As a teacher, it is important to me that my students are praised for good behavior and have consequences to behavior that is unacceptable. I use daily drills, practice, and tutorial services in my everyday classroom. I feel that this is important for students to review what is being taught and continue to strive on the knowledge they know. I also get a sense of what my students need to continue to work on and am able to work in small groups to meet the needs of my students. I use these instructional strategies during math time, reading time and especially during spelling lessons. We use online educational games to practice these skills as well. Not only can technology in my classroom work as a reward, but it also is a tool to meet the needs of my students who learn in this manner. "Technology makes it easier for students and teachers to track the effects of effort and faciliates more immediate feedback" (Pitler, 2007)
"In defining behavior, behaviorist learning theories emphasize changes in behavior that result from stimulus-response association made by the learner" (Standridge, 2002). As teachers, we use words and phrases that can benefit a child's self-esteem. This might include "I like the way you are..." or "You are being a great friend." Simple phrases such as these can not only have the child feeling great about themselves, but I also notice the other students acting in a similar way.
For the most part, behaviorist learning theory in today's classroom and instructional technology can be very effective within a classroom. Technology is used daily in the classroom and in order for it to work well with my class, standards need to be set and followed. Students need to understand and model the proper behavior that is expected of them. Using this type of theory in a classroom, both students and teachers can benefit from its use. Teachers can continue to grow and learn with these strategies as well as their students.
Resources:
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M. & Malenoskil, K (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Standridge, M. (2002) Behaviorism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved 8/15/2009, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
adecker
ReplyDeleteI agreed with your teaching style when you said you praise student who are modeling desired behavior, and that you have consequences for misbehavior. I think it is important that students are taught the behavior that is expected of them, and then they are held accountable to follow those expectations. The main reason that I feel this should be done is because that is the way real life is. Our job as educators is to prepare students for life. If our students do not know how to follow the rules, directions, or expectations, they will face negative consequences in their lives.
It seems that you and I have very similar views regarding the use of behaviorist methods in the classroom. I teach high school math and find it necessary to use drill and practice as well as tutorials in my classroom on a daily basis.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Andrew as well. Part of my mission statement at walden is to best prepare my students for life after graduation. It is our responsibility to teach students academic, technological, and life skills that they will need to be successful. Behavior modification certainly plays a role in that.
Hi Minty,
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I believe positive feedback can be the best way to keep students behaving well. It is great to see how much technology you are able to use to provide practice and feedback for your 4th graders. Have you seen the site brainpop? Check it out at http://www.brainpop.com/. Sign on as a guest first to see if you can use it in your class. The science lessons are great!
Hi Minty! I really enjoyed reading your post and could not agree with you more! I am all about positive reinforcement and it is amazing to see how students immediately change their behavior in a positive way when you make comments like, "I like the way you are raising your hand". Right away you see a smile come to that student's face and you see the surrounding students raise their hand as well, instead of shouting out.
ReplyDeleteI think that teachers still definitely need to implement some behaviorist methods in the classroom because those are the strategies that help set the foundation for a positive and safe learning environment. Structure and consistency in the classroom is vital in maintaining good classroom management. I also think that we as teachers must always model or have other students model, (in a role play lesson) the appropriate behaviors so that students know exactly what the expectations are. This is definitely important when allowing the students to access technology. There are expectations involved when utilizing such tools that it is important to set up boundaries, expectations and consequences with our students when using technology in the classroom. In my classroom it is a privilege. My students know they have to earn their time on a computer or time on the SMARTboard. This helps them understanding the ideas of hard work and taking good care of their “learning tools”.
Hello everyone! I think it is great that we all feel the same way. We as teachers, need to make sure that we are preparing our students for the world and that we are acting as role models to support these strategies. Students need to understand that their are consequences to inappropriate behavior and that their are rewards or reinforcements for making good choices. I enjoyed reading all of your posts and it is so great to see that you all work so hard to provide your students with the same atmosphere! Thanks for your tips and comments!
ReplyDelete