Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Behaviorism in Practice
Learning is making connections through prior knowledge or real life situations. The behaviorist learning theory asserts that observable desired behavior and the motivation to repeat the behavior is driven by positive reinforcement. Feedback in the form of rewards and successes encourages the desired behavior. Digital natives are accustomed to instant gratification and benefit when positive feedback is predetermined or comes instantly. The BattleGraph graphing skills game referenced in this week’s resources is an example of positive reinforcement because it measures success that is rewarded with the sinking or your opponent’s battleship .Behavior is repeated in an effort to sink all of the opponent’s battleships. BattleGraph also correlates with the behaviorist theory that learning only takes place when the skill is frequently practiced. The repeated action of plotting the x and y coordinates allows the student to practice and learn the skill in an adventurous way. Although this instructional strategy mirrors the behaviorist theory, it still allows the student to experience creativity and take an active role in the learning process of graphing.
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Digital Natives are looking for instant gratification and technology assist us in that situation. I found the recommendations for researching within Word to be very enlightening. Our district blocks so many sites it is helpful that they can search within the word document. This provides instant construction feedback for writing.
ReplyDeleteMy students are very young and though they can play XBox and Playstation with ease, they do not have access to computers. Unfortunately, I only have 2 laptops in my classroom and one of those is for my use. This situation does not lend itself to time for practice on computers. I loved it when my own children were young and would 'play' tutorial software 'games' on my home computer. They would play for hours, never tiring. I wish my students had such access because it really does make learning fun!
ReplyDeleteConnie,
ReplyDeleteI also found the research information in Word to be useful. I think that it may be a very useful introduction to research for my younger students who are in first grade. This feature narrows a search which is a difficult concept to teach to my younger students.
funcampn,
ReplyDeleteI am sorry to hear that your access to technology in the classroom is so limited. I was wondering though if you had a TV in your classroom where you are able to view what you have on your computer screen? If you do, than maybe this could be an option for you to utilize technology in the classroom. You can go onto www.starfall.com or www.sesamestreet.org and play various alphabet or rhyming games where you can have the students each take a turn using the mouse to choose the answer.
You make an excellent point in that learning is making connections through prior knowledge or real situations. By using positive reinforcement, it only encourages the students to behave in a positive manner. Providing encouragement through rewards and feedback will only make the student more capable of success.
ReplyDeleteThe Behavioralist Theory definitely has its merits, although I believe that there comes a time when rewards should be intrinsic for students. Teaching at a middle school when students enter sixth grade most have been coddled by parents. When they enter our program students have felt that they were the smartest amongst their classes. Now they are in a situation that they must compete with students who are all on the same level. I try to motivate students to utilize competition to modify behavior not to rely on stickers and candy.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth,
ReplyDeleteI agree that eventually the goal is that all students will be intrinsically motivated. At the beginning of the year, I reward for all good or appropriate behaviors and slowly wean them down to the extra-ordinary.
Dolores said...
ReplyDeleteThe behaviorist learning strategies are vital and impactful elements of the classroom setting. Practice and homework are mainstays of the classroom and will continue to be. As you mentioned there are educational programs that use behaviorism learning theory and still allow students to use their creativity. This is an important factor in learning. When students practice material in a creative way they are more likely to retain that new information.