Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Behaviorism Blog
From a behaviorist perspective, all behavior is viewed as a response to external stimuli. I believe that there are many instructional strategies that teachers can implement in order to shape their students' behavior. These strategies are fairly easy to introduce, for there is little mental activity involved. As an educator, I have always tended to use the positive reinforcement model when trying to extinguish an undesired behavior. I now know that the removal of something unpleasant, which is referred to as negative reinforcement, can be just as effective. I feel that in order for the behaviorist theory to maintain its effectiveness in the classroom, some type of reinforcement must immediately follow the behavior. Contracts are another useful strategy for modifying student behavior, for they directly involve the student in the "unlearning" process. Various forms of educational technology can be applied in order to evaluate the effectiveness of a particular approach. Spreadsheets, and similar programs that involve graphing collected data, serve as a clear visual representation of a student's progress. This benefits both the educator and the student.
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Brooke,
ReplyDeleteIn my first grade class, I also use positive reinforcement. Do you use a contract to help decrease the unfavorable behaviors in your class? Have you used technology to help your students link their effort to their success? After reading and listening to the resources, for the primary grades, the level of understanding and examples would be different than intermediate.
I like the thought of behavior contracts and have used many different ones with various students. I find that they work for a few weeks and the the students AND MYSELF grow out of them and they really need to be modified. I'm guilty of growing out of them and just forgetting to fill them in or when I do have the kids fill it in with what color they are on I'll forget what they did to put them on that color. Then I feel bad when I can't tell them and their parents what they did wrong. Brooke, as I was reading through the resources and they were explaning how you can use a spread sheet to help the students track their effort as well as their behavior, I understand it but I don't quite think my fourth graders will really be honest and true to their entries. Has anyone ever tried this and seen it work or not work????
ReplyDeleteThe spreadsheet idea does seem like one of those great ideas by theorists, but it is one that is difficult to implement. While the students may be dishonest the first few times, the teacher may have to speak individually with the student following an assessment to discuss the difference in opinion between teacher and student. Perhaps, there could even be a teacher column the first few times.
ReplyDeleteKristin,
ReplyDeleteI agree that the students' level of understanding about contracts is much different at the primary level. I am currently implementing the use of a contract with one of my second graders. The contract is being used in order to remove the unfavorable behavior. I actually spoke with the student the other day about how he can have several minutes of my time to discuss anything that interests him, provided that he does not call out during instructional time. I haven't yet applied the use of technology to link this student's effort with his achievement, but it is something that I am definitely going to look into.
bhandymd,
ReplyDeleteThe spreadsheet does sound a little complicated, especially at the primary level. However, I do believe that it can serve as a great visual to track student progress. I like the idea of incorporating a teacher column in the beginning. This will give the student a good idea of what the teacher expects and will hopefully encourage the student to set higher expectations for him/herself.
Susan,
ReplyDeleteI also admit that I have found myself "growing out" of behavior contracts, especially if they are not having an impact on the student's behavior. I haven't yet used the spreadsheet, but I do think that this might serve as a useful tool for both the teacher and the student. I plan on implementing this in the near future. I will be sure to let you know what I think.
Brooke,
ReplyDeleteI think most educators take a behaviorist perspective whether they realize it or not. I tend to use positive reinforcement daily because it gets me the response that I want from my students.
I must admit that I too am intrigued with the effort and achievement spreadsheet. I plan to try this in my classroom very soon too. Hopefully, we will be able to compare our results.
Coleen
Behavior contracts are something that our school works heavily with. However, just like Susan said, sometimes it is futile and won't work and you have to come up with another plan. However, the behavior contracts serve great as documentation with parents and the student support teams. I have not used the spreadsheet either, but it is something I also will be looking into this week. Now, getting the kids to cooperate is another thing.....
ReplyDelete