For this weeks resources we learned about reinforcing effort and homework and practice through our book, "Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works". These two strategies correlate with the principles of the behaviorist learning theory in many ways.
The reinforcing effort states that if you give effort you will achieve whatever goals you have set out for yourself. Addressing students effort is very important because if a student gives more effort into what they are doing, they will achieve more success. This correlates with the behaviorist theory because the behaviorist theory states that teachers should reinforce desirable behavior. If teachers can reinforce giving effort in the classroom, they will get the desirable behavior of achieving success because they believed in themselves and therefore gave effort.
The homework and practice strategy states that students should constantly be going over what they have previously learned. Students can continue to gain more knowledge and clear up any misunderstandings as they complete their homework. This supports the behaviorist learning theory because the students are reinforcing what they learned when they complete their homework, and the behaviorist theory states that students should go through reinforcement.
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Alicia~ Students should be going over material to gain understanding and futher clear up any misunderstandings when completing homework. I would love to agree with the entire statement, but I cannot help but think hehaviorist theories for learning must have more than just "practice over and over" going on for the student to really learn. My eighth graders complete very little homework, so I find I assign very little homework. They have to learn to behave in a study fashion before they can learn to create homework correctly. Many times, I find the homework can create more misunderstandings, especially if the student is not following the instructions or using the "behaviors" we, teachers, think they should be using when completing the assignment.
ReplyDeleteWhen you say the students complete very little homework so you assign very little homework, do you mean that they just don't do it whether you give them a bad grade or not?
ReplyDeleteBoth actually. I assign very little for 2 main reasons. 1. They tend not to do the work and I get very little turned in as complete leading to poor grades. 2. I have only a classroom set of books. Even though the book is online for student & parent use, many of my students do not have internet access to use it.
ReplyDeleteI have tried assigning so many types of homework, from book practice in worksheet form, to projects, to online activities. In the 12 years of teaching, I seem to get less homework completed each year, so I assign less and save us all the hassle.