Hello everyone,
I thought I'd share some thoughts about this week's blog topic.
I do see a role for a behaviorist approach in learning---although I think it is important to keep in mind that it plays a part in instruction but shouldn't dominate the approaches we take. For so many content areas, in order to achieve mastery and be able to understand information at the higher levels, it is important to have a basic skill set. What comes to mind immediately are the areas of mathematics and reading. In order to be able to read fluently, one should have achieved automaticity in certain skill areas (sound-letter correspondence; basic computational facts in the case of math.) Without these skills in place, a student is likely to struggle in these areas because they're going to have to expend cognitive energy on what should be automatic--taking it away from the higher order functions. For example, a student may have increased difficulty working on ratios if they cannot multiple simply numbers effortlessly.
Learning these skills does not have to be dull for students, however. I think with careful planning, skill development can be incorporated into interesting activities that also tap into higher order thinking skills. Additionally, activities that include skill development can be planned so that students see its function in an authentic context--they see how these skills fit into the bigger picture.
I find technology to be a wonderful tool for helping students develop basic skills. Games are one example of this. An engaging, well-planned game that helps students develop skills may be a valuable instructional tool. Games may include drill and practice activities that then lead to higher order thinking tasks within the game. They also keep the practice component from becoming dull for students.
Skill development activities completed as homework ideally should appeal to a broad base of learning styles, and that the same planning we put into lessons (the same best practices) should apply to homework. Connecting it to a real world context--including opportunities to be creative, to think at the higher levels--to play an active role in the activity--can be part of a skill development activity. Possibilities for collaboration might be considered and planned for. The problem with a dull worksheet as homework is that I find that the students who carefully complete it are the ones who least require the help--those who most need the practice seem to avoid it. Technology may prove helpful in creating homework experiences that facilitate skill development but remain engaging (in cases where students do have access.)
I look forward to reading others' thoughts on this.
----Susan
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This site exemplifies everything that Susan mentioned. It practices the basic skills for a third grader in multiplication- but keeps my seventh grader intrigued with the strategy involved. recommended for everyone!
ReplyDeletehttp://illuminations.nctm.org/ActivityDetail.aspx?id=29
I like this site too:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bigbrainz.com/indexb.php
(there is a free version as well.)
The video game look is appealing to students -- they enjoy the game so they want to play--in doing so they develop their multiplication skills.
Professor Krauss -
ReplyDeleteI sometimes have a hard time thinking that "games" can actually be more than just games. I know - I really need to get over that mindset - perhaps this course will assist me in "unlearning and relearning" this concept! I do see how they can play a vital role in helping those students who cannot "carefully complete the worksheet" and do require more practice. Fun and exciting ways to practice rote and boring material is a great way to get those students motivated and engaged. Once they have worked and practiced certain skills, they will then be able to build upon them and increase their knowledge base. Consequently, they will struggle less with tasks which require those learned skills.
Susan,
ReplyDeleteYou mention computer games as homework, instead of a boring worksheet. I love this idea; however, in my school, those that need the extra support that homework offers, often do not have a computer at home. How could I work around this?
Thanks!
Hi Heather,
ReplyDeleteI agree--sometimes games really don't go much beyond the game--if I can find a well planned game, I find it is usually a pretty useful tool--however, a poorly planned game may be a liability---I've seen games that make funny noises for a wrong answer (so students try to get the answer wrong to hear it) or are just distracting in general, and students don't learn much from these.
Jenelle,
That is a great question. If a student without a computer can get to the library, many libraries have computers that students can use. Our local library has computers that students can sign up for for blocks of 1/2 hour.
If students can get together at a classmate's house where there is a computer, that might help.
Another possibility: Older machines are sometimes available at greatly discounted prices--an older computer is still a good tool for school applications and may be more affordable than the family realizes.
Thanks everyone for posting to my blog.
Susan,
ReplyDeleteI agree that sending home a dull worksheet as homework is not as effective as a creative, fun lesson. I also agree that using technology would be very effective as a homework tool. The difficulty that I have is that many of my students do not have computers or access to the internet. This limits me on the amount of technology I can incorporate into my homework assignments.
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean...some students just don't have at home access. Hopefully, as computers become more and more affordable, fewer and fewer students will be without them at home.
Thanks for posting to my blog.
Hi Dr. Krauss!
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned math and reading as two subjects that benefit from a Behaviorist approach to learning, and I'll add music to the list. Of course, there are so many mathematical skills embedded in the study of music. The Behaviorist theory seems relevant to help developing musicians attain the fluency and automaticity you wrote about. Eventually, the music itself then becomes the reward as one's performance becomes a positive and emotional experience. Then, as you pointed out, students are able to move beyond the drill of music theory facts and move into higher order thinking skills such as analysis and original composition.
Finally, may I ask a few "newbie" questions about the blogging experience? I've noticed that several of the comments I've posted have been held in limbo with the message "awaiting moderation". Will they eventually post? What is it that is actually screening the comments - the blog host or server? Also, should I be adding myself as a "follower" to classmates' blogs? Is that just a part of the social networking, or are there other benefits?
Thanks so much! Carrie
Hi Susan,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post. When it comes to homework I have a hard time making it fun and exciting for my students. I use it more as a tool to let parents know what their child is learning. It can be difficult to make sure your lessons are fun, open-ended and at each childs learning level and then to provide the same with the homework. It becomes too much at some point. I did try a homework calendar where students picked 5 out of the 7 choices each week (the projects were open-ended for the kids) and then at the end of the month each student presented their projects for the month. It served as a great reflection time for students and great practice at speaking in front of peers. Homework is one of my biggest struggles in teaching. If you have any suggestions I would love to hear them.
Thanks,
Allison (Kindergarten teacher)
Hi Carrie,
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about music---I'm always urging my son to keep practicing, even if it seems a little dull--because at some point, the skills will be automatic and he'll have the gift of really being able to play.
For the blogs--some people may have set their blogs (or the blogs do this by default) to wait for the blog owner to accept the messages. You can follow the blogs if you like by adding yourself as a follower--I find it easier to use an RSS Reader and add blogs to the reader and view them that way--but either will work. I just found the RSS reader a bit easier for me (I follow a lot of blogs so this keeps them organized for me.)
I hope this helps a bit.
Hi Allison,
I really like your idea of giving students some homework choices--having a choice over a project-oriented activity may help give students more of a sense of ownership over their work and encourage engagement.
I wonder if students might be more committed to homework if it was connected to a fun, social activity. What comes to mind is being part of a group and having a particular contribution to make--if students know their "piece of the puzzle" is going to help toward building the larger project, they may be more interested in completing it independently. I find also that if students have difficulty with homework, they may be more likely to give up--so ideally, I try for practice problems that are do-able for them. I think another key is to be attentive to how much homework---I like to try for enough that students feel confident doing the activity, but not so much that it turns into a chore. One possible idea--have students review a lesson they've learned and identify two concepts that they found difficult--so they can be reviewed in class---or have students create two or three problems or tasks for their classmates to work on. Young children typically need some parental involvement for homework--for their parents to be excited by it and see it as something enjoyable they can support and provide encouragement for. Maybe a homework section on the class website could help---where parents could see what the assignment was and locate suggestions on how they can help their child to be successful with it and look forward to some nice quiet time working on the activity with the support of their parent.
Thanks for posting to my blog.
Hi, Dr. Krauss
ReplyDeleteNice Blog and interesting post, we are all in the same page about the relationship between behaviorism theory and learning strategies, at the beginning we though that were not connected but after our research we all are agree that are definitely connected.
I would like to take this opportunity to share my thoughts with you and with the world regarding this topic. The instructional strategies described in the resources that we explore correlate with the principles of behaviorist learning theories. The following statements showed the similarities between instructional strategies and behaviorism theory.
Correlating Reinforcing Effort Strategies (RES) and Behaviorism Learning Theory. (BLT)
I find out that: RES Enhance student's understanding of relationship between effort and achievement by addressing attitude and beliefs about learning, based on taking notes, paying attention, participating, studying etc. BLT: Enhance student's understanding of relationship between active learner versus passive learner based on repetition, generalization, discrimination, frequent practice etc. RES: reinforcement is a powerful tool. BLT: reinforcement is a powerful tool. RES: key is believe in effort and keep track of it to acquire skill learning. BLT: Key is Believe in effort with frequent practice to acquire learning skills. RES: Important tool is integrating technology on activities. BLT: Important tool is also integrating technology on activities.
Correlating Homework and Practice (HAP) and Behaviorism Learning Theory. (BLT).
The following statements shown that learning strategies and behaviorism theory are connect; get your own thought. HAP: Reinforce students understanding of the content to gain proficiency with their skills by repetition. BLT: Reinforce student's understanding of the content with frequent practices to gain strengthened or skills. HAP: Amount of homework should be differentiating according to grade level. BLT: Amount of homework should be fair among grade levels. HAP: Involves observable behavior as who did homework and who did not. BLT: Uses observable behaviors rather than though. HAP: Establish a homework policy. BLT: States that activity should be programmed and focused on objective. HAP: Homework should be clear and follow up with feed back. BLT: Help when activities are clear and when the active learner has feed back. HAP: Focused on learning styles uses technology to differentiate instructions and have an engage learning environment. BLT: Focused in having active learners uses technology in the classroom to have students engage.
Juan Delgado
You really "hit the nail on the head" with your second paragraph. That's exactly what I have been struggling to express about homework and practice. You expressed it perfectly, though. Due to the fact that I tend to be a creative thinker, drill and practice quickly bores me as a teacher, and as a student. I do see its relevance, yet, I agree with you wholeheartedly. It needs to be used judiciously.
ReplyDeleteKim Phillips
Thank you for sharing your blog, Juan. As you mention, the teaching approaches grounded in behaviorist theory can prove very helpful for developing skill. I like your strong connections between behaviorist theory and these instructional strategies.
ReplyDeleteKim--like you, I tend to be very "NF" in terms of learning style--I like to be able to think creatively and explore "what would happen if...." type questions. I also love something with a puzzle. As a child, I really did not like the drill and practice activities assigned (in most cases I did them only half-heartedly and as a result, did poorly on any tests that required recall.) I think I keep that in mind when I teach--it is one of the reasons I appreciate tech-based skills and reinforcement activities--you can add a bit of fun to them to keep students engaged--and often I can find I can connect the drill activity to a higher level thinking activity.
Thanks for sharing and replying to my blog.