students being able to get the work done.
Arielle,
ReplyDeleteI agree with a lot of what you had to say. One suggestion with homework is to make it random but required. For example, you require that a certain number of homework assignments are posted to their grades during the length of a typical grading period (quarter, semester, etc.) and they are not sure when you will be collecting it. There may be a week where you only check it once and / or maybe four times. The teacher has full autonomy as to when and how many times they collect the homework. The material presented and required within each homework assignment is still covered in class by lessons / activities desired by the teacher. However, homeworks are fair, cordial and randomly selected and the students are never certain as to when it will be collected.