As Orey mentions in his discussion of behaviorist learning theories, many teachers insist that they do not use behaviorist techniques in their classroom, when in fact many do every day (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). One instructional strategy that Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski (2007) suggest using to reinforce skills is homework and practice. They also assert that teachers should give appropriate feedback immediately on homework so that students can fix any errors or internal thought processes. This instructional strategy correlates well with the behaviorist theory in that students will respond to the feedback given. Orey (2001) argues that behaviorist learning theories focus primarily on a person’s change in behavior based on certain responses. So, if a student does well on homework or practicing a skill, they will not have to make any corrections, which is an example of positive reinforcement that Orey (2001) states as being a stimulus that reinforces a certain behavior. The student will want to continue doing well on assignments so he/she does not have to make corrections. On the other hand, if a student does not do well with a particular skill or homework assignment, he/she will have to relearn the skill and possibly practice more. Smith (1999) asserts that positive reinforcement is the best motivator for students’ learning. If the child does not want to have to make corrections next time, he/she will work harder on the following homework assignment.
The same reinforcement is given from many web resources that exist which promote consistent practice and give immediate feedback. Websites can be appealing to students and act as a motivator when getting students to practice skills (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). I will often display different websites for students on my webpage so that they can access them at home for extra practice on skills. Some examples of websites that provide instant feedback, which aligns with behaviorist theories, include: http://www.eduplace.com/kids/hme/k_5, http://www.gamequarium.com/punctuation.html, and http://www.fun4thebrain.com/division.html.
Another instructional strategy that Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski (2007) discuss using is the reinforcement of student effort. If students track their effort and their grades using a program like Excel, they often see a correlation between the two (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). With this strategy, students can visibly see the initial stimulus (effort) and the response (grade) and can change their behavior accordingly, which Orey (2001) would argue is an example of positive reinforcement: the student will increase the desired behavior (effort) to achieve a better grade.
With both strategies, teachers are using the idea of reinforcement and feedback to attain positive, desired behaviors amongst students. B.F. Skinner’s idea of operant conditioning is present in various forms within the classroom as students and teachers work to reinforce appropriate attributes and traits (as cited in Orey, 2001). When used in a beneficial manner, behaviorism can be a powerful tool in schools.
References
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program four. Behaviorist learning theory [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Orey, M. (Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Main_Page
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Smith, K. (1999). The behaviourist orientation to learning. In The encyclopedia of informal education. Retrieved from http://www.infed.org/biblio/learning-behavourist.htm
Lisa,
ReplyDeleteYour post addresses several main points in our resources for the week. You did a nice job linking the strategies with technology and their place in a behaviorist classroom. I really like your idea of highlighting different websites on your own website. Do you change those site links or are they the same throughout the year? I too was impressed with having students track the correlation between effort and results. I have had students track results before, but never considered making an overt connection to effort. A great idea.
Lisa,
ReplyDeleteAs a special education teacher, many of my students just tell me that they do not know how to do the work or it is too hard. In response to this I ask them if they have studied, taken notes,or did homework and many times the answer is "no." When then asked why they do not know the material, they start to realize that maybe they have not held up their end of the learning. I would love to try these excel spreadsheets with the effort scores compared to test scores to see their reactions. Many times they try to pass the blame to anyone else as Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski (2007) explain in chapter 8. I think this use of technology in conjunction with the behaviorist learning theory would be a real eye opener to many students.
Colleen Davis
References
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
I just began my class website a few weeks ago, as my district created a new district-wide program for creating them. The plan for next year is to change the websites based on what the students are learning about content-wise in the various subject areas. This would occur on a monthly basis I would assume. I also post my weekly newsletters to the website as well, however, still print a paper copy for parents at this point.
ReplyDeleteColleen,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that the visual effort graph can be a huge motivator for the students that are constantly putting the blame for bad scores onto someone or something else. It also helps teachers realize what students may need a little extra encouragement to put forth more effort.
Lisa, I have adopted the system where homework and practice is not attached to the grade that a student earns in class. Late in the year, I have some of my students that stop doing the practice needed to score well on the summative assessment. What types of behavior change would be best used to help my students see that by participating in the practice has paid off and needs to continue? Outside of showing them past scores and participation, I am at a loss. Any thoughts you have would be helpful.
ReplyDeleteJohn
John,
ReplyDeleteYou ask a great question and I am not sure if I have the answer you are looking for but many ways I use to motivate students revolve around positive reinforcement-if the student does well, he/she receives some type of reward. At the elementary level that I teach at, it is often an extrinsic reward. For example, if students complete all of their homework on time in a week, they get to participate in the weekly homework reward which ranges from extra recess, a treat, a trip to the 'treasure box.' Students must also write down all assignments in their planners and parents must sign it every night so that I know parents are aware of the homework.
I also offer extra credit to students that complete and turn in study packets about material covered in a unit. For other extra practice outside of homework, I am constantly reminding and showing students websites they can access at home to practice various academic content. These are all available through my clas website. Sometimes showing them a different median through which to practice certain skills seems to help.
Finally, at the upper levels I would offer incentives for good test scores or practice scores, such as no final test if they score eighty percent or higher on all assignments.
I hope this helps!
Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI posted a comment on your site Wednesday night but cannot find it. Can you help me locate it?
John
Lisa (I am just going to comment again, I don't know what happened to the first one),
ReplyDeleteAs a math teacher, I often struggle with knowing the best way to motivate my students to do work that will help them learn the material. I use a assessment format called formative assessment, and in my classroom everything leading up to the test is practice to help them learn the correct way to do the math. I try to focus my students on increasing their understanding while doing homework and quizzes. After reading Pitler's idea of the Excel spreadsheet to track both the grade and effort level of my students, I began to realize that I could use it in my room. The middle school students that I have need to be reminded that high effort is important and will pay off.
Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more with the powerful impact of having students track their effort and results. This can be a very powerful motivational tool. All too often students think effort has little impact on their grade and as our reading stated, many students have built in excuses as to why they can't do something. Those excuses are gone when students can see the correlation between effort and result.