Behaviorism and education seem to be evident, as reinforcement and punishment seem to be needed in different facets of education. However, it is safe to say that there should be no salivating students at the sound of a ringing bell... well except around lunch time. In the text Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, there are several examples provided that have a behaviorist resemblance. To me, rewarding effort seems like a no-brainer and comes instinctual as a teacher. Focusing on the positives and allow a student to see the benefits without resorting to negative stimulus seems very appropriate to me. Are there situations where punishment is needed, absolutely, but defenatley not always.I use rubrics for every project in my art class and effort is always a major part of that. At the elementary level the interest in learning and applying skills can be just as important as the end result. I love the idea of using software like Survey Monkey to question the students about their own personal reflection of their efforts. I have done this in the past with reflective blogging but plan to implement some survey reflections instead. My hope is that students find reinforcement in realizing the great effort and job that they have completed.
Any stimulus that draws in a student works as motivation. Motivation seems to be a self-reinforcement. When you take and interest in something you tend to give it your best shot rather than just getting by for the sake of being done.
I haven't used the survey monkey yet, so am looking forward to playing with it later in the course. As a science teacher I do ask for reflections at the end of the year, asking which of the activities they felt they learned the most from and what support they thought could be improved on(notebooks, online notes, etc). But with the survey monkey I could hopefully get reflections and comments at the end of each 9 week period and make the adjustments that I can for the next academic period.
ReplyDeleteWere your reflective bloggings at the end of a grading period or the year? I am not familiar with the art programs at the elementary school, though I do know you meet a few times a week, and often teachers travel from one school to another on different days.
I only see my classes once a week so I usually do a reflection, in some form or another at the end of every unit which usually equals about 9 weeks. I too do an end of the year opinion survey and am thinking, like you, that Survey Monkey might make it easier to do it more often to see what works and what doesn’t. It may be better for students while it is fresh in their minds. I too am looking forward to experimenting with it.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate your advice with Survey Monkey. I think this is a great tool. The art teacher where I teach uses rubrics as well. She has been teaching for a very LONG time so every class and grade level does the same project every year and parents are beginning to get frustrated. With the parent frustration I have brought more art projects into my class and my students love doing them. It can be difficult because I spend a lot of my own money. I want to start using rubrics and applying the projects to a core subject. I think it would be great to use the rubrics and have an assesment when it comes to art.
ReplyDeleteI have never used Survey Monkey before, but can see its great benefits when it comes to asking the students what their favorite parts of the school year were and what they didn't like. I did start a blog this year with my social studies classes and found that the students love answering questions on the internet and then talking to each other or commenting on their posts. Technology is great for motivation and that's what behaviorism is about.
ReplyDeleteI have not used Survey Money but want to check further into it. I like project work and use a rubric so that students and parents know what is expected at the beginning of the project.
ReplyDeleteI too use rubrics often, they are a great tool to let student know the project expectations. They also should be able to determine thier own grade by checking the rubric. I feel like it puts responsiblity on the student. Since using rubrics I do not hear the "I don't understand why I did not get and A" excuse!
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