Researching the Behaviorist Theory in more depth has made me eager to increase my knowledge of this subject. This theory gives teachers a reason to keep teaching and encourages them to make an impact on their students’ lives. According to Dr. Orey (2001) “[i]f behaviors can be learned, then they can also be unlearned or relearned” (p. 6).
Many students do not have an understanding of how effort affects their achievement. There have been many misconceptions of how a person’s achievement is determined. As a teacher, I have the opportunity to impact my students by “shaping” or “gradually changing the quality of a response” they have to their daily efforts (Orey, 2001, p. 5). The idea that I am most interest in is providing my students with an effort rubric that will be used on a weekly basis. Having students get on a computer and create a spreadsheet to record their data will teach them many lessons as well as show them the impact that effort has on their learning (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 156-163). I am also going to give an on-line survey to my students before I use this idea to see what they believe. At the end of the year I am going to give the same survey to see if there is any variation in the results.
The second instructional strategy that was discussed should parallel the beliefs of most math teachers; to assign homework and practice. Behaviorists believe that a behavior can be learned and also extinguished. Helping students to learn and realize the benefit of practicing their school work will increase every students’ outlook on school and their achievement. The first step that needs to be taken is to give students resources that they can use at home and at school. These resources also need to be interesting to them; computer games are a good example. There also needs to be data available that shows students how their scores are progressing. Different sources of technology are able to collect data and give students and teachers immediate feedback. These “[m]ultiple exposures to material help students deepen their understanding of content and become proficient with skills” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 188).
Through technology, teachers will have more success in capturing students’ attention and producing positive learning experiences. Using the behaviorist theory allows students to “work for things that bring them positive feelings” and “change behaviors to satisfy the desires they have learned to value” (Orey, 2001, p. 6).
References
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. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
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Jenna,
ReplyDeleteI think it is important as well for us to help "shape" our students. Effort is such a vital part when it comes to succeeding in today's society. Many good paying jobs take nothing more than hard work and effort and it is important for our students to understand this.
Matt
Jenna,
ReplyDeleteTypically how much math home work do you assign? I know that practicing math problems is the only way the students will acquire the necessary problem solving skills, so how many problems do you assign for practice? Do you check and grade all the homework or do you just check that it was done?
Cousinjohn63,
ReplyDeleteIt depends on the class as to how much homework I assign. For junior high I assign around ten problems a night. Those problems can get done in class a lot of the time. For high school I assign around fifteen to twenty problems a night in which also get done in class a lot of the time. Also, I do grade all of their homework.
Jenna Eklund
Hi Jenna,
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of giving students a survey at the beginning of the year and the same one at the end of the year to see how their views have changed. I think it helps to show how they have changed and grown in their skills and learning and goes along with reinforcing their skills and commitment to growth in knowledge. I also like the idea of using multiple exposures to materials such as online games as a reinforcement of topics learned in class and a good practice of these skills.
Christine
Hi Jenna,
ReplyDeleteI think the idea of an "effort rubric" is wonderful. If used correctly it seems as though it could be a very powerful tool. As you said, students are aware of what an impact effort has on their schoolwork and ultimately their success while in school. What I like about effort is that it is in the students’ control. I think there is so much that students’ feel that they can do nothing about and at times they feel helpless. They give up much too easily and accept failure before they should. If they use the rubrics enough they may start to see the connection between the amount of effort given and their level of success.
Jenna, Effort is definitely connected to success in school for most students. I believe that effort is measured by the physical and mental; participation in class, completion of homework, and studying for tests, a student puts forward to reach a goal. That goal must be relevant to the students needs and must be shared by both the student, parents and teacher of the students.
ReplyDeleteI teach 7th grade math and I agree with giving students plenty of opportunities to practice concepts continually throughout the year. It is definitely a bonus if we can engage them more by making a real life connection to the concepts, and/or make it more fun with games. Our class text has many fun and engaging resources on-line which is nice. I also use web-sites like Study Island that have games but also chart each student's progress throughout the school year.
ReplyDeleteJenna-
ReplyDeleteSometimes students do not realize that their effort will one day pay off. Atleast I did not think like that when I was in school. Now I wish I would have put a little more into it! I agree with you that we have a better chance of capturing our student's attention through technology. Do you use a lot of technology in your classroom? Does your homework require the use of technology?
I like the idea of an effort rubric. My school has recently placed a lot of effort on grading with rubrics. As an elective teacher I am usually leniant with my grading if I see that the student is putting forth great effort. Effort should be included in the overall grading, similar to a particpation grade.
ReplyDeleteJenna,
ReplyDeleteHave you looked into any programs where you could put your homework online? It would be great to assign homework from the school website where the students could get automatic feedback on their work and you could see how each student does based on the information. Then you can see which concepts each student needs help with and can then differentiate your instruction based on the data. I don't know where you would go to find such a program but it seems like a good idea. I would think someone has thought of it by now.