As an educator, one is constantly searching for ways to get
the most out of each student. We want
them to be the best mathematicians, historians, and writers. One way that many teachers use to accomplish
this is through the use of behaviorist principles. In certain cases we use positive reinforcement and in others we
use negative, but no matter what type of conditioning educators use, it is for
the purpose of brining out positive behaviors and actions.
This week’s
learning resources provided the strategy of reinforcing effort. Reinforcing effort is defined as an
instructional strategy that “enhances students’ understanding of the
relationship between effort and achievement by addressing their attitudes and
beliefs about learning” (Pitler,
H., Hubble, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoskie, K., 2007). It is imperative that teachers do their
best to use positive reinforcement. Of
the two forms, positive is the most powerful (Laureate, 2010). When I tell a student that I am proud of
their work, or call home to inform a parent that instead of their child being
in trouble that they should commend them on an excellent job it has a profound
impact on them. It also does a great
deal to highlight what behaviors are favored in the classroom. As a high school teacher, I don’t do star
charts or warning cards, but I will verbally praise students constantly. I try to establish what I feel is acceptable
behavior and practice and what isn’t.
Another strategy that I found
helpful that connected to behaviorist principles was the text section on
homework and practice. Homework and practice is an instructional strategy
that “give(s) students a chance to review and apply what they have learned” (Pitler, H., Hubble, E., Kuhn, M.,
& Malenoskie, K., 2007).
When a student works toward gaining an understanding through practice,
their effort is reinforced when the student comes up with the correct
answer. They take the skills given by
the teacher at an earlier point and apply those skills over and over, with each
correct answer their effort is reinforced and even incorrect answers reinforce
that the behavior that contributed to the incorrect answer is not one the
student should use again. A number of
possibilities exist for students to utilize technology in this strategy. One that interested me was the use of
multimedia software to provide engaging content and immediate feedback to help
the student practice and master concepts (Pitler, H., Hubble, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoskie, K., 2007). I recently used icivics.org to teach
important Supreme Court cases. I
thought it worked wonderfully. Students
were challenged to make decisions based on the evidence given and learning
could take place at the learners pace.
I loved the fact that the games court judge rewarded good evidence and
questioned shaky evidence. I used this
as an experiment with seniors and they all worked like 5th graders
trying to solve the problem. I will
definitely use the software again.
Today’s
educators have a wealth of resources at their disposal. These resources not only provide content,
but also help to reinforce those behaviors desirable to the teacher and to
learning. I cannot believe the amount
of information I have gathered as a result of these courses. We don’t have to do it all on our own, there
are other educators out their who are fighting the same battle.
Cole-
ReplyDeleteI think that reinforcements are so powerful. I personallly focus on the postive. I reward a lot. If a student is doing something they should not, I praise a student who is doing the correct behavior. The rest of the class behaves better. They cannot wait to be called on as the "good kid" and get a sticker.
I know in HS it is harder. But have you tried praising other students and seeing what happens to the rest of your class?