The chapter on reinforcing effort had some great suggestions. I think that it is a great idea to have the students complete an effort rubric in response to their work. This gives them a concrete example of how their effort effects their grades. I think that it is important for the students to fill this out on their own because then they are taking ownership of their work. The chart that they create from this information solidifies the statements the teachers make: the more effort you put in, the better your grades. I think that students hear this all the time, but without actually being able to see it, it doesn't mean anything. The students are receiving immediate feedback by using this system. When they input the information, it shows up on the chart and spreadsheet. It also offers a system of reinforcement. The students are being rewarded with better grades depending on the amount of effort they are putting in. The students then begin to see the correlation and the positive behavior is encouraged. I also liked the idea of putting success stories on the school website as a way to provide motivation for others. I know that my students would love to have a story about them posted on the school site for all to see. It would be a great reinforcer for positive behavior and study habits.
The section on homework and practice also provided a lot of good resources to use in the classroom. The information I found most useful and closely relating to the behaviorist theory is the web resources. I have set up a portal for the students in my class to use that contains a variety of educational games and websites. My students really enjoy going to this site in order to find "games" that allow them to review various skills. This is a much better way to encourage students to practice needed skills. I don't know any student who enjoys completing workbook pages. After they complete these pages, they spend time waiting for them to be graded in order to find out how they did. The majority of the web resources listed contain review games and quizzes that provide immediate feedback. If an answer is correct, the students are rewarded with a good job, star, etc. If the answer is incorrect, the student will usually be allowed to try again or the correct answer will be shown. This feedback is another form of reinforcement that goes along with the behaviorist theory. Personally I think that these web resources are wonderful tools to use both at home and in the classroom. I know that my students are learning the information and they are having fun doing it.
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One of the areas that makes behaviorist theory effective is that it is "concrete" as you said above. Students are given positive reinforcement or negative stimulus depending on their responses. This type of learning is easily reinforced by online tutorials and software like the spreadsheet. This is easy for students to grasp and correlate success with effort and participation.
ReplyDeleteI too like how the behaviorist theory is "concrete." I also like how having a rubric similar to the effort one discussed in chapter 8 will provide our students with an opportunity to take ownership for their behavior and what they do in class. It is something that can explain to them "WHY" they received the grade they did.
ReplyDeleteIt is very hard to explain to students that they "earn" grades and are not just given them. Many times they feel that if they turn in an assignment, they should automatically receive a good grade. They don't understand that just because they turn it in doesn't mean they have taken the time to complete it correctly. I have a hard time with this in my classroom. My students are always in a race to be the first ones finished and put in very little effort. This shows up in their grades. I think scoring themselves and then seeing the results on a chart would be very helpful.
ReplyDeleteLindsay,
ReplyDeleteI agree that students are visual learners and understand their grades better through charts and graphs. Being able to see their improvements, demonstrates the reward system in the behaviorist theory. As you mentioned, it is rewarding for a student to see their improvement throughout the school year.
Another area you mentioned that demonstrates the behaviorist theory is the use of educational technology on the web. You made a great point when you said students do not want to be learning through workbooks that take a long time to grade, but rather through internet games that give them instant feedback. Students today are all about receiving information and feedback quickly. They thrive on instant gratification, which at times can be a negative. For example, my Physical Education get frustrated quickly if they cannot catch a ball, even though I tell them that with practice and time they will find success.
Lindsay,
ReplyDeleteI too loved the idea of having students complete a rubric that shoes them how hard work relates to the grades they earn. So many students think we just give them a grade. I also feel that it may help some of the students at our school be motivated within. They always want something for doing good, I really want to instill working hard and making good choices as something they want to do to be a good student.
I understand how students get frustrated in PE classes. They do crave that instant gratification and sports require a lot of practice for most students before they become good at it. I can see how the behaviorist theory of instant gratification might not work in your situation. However, you can rely on the positive reinforcement aspect of this theory to motivate the students.
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