I have always maintained that I like most animals better than some people but perhaps that is because the furry beasts just seem to make more sense to me than some of the almost as furry teen students that inhabit my class room. Lately I was asked to consider the role of behaviorism and whether or not it had a place in the modern class room so I have pondered. B.F. Skinner would tell us that learning is the result of a response to events or a stimulus depending upon how it was reinforced. My St Bernard has learned to associate the word "cookie" to mean that he is going to get some sort of treat. It can be a meatball, a goldfish cracker or even his pill coated in gooey peanut butter. It doesn't matter. Cookie means yummy and his leviathan head quickly lifts from his cozy den under the kitchen table on stilts at the mere whisper of the word. My students are not as quick to be molded. One I could not afford enough treats to feed hormonal, growing teens and the administration might frown upon me smearing the roofs of their mouths with peanut butter when they answered a question correctly. There are potential peanut allergies of course. No other reason I can think of other than that.
Rewards may motivate some students to do well in school but motivation is a tricky beast. What motivates one student may not motivate another. I am amazed at the excitement shown even by teenagers if I happen to put a sticker on their papers and they hold up the smiley face in the nine of a good score as if they were Braveheart on the hillsides of Scotland. Some students HAVE to have the A. Some students are convinced that they will never GET the A. What I find seems to be the biggest reward to many of my students is that I BELIEVE in them. They get honest feedback from me about their challenges but more importantly I see strengths in each of them that perhaps no one else has taken the the time to notice. Is this recognition and expectation a positive reinforcement or a negative one? I suppose it depends on the student.
Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn and Malenoski would have us specifically reinforce effort in order to teach our students about the link between effort and achievement and for them to set goals for that to occur. Having students track these goals is a visual and tangible way for students to link their effort with a specific outcome. I agree that as educators we have a vision for our students that sees beyond their immediate situation but a sage will tell you that you just can't put an old head on young shoulders. Sometimes hard work just doesn't pay off with equal academic reward though and then we must help to guide our young students to the reflection that leads to personal growth or dare we say....learning? I think most kids just want to feel like they are doing okay and they look to our red pens, raised eye brows and smiles as gauges of where they are on that journey. Is this learned behavior or not? I believe that it is definitely a part of it and as educators we need to be aware of what behaviors we are rewarding. Do we want rote mastery or creativity and do we have to sacrifice one for the other?
Meanwhile. Sit. Stay. I'm going to get the jar of peanut butter.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
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ReplyDeleteI always believe in praising and positive atmosphere in a classroom. I believe it brings out the best in the students. Even a student with bad behavior if he gets little encouragement from the teacher and has the feeling that his teacher really cares for him he will change his behavior in to a better one even if only in that teachers class. I believe enforcing good behavior is very effective and necessary. As you said each student is motivated by something different, that is why a good teacher can understand and figure out what motivates each student to achieve well and adapt a good behavior.
Absolutely Dana, it's so important to catch kids "being good" especially the student who typically is always being told what they are doing wrong. Sometimes it starts very, very small. Even as an adult I feel intimidated sometimes learning something new.Imagine how scary it can be for younger students without the life experiences to pull from. You are wise to recognize what an impact your positive attitude and expectations can have on your students. Thanks for visiting!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all I have to say that I really enjoyed reading your blog. You are a very creative in your comparison and I love the dog analogies. Having a dog myself, I completely understand your point of view and never really considered how we associate students with that same reinforcing behavior. All teachers want their students to have goals and have the need and desire to learn. Unfortunately, in today’s society, if we are lucky, we may have one student every couple of years strive to meet their own goals. Kids today are raised with incentives and are expecting that if they do what they are asked of them, they will be rewarded. Unfortunately at school, it is hard, like you said, to find what works for all children. Often times, I have found that if I have a behavior problem in my class, I see what things the student does well at and not hound on the bad behavior. You are probably thinking that I have no classroom control, but with my students coming from a poorer life, and those who are misbehaving, most of them only hear screaming and negative attention at home. I have found that they phase when I confront them in a stronger, stern voice. I have noticed that by reinforcing positive behavior, they are more successful and open up to more possibilities, where I can then find the root of their bad behavior.
ReplyDeleteOn the contrary, DeEtte I have the impression that your class room is very well managed and I am guessing that you genuinely promote an atmosphere of acceptance coupled with high expectations. I agree with you that many students seek misplaced incentives. They will ask what do they get if they win a review game or get an A on an assignment as if I am supposed to reward them for doing the job they were supposed to do in the first place. It sounds like your population brings a lot of external factors into the class room with their backgrounds that would be challenging. It is amazing to see how these kids respond to being treated with genuine respect. For some it is very foreign and they have to be given time to trust. Your perspective and attitude should serve to remind us of the intangible reasons why we are actually teaching on those days when it feels like we are just dog paddling to get through the day. Thanks for dropping in!
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