Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Instructional Strategies and Behaviorist Learning Theory
Instructional strategies have a strong correlation with behaviorist learning theory. Behaviorism is observable and revolves around operant conditioning, which was developed by B.F. Skinner. Operant conditioning focuses on the reinforcement of desirable behavior and punishment of undesirable behavior. Teachers use operant conditioning on a daily basis through their instructional strategies. I think that operant conditioning is a successful way to manage classroom behavior and student progress and it has proven to be successful for decades.
In the video, "Behaviorist Learning Theory," Dr. Orey mentioned several instructional strategies aimed at managing classroom behavior including simple behavior charts and online tutorials. These strategies follow the theory of operant conditioning. They are measurable and can reinforce desirable behavior and punish undesirable behavior. Not only can operant conditioning be used to manage classroom behavior but it can be used to manage student effort and motivation. Students who put forth effort and show motivation will be rewarded in some way to reinforce the behavior, while those who show lack of effort and motivation will receive some sort of punishment at an attempt to extinguish the behavior.
Operant conditioning is used in classrooms around the world to manage classroom behavior and student progress. Whether in the form of a behavior chart, star chart, sticker chart, or excel spreadsheet, it provides students and teachers with a measurable and observable method of classroom management. These strategies can be simple or complex but they all prove to be effective.
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I believe operant conditioning can be used to manage effort and motivation within the classroom environment. Positive reinforcement for student effort can come from the teacher, peers, internalized reinforcement, and family members and does successfully influence positive behavior in the future. However, students that do not have internal reinforcement for good grades, who don’t care whether or not they receive good grades in school and have no one at home that encourages effort in school, is operant conditioning a successful theory to use with these students? Is punishing students for not being motivated or putting forth effort in school going to be successful in helping increase their effort as well as their understanding of the importance of effort in their lives? What would you do to help change these students’ behaviors and reinforce effort in school?
ReplyDeleteStudents should not be punished for not being motivated or for the lack of effort because it may stem from their home lives. I firmly believe in praising those students who are motivated and put forth effort in school and it is my hope that those students who don't show much effort or motivation will learn by observing their peers and my interaction with them. However, I understand that this isn't always a successful strategy. This past school year I had a particular student who wasn't motivated and rarely put forth any effort. He had a trouble home life and was not encourage at home. School didn't seem to be a priority in that household and the children were encouraged to be motivated and put forth effort in school.
ReplyDeleteI never punished that student. I took time to see what he responded to and when I came to a conclusion I focused on those strategies. He thrived off individual attention and positive reinforcement. Verbal praise worked wonders for him. He was definitely my "challenge" for the year but he made improvements throughout the year. Was he extremely motivated by the end of the year? Did he put forth his best effort every day? The answer to those questions is no. But, he did grow as a student and was more motivated than in September.
That's all that I want from my students. I know that not all students will be highly motivated. I work with all of my students to find what works for them. Then, I focus on those strategies to ensure that all of my students are successful to some degree. I use positive reinforcement and encouragement with all of my students.