Description
The focus of reading and discussion in EDAT 6115 this week
was behavioral learning therapies. It
discussed principles of behavioral learning such as different reinforcers. Students learn through our modeling as
teachers. They should set their own
performances and hold them to high expectations. Intentional teachers design instruction that
shows observable actions for students to aim for.
Analysis
Children learn many behaviors
through their experiences. Learned behaviors
can be positive as well as negative. In
order for children to pick up the positive behaviors we need to provide pleasurable
consequences. “Pleasurable consequences increase the frequency with which an
individual engages in a behavior, whereas unpleasant consequences reduce the
frequency of a behavior” (Slavin, 2012, p.119).
The more joy a child finds out of a situation the more likely they are
to repeat or continue the situation. A good way to ensure that a child wants to
continue is by providing a pleasurable consequence called a reinforcer. A reinforcer is something that appeals to the
child as an individual. Not all children
have the same wants. Slavin (2012)
states, “We cannot assume that a particular consequence is a reinforcer until
we have evidence that it strengthens behavior for a particular individual”
(p.120). Finding what is important to
the child is important in being successful.
While there are consequences that strengthen
behaviors, there are also consequences that weaken behaviors. These consequences are called punishments.
Slavin (2012) reports, “As with reinforcers, the effectiveness of a punisher
cannot be assumed but must be demonstrated” (p.124). One way to demonstrate the mistake as a teacher
is to scold the child. By scolding them
you are getting onto the about something that they did that was not
appropriate. They know they are in
trouble and should not repeat this behavior based on the verbal words they hear
you saying. Another way to demonstrate the mistake is to remove a pleasant consequence.
Teachers may take away a student’s
recess, give them silent lunch, or give them detention.
In order for consequences to be effective,
they must come within a close range of the behavior. Slavin (2012) reports that in a classroom, “praise
for a job well done that is given immediately can be a stronger reinforcer than
a good grade given much later” (p.126). When you give immediate feedback
students are able to connect the pleasurable consequence to the behavior. When thinking about when students are showing
a negative behavior, “you can apply the principle of immediacy of consequence
by responding immediately and positively when students are not misbehaving”
(Slavin, 2012, p.126).
As teachers, there are different
intervals in which we can reinforce students.
A schedule of reinforcements refers, “to the frequency with which
reinforcers are given, the amount of time that elapses between opportunities
for reinforcement, and the predictability of reinforcement” (Slavin, 2012,
p.128). Schedule reinforcements can be
done by: fixed ratio, variable ratio, fixed interval, and variable interval. As a teacher giving a fixed ratio you might
tell a child after reading quietly for 15 minutes they may go check out new
books at the library. The “reinforcer is given after a fixed number of
behaviors” (Slavin, 2012, p.128). Using
a variable ratio a teacher might use this reinforcer when students raise their
hand. Not every child will be called
upon each time, rather “the number of behaviors required for reinforcement is unpredictable”
(Slavin, 2012, p.128). A fixed interval
approach is only available at certain periods of time. An example of this might
be students taking tests after a long unit. They will be reinforced by putting
into the work of studying, even if it is last minute. The last approach that teachers might use to
reinforce students is variable interval. “In a variable-interval (VI) schedule,
reinforcement is available at some times but not at others, and we have no idea
when a behavior will be reinforced” (Slavin, 2012, p.129). Teachers might use this reinforcer when
checking homework at random.
Reflection
I thoroughly
enjoyed reading this chapter. Since
beginning my teaching career I have been placed in many difficult situations
regarding behavior. In my four years of
teaching, three of the four have been spent teaching an inclusion classroom. I have a wide range of student abilities, as
well as behaviors. Reading this chapter
meant a lot to me because it reinforced many of the ways that I already handle
behavior, as well as taught me new views to think about and reasons why certain
approaches work. As a teacher if we are
going to have our students be successful we need to make sure that they are
involved in their learning and are motivated by intrinsic and extrinsic forces.
A
positive aspect of behavior learning is that we are teaching students how to
handle consequences of their behavior, in school, just like they will have to
deal with them in the real world.
Teaching them how to appropriately handle a situation and deal with the
effects of it will help prepare them to be successful. Just as importantly teaching them how working
towards a reinforcer is something that can be done to work towards a self-set
goal. However, some negative aspects
from a realistic stand point are how challenging it can be to transfer what
makes sense on paper to what is happening in your classroom. At times when situations like behavior
escalate in the classroom many feelings as well escalate. Educators have to make spur of the moment
decisions without further escalating the behavior. If we show students that shouting and yelling
is appropriate when a situation is not going our way, they will see that
modeling and believe they can do the same. We do need to remember what psychologist
theories say is best and try our best to maintain composure to enact those
steps.
One
thing that really stood out to me to remember in order to become a better
teacher is to keep in mind that learned behaviors can become extinct. At the beginning of the year I spend so much
time getting my classroom procedures and rules set up with the children. We review them often and I reward them
constantly for following them as expected. As the year goes on and we come back from
break, the students begin to feel comfortable with one another and as teachers
we begin to feel burnt out. The
procedures begin to weaken and the expectations are not held to such high
standards. This is the time of year when
I begin to ask myself, “Why are my students acting so crazy today”? In order to become a better teacher, I need
to realize that the behaviors we spent weeks at the beginning of the year
perfecting will become extinct if the reinforcers are withdrawn. An intentional teacher should not think their
students should know better, but rather continue to reinforce the wanted
behavior in hopes that the rest of the students will want that same reinforcer.
This
chapter definitely confirmed my beliefs about children. Children need to be praised. They need to
know they are doing the right thing in order to know that choice should be
repeated. Pushing them out of your
classroom and pawning them onto another adult did not teach them why the
behavior that they exhibited is not wanted.
Students need reinforcers to give them something to work toward. If
teachers always mentioned the behavior that they do not want to see that will
be the behavior that is on the student’s mind. If we praise the positive behavior
that we are noticing, other students will want that same praise and chose to
turn their behaviors around. Reminding
students of token rewards, they can earn rather than telling them they will go
to timeout puts their mind on the thing they want instead of the situation they
do not want.
References
Slavin, R.
E. (2012). Educational
psychology: Theory and practice (10th
ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education
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