The reading of this week enriched me with many instructional strategies that entrench technology and correlate with the principles of behaviorist. While I was reading, I came across many strategies that attracted me and made me think of how I will implement them in my classroom.
Many students do not see the connection between effort and achievement, thus many students who do not put effort into their work end up as low achievers. Students who struggle in certain subject areas, blame it on many other factors; for example, some students will say I am not smart, therefore they will not put any effort. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski (2007)pointed out that, “Many attribute their success or failure to external factors.” (p.156) Students need to understand the importance of correlating effort to achievement. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski (2007) stated that, “effort is the most important factor in achievement” (p. 155). There are many instructional strategies that reinforce effort and help students understand the relationship between effort and achievement. One of these strategies is creating a rubric that helps students understand the meaning of effort using spreadsheets such as Microsoft Excel. When students look at their charts, they can clearly see the correlation between the effort they put and the results of their achievements. This strategy also relates to behaviorism because it reinforces the behavior of putting effort. In addition, homework and practice is another example of behaviorism because students that do their homework and practice, achieve better and score high on their tests; whereas students who do not do their homework or practice, usually score low on their exams. Moreover, students who do their homework are usually rewarded extra points while students who do not do their homework are often punished. For example, students that do not bring their homework will lose their recess for the day. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski (2007) point out that, “Having students practice a skill or concept enhances their ability to reach the expected level of proficiency.” Practicing what students learn is very important and plays a role in their achievement. Using technology can utilize and provide students with the opportunity to practice the skills they learned in the classroom. The reading for this week provided a great amount of web resources that enhances students’ learning.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA:ASCD.
Howayda,
ReplyDeleteYou mention loss of recess as punishment for no homework. I also use the strategy, but it is ineffective. These students just lose recess everyday, with no change in behavior. Have you encountered success with this strategy? Do you have other suggestions for encouraging homework completion?
I am curious to see if the Excel graphing effort/achievement would be the way to go.
Hi Howayda!
ReplyDeleteI responded to your comment about students saying "I'm not smart". Perhaps you could develop a rubric and tracking tool similar to those described in this week's reading that would not only help students connect their effort and progress, but also provide a view into the many ways they can be successful in your classroom.
In my music classes, students sometimes feel defeated when they cannot master a particular skill or technique. By acknowledging other contributions such as insightful questions or helpfulness to a teammate, they remain engaged and willing to keep trying. Just a thought!
What subject area and grade do you teach?
Carrie
Howayda,
ReplyDeleteI agree that kids do not always put in effort because they do not see the correlation of effort to grades. However, I do not think that is always the case. I believe that kids have a warped sense of effort. If you ask kids if they are putting in effort, most would say they do. However, their idea of effort and our idea of effort is probably totally different. This is where the idea of the effort rubrics come in. If kids can see what they are supposed to do, the will fully understand whether or not they are getting enough done. I try to do this with my essays I give in class. Before students write their essays for me, I show them a generic rubric of the essays for the NYS Regents exam for US History. The kids see what a score of 1-5 needs. This way, they understand the grade they get a little better. I have even handed out old papers and had kids grade them, using the rubrics. Sometimes I hand out copies of their own papers to them with the names crossed out. This is a fun excersise because now they understand exactly what goes into the grading of the essays. While this may be concidered teaching to the test, it also teaches the kids how to analyze their own writing.