This week, I explored the idea of reinforcing effort and
homework from a behaviorist perspective.
Behaviorism is most notably defined by B.F. Skinner as reinforcing the
desirable behaviors and punishing behaviors that need to stop (Smith,
1999). This is called operant conditioning. According to James Hartley, there are four
key principles to learning: activity, repetition, motivation through
reinforcement, and clear objectives (Smith, 1999).
At first glance, using spreadsheets to reinforce the idea of
effort did not seem like behaviorism until considering that effort is a
behavior. According to the four key
principles, it fits. Students use a
rubric to evaluate their effort in four categories: class notes, attention,
participation, homework, and studying (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski,
2007). Then, using a template, students
rate their effort in each category every week and record the results of their
weekly test grades. Using the tools of
the spreadsheet software, a graph can be easily generated to show the
correlation between test grades and effort.
Students are actively involved in the process of collecting data,
repeating the act weekly, reinforced by the graphs through immediate feedback,
and have a clear objective through the use of a rubric with clear
expectations. The purpose of the project
is to change an undesirable behavior of putting minimal effort into the class
to the desirable behavior of putting more effort into the class. Students, who may have written the class off
due to “bad genes” will receive intrinsic motivation by seeing how their effort
correlates to their grades in the class.
If I were to use this experience with younger students, I
think I would print out a copy of the spreadsheet and have students fill it in
by hand. Then the students could use an
online tool, such as Create-A-Graph,
to enter the data and create a graphical representation. In my opinion, Create-A-Graph is more kid
friendly, especially for students in elementary school who may not have had
exposure to spreadsheet software, although it is not complicated. In addition to using spreadsheet software,
online surveys can be used to poll students anonymously about their effort
using tools such as Survey Monkey.
Another common area of behaviorism to be integrated with
technology for use in the classroom is in the area of homework and practice
through programmed instruction. “As an
extension of the classroom, homework provides opportunities for students to
deepen their understanding of the content and to gain proficiency with their
skills” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 187). Programmed instruction presents a small
amount of information, asks a series of questions, then changes the information
presented based on how the question is answered (Laureate Education, Inc.,
2011). Students receive immediate
feedback to let them know if they are on the right track, or need to review
more.
There are a variety of tools available for teachers to use
programmed instruction as a way to reinforce skills. However, many of these tools are best suited
for drill and practice situations. One
of my favorite tools is Brain Pop
because it provides a short clip with each skill to review and then provides a
variety of activities for students to complete and receive feedback. Another example would be Fun Brain which provides arcade style games
for reading and math. Many textbooks now
provide resources for teachers to create online quizzes for students to
practice with at home as well, although there are a wealth free resources just
by searching the internet or App store if using such technology as iPads or
iPod Touch in the classroom.
What are some of your favorite resources for student
practice and homework? Do you find your
students more engaged when using these tools?
How do you motivate your students and reinforce desirable behavior in
your classroom?
Resources
Laureate
Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011a). Program four: Behaviorist learning theory
[Video webcast]. Bridging learning
theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K.
(2007). Using technology with
classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA:
ASCD.
Smith, K. (1999). The behaviorist orientation to learning.
In The encyclopedia of
informal education. Retrieved from http://www.infed.org/biblio/learning-behavourist.htm
Whitney,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the Create-A-Graph website! I had never heard of it before and think it will be highly useful for my third grade students. I, too, was wondering how the Excel spreadsheet example given in the book could be modified for younger students. I do think that it is very beneficial for students to be monitoring their own behavior--instead of the teacher. I can not wait to try new and different approaches next year. What do you currently use to monitor behavior?
If you go to my blog, http://www.stacymartinez.blogspot.com , you will see a couple of websites my students currently use--these seem to motivate them; and yes, the students are very much engaged.
Currently, I use a checklist to monitor student behavior. However, in the past I have used a color change chart--which I might revert back to unless I find another beneficial way--sometimes it is nice to change things up!
Thank you for your resources and post! :)
Stacy Martinez
I am not currently in a traditional school setting, but right now I use a token motivational system to reward positive behavior. I work with students in small groups in an after school setting. My students know they can earn up to ten tokens per hour they stay in tutoring and I am very intentional about giving tokens with specific praise. Then, they can trade their points in for an item from our "store." Some of the older students like to save for the big items, while the younger ones like to spend as soon as they have enough to get something small. We also bring math as I often have my students balance their token "checkbooks."
DeleteWhen I was in a more traditional classroom teaching first grade, I used a card system. That was during my first year of teaching. It worked for some students, but not for others. My classroom management was terrible that year, mainly because I did not always reinforce like I should, but I learned from my mistakes.
Whitney,
ReplyDeleteOne of the new pieces of technology I will be working with next year is an iPad. We will have 10 of these to use in our new technology room and really it will be my job (with 2 other advisers) to show teachers how iPads can be used inside the classroom. I know there are ways to use them as presenters and such too that I am trying to find out about. Do you have any resources you could share? I have looked through Google, but most are just articles about "hey, download this app." Well, that does not give me much information on HOW and WAYS they can be used.
We just want to maximize teacher usage and student involvement and learning. Anything you can share would be helpful!
-Danielle
I am just beginning to tinker with the capabilities of the iPad. Usually, about once a week I end up browsing the Education App Store in iTunes to see what free Apps are available. It helps to look at many of the reviews as some will tell you what they used the App for. One of my favorite Apps, although more for personal use, is the Star Walk App because it allows you to use the camera to point at the sky at night and tell you what constellations and stars are in view. You can use the camera feature to overlay the real time view with a map of the sky and then click on individual stars, satellites, even the International Space Station, to find more information. It is just a very neat App. We are experimenting using the iPads for presentation purposes at my office currently, although I haven't been directly involved in that process yet. I know we bought an attachment to allow it to hook into the project or TV.
DeleteThere is also a software package available called Team Viewer available at www.teamviewer.com . It is free to anyone for non-commercial use and allows you to share screens, presentations, or even take control of another computer remotely. It is available for use on Mac, PC, and mobile devices.
Also, Star Walk is an App you pay for, but I definitely recommend it. I think that is what is most attractive about iPad apps. Most are really cheap to download if they are not free.
Delete