As Dr. Orey stated, Behaviorist practices are being used in classrooms every day. The ideas of rewards and consequences is the backbone to many teachers' management plans. Although I feel this can be overdone, I also see no way around using these practices. My students always need motivation when learning something new or completing a task. I do everything in my power to have this motivation be within themselves, intrinsically rather than extrinsic bribes. But once again, it just does not always seem possible. When there is one teacher and twenty four students I need quick and efficient management procedures so I can spend as much time on teaching as possible. So, my students work for experiences rather than things. One example is that I pass out "lunch-bunch" tickets when I see a student making a positive choice. The tickets are entered into a drawing. Every Friday I draw three names and those students get to stay in and have a "party" with me during lunch. I love the one-on-one time this gives me with my students. It amazes me when I place a ticket on a students desk for something like having their eyes on me, at half of the class changes their behavior to do the same thing. I love when the students 'positive choices can influence their peers behavior.
Our learning resources from this week spoke a lot on the importance of effort. Although this almost seems like common sense, it really made me stop and evaluate whether or not my students see the connection between their effort and their success while at school. I am not sure that all my students realize that they are in control of their personal effort. Some of my brightest students barely make it by because they dimply don't try. "The instructional strategy of reinforcing effort enhances student' understanding of the relationship between effort and achievement by addressing their attitudes and beliefs about learning" (Schunk, 2003).
Our text offers many suggestions where technology can be used to convince students that effort is connected to achievement. I will be trying these practices in my first grade classroom. Specifically I would like to create an "effort survey" online that my students could complete in our daily computer lab time. I am not sure if my first graders would always be honest but if anything this activity would get them thinking about the importance of effort at a young age and start to get them prepared for the years to come.
Resources:
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author
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What strategies did you find most helpful in your classroom?
ReplyDeleteI feel that the many strategies given to us in this week's learning resources about having students' understand the connection between effort and achievement will be very helpful in my classroom. I have not yet made the survey on effort but I am ready to get started as soon as I can.
ReplyDeleteAs far as what I am already doing in my classroom, I do use some of the activities that were shown in the Behaviorism-based Learning Resources. Last year I started math speed drills for addition facts. I was concerned about any anxiety that it would cause my students which is why I had not done them in the past. Although, some students do seem anxious about the activity, I have seen huge academic gains in this area. They know their facts better than ever before. There was enough improvement that I will continue using the speed drills as an instructional method in my classroom.
Katey I like your "lunch party" tickets! It would be great if students were self-motivated but since most are not we have to provide extrinsic rewards. I think back and remember the things that many of my teachers did to motivate me and it was a great feeling to be recognized for both effort and successes.
ReplyDeleteI like that you identified intrinsic motivation versus extrensic. For such young students it is hard for them to view the positives of putting forth more effort, but if they are rewarded for doing so they will get in the habit of doing their best.
ReplyDeleteKatey,
ReplyDeleteDo you also announce to the students how/why a student earned a lunch bunch ticket? This directly connects to teaching students how to put forth effort. If every early primary teacher utilized a similar method, I think the students' intrinsic desire to do well would be solid by 4th grade and definitely better prepared for middle school. I suggest you use survey monkey for your student survey. It is free, and I think it lets you individualize or categorize student responses based on what you're looking for.
Charis Jones