This week, I was asked to reflect on two educational topics that can incorporate the use of technology. The topics of "effort" and "homework" are connected with the theory of Behaviorist Learning. Dr. Orey stated, "In education, advocates of behaviorism have effectively adopted this system of rewards and punishments in their classrooms by rewarding desired behaviors and punishing inappropriate ones (Orey, 2001). With this being the final week of school in my county, I have purchased "prize" pencils to award my primary grade students for remembering the classroom rules and procedures.
An important topic related to behaviorism is "effort". Getting students to understand the importance of effort can be a challenge. The instructional strategy of reinforcing effort enhances students' understanding of the relationship between effort and achievement by addressing their attitudes and beliefs about learning (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007). By using spreadsheet software, teachers can record student effort and show students the connection with achievement. Showing individual students how their classmates have performed is important too. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski (2007) state that, "When students see that others have faced many of the same difficulties they face and have over come these obstacles and achieved goals with strong effort and good attitude, they too can see the connection between effort and achievement."
Another important topic related to behaviorism is "homework". In my early years as an educator, the subject of homework never seemed to go well. There were always students who were responsible and others who were not. I would begin to question what was too much homework and what was not enough. With technology becoming more available to each student, the way they do their homework is changing. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski (2007) explain, "Technology facilitates homework and practice by providing a wealth of resources for learning outside of the classroom, making it easy for students to work on collaborative homework assignments and providing "drill and practice" resources that help students refine their skills.
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. Denver, CO: Mid- continent Research for Education and
Learning.
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Hello,
ReplyDeleteIt is very important to set the concepts of behaviorism and rewarding systems at the very beginning of the year in order to achieve the the behavioral goals. However, it is the teacher's responsibility to clarify the concepts and rules of the rewarding system that will be followed in the classroom throughout the year. However, consistency is very essential when rewarding or penalizing. Nevertheless, it all begins with the teacher's efforts and ends with the students' success.
Frank,
ReplyDeleteYou are so right about the challenge of getting students to understand the importance of effort. Now we can show them.
After our last class on classroom management, I had my students start tracking their progress on assignments. To provide visual representation of their progress, I created a "How I'm Doing Chart" for students to record their grades. I now realize how important the self reflection piece is for students to relate their effort to achievement. By creating a chart of the results of effort and achievement, students could then use the information to set goals for improving their effort.