I am confused by behaviorist learning theory. This is due to the fact that it doesn’t specifically deal with learning. Instead, it is a key element in learning. Behaviorist learning theory deals with the conditions under which learning occurs best, but not the learning itself. With this in mind, the teaching strategy of “Reinforcing Effort” discussed in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007) is an effective behaviorist strategy, but “Homework and Practice” create some unique challenges.
Reinforcing effort is part of behaviorist theory. Michael Orey states that behaviorist theory consists of operant conditioning, and the most powerful part of operant conditioning is reinforcement of desired behaviors (Laureate, 2010). Every teacher would classify effort on the part of the student as desirable behavior. It sounds ridiculously simple, but actually effort, or lack of it, is one of the biggest challenges in the classroom. Many teachers today would agree that when it comes to students who are failing classes, it is not because the student tried his/her hardest and failed, it is because the student failed to try. In order to change this behavior teachers have two choices: there is punishment and the more powerful reinforcement. Punishment is fairly simple. In my classroom I don’t call it punishment; I call it lunch-time assistance. If a student misses an important assignment he or she stays with me at lunch to finish the assignment. As soon as the assignment is complete, they are free to go. Reinforcement can be a bit more challenging. It has to be worthwhile to the student, and what is worthwhile to one isn’t necessarily worthwhile to the next. I have students who thrive on public praise from the teacher and I have students who are mortified if they are publicly praised by a teacher. Teachers and schools need to spend as much, or more, time thinking and planning for rewards as they do planning for discipline. Another challenge is that, according to Melissa Stantridge of the University of Georgia, reinforcement needs to be immediate (Orey, 2001). Often, the projects that require the most student effort are also the ones that take teachers the longest to correct and give feedback on.
Homework is a huge problem at my school right now. Simply put, the majority of the students will not do it on any regular basis. As a result teachers end up with far too many students failing their classes and begin to take heat for having so many students who are underachieving. I try and give as little homework as possible for this and several other reasons. First of all, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works (Pitler et al., 2007) discusses homework strategies that use technology. This simply isn’t possible where I teach. I have had students who don’t have running water, so obviously, it is safe to say, I have a fair amount of students who have no access to technology outside of school. Another problem can be explained in behaviorist theory terms. The more immediate the reinforcement or punishment the better, but when the student is working at home it is quite possible there will be no feedback on school work until the following day. Many students today go home to where there is no external source of reinforcement until much later in the evening. Students often are faced with the choice of playing for example, where the enjoyment, fun, or encouragement from friends gives immediate reinforcement, or doing homework. If they do their homework there may be no reinforcement until the following day, and if they don’t do their homework there may be no punishment until the following day. As far as the teacher is concerned, there can be no immediate reinforcement. I know of no teacher who would not like to have their students getting more practice in their subject area, but in terms of behaviorist theory homework is an uphill battle.
References
Laureate Education Inc. (2010). Program Four. Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. [DVD]. Behaviorist learning theory. Baltimore: Author.
Orey, M. (ed.) (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved March 1, 2011 from, http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., and Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroo instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
I share your frustrations when it comes to homework. As a high school math teacher, my students have homework on a regular basis. For those students who are motivated enough to work on the assignments, one of the big problems is the lack of immediate feedback. Most of these assignments are out of the textbook. I typically assign a few problems that have answers in the back of the book so students who care enough to see how they are doing can check their answers. The majority of my assignments do not include the answers because most students will simply cheat and write down the answers. Unfortunately, this lack of immediate feedback allows for misconceptions to be formed and strengthened as they work through the assignment. It is not until students come in the next day and check their answers that they realize they have it all wrong. I would love to give students assignments that incorporate technology that can provide this immediate feedback, but there is such a wide variety when it comes to technology access at home that this is not practical.
ReplyDeleteThe more pressing issue in my opinion is the lack of motivation shown by many students. I have entirely too many students who do little if any homework outside of class and they also refuse to study for a test. Mastering math skills takes practice. There is no way that they will magically learn the concepts without doing the work. It is a big challenge for teachers to find a way to make lessons and assignments engaging for student in order for them to care about what they are learning. This is part of our job and good teachers find ways to make learning fun and interesting. However, not everything that students are asked to do is going to be interesting to them. Many of them need to learn that in life they are often going to be asked to do things they do not want to do, especially when it comes to their jobs. They must realize that they will need to put forth their best effort even when they do not feel like doing so.
With my low level classes I rarely assign them work that must be completed outside the class. One reason is that I want them to check their understanding as they complete problems, and this can be accomplished in the classroom. Secondly, it rarely gets done if it leaves the room. I hate that I must operate this way because I often feel as though I am enabling them by not requiring more of them. However, my main goals is for them to learn the curriculum, so I make these accommodations in their best interest.
It can be tough to make homework a meaningful part of the learning experience. Regardless of all the issues it presents, I still believe that it is a necessary component of education.
I have the same problem in my middle school health class. Too many students don't seem to really care about their grades, muchless homework. In my school district middle school kids cannot be held back a grade if they don't pass. So even if they earn all F's in every class, they will still move on to the next grade. This makes no sense to me. There is not consequence (reinforcement or punishment) for their lack of effort. I think that this way of doing things sets kids up to be unsuccessful once they reach high school.
ReplyDeleteI also have the same issue with grading. To be honest, I'm not always the quickest when it comes to get my sudents' work back to them in a timely manner. Projects, like you mentioned in your post, and tests are the most difficult for me. This is where I think having student chart or track their effort for themselves using Excel might help with reinforcing their positive behavior.
I believe that homework might be a huge problem in many schools. If I am wrong then you and I are unique because I fight that battle every day. I even allow my students to get started on their homework in class, and they still fail to complete it. I have not decreased assignments, but I do accept late work. Therefore, I do not have a large number of students who are failing. I do, however, have a large amount of students that are content achieving mediocre scores. It is not that they cannot do the work; it is that they have jobs, play sports, or they forget. There is always some sort of reason why it is not finished. Our school is on block scheduling so I only see my students every other day. The block style works great while the students are in class because I am able to introduce concepts in multiple ways and still have time for practice. From a homework standpoint, it is miserable. One would think that if students were struggling with their understanding, they would take advantage of the extra day to work and come ask for help. The opposite is true. The immediate feedback on assignments is definitely missing in this type of scheduling, which in turn means that retention is limited. I have provided websites that cover concepts with additional tutorials and self-check quizzes, but students do not take advantage of them. I am a firm believer in getting homework completed, and I actually nag at my students until they complete it. After analyzing the theory of behaviorism, one would assume that the responsibility of completing homework would be learned quickly to avoid the constant pressure from the teacher. Although it improves with some students, it is not achieved across the board.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that we all have the same frustrations when it comes to homework. Everyone agrees that it is necessary practice, but we have no way to truly reinforce the effort in a way that makes doing homework worth it for ALL of our students. Also, we do not seem to have a way of punishing the behavior of not doing homework in such a way to make those students change their behavior.
ReplyDeleteStacey, I have the exact same frustration about promotion/retention at our middle school. I do not consider myself a teacher who focuses on punishment. I work very hard at building positive relations with my students so that praise and positive reinforcement actually means something to my students. Retention is a punishment, so it is not my favorite topic. My school’s lack of a promotion/retention policy though, is one of the biggest problems we face. Because there is no policy, many of our students come into our middle school with the knowledge that they can fail pretty much everything and still go to high school. While most of our students strive to succeed, we have an alarming amount of students who consider middle school a three year vacation. When we are trying to help our students transition from the early stages of education to high school and beyond, some students are doing literally nothing. It is depressing, but not a surprise, when these same students reach high school, fail, and often drop out because they have not acquired the skills necessary to succeed at the high school level. I would really like to examine some middle schools that have a more successful model than ours to try and find a better system for our own school.