Module 3

MODULE 3

CONCEPT 1: Reinforcement and Punishment

Summary:

            In Chapter 7, Woolfolk focused on behavior’s place in learning and how behavior can affect learning in the classroom. One point that she nailed home early on was the types of conditioning and reinforcement that teachers use to mold the behavior of and the standards of behavior for their students. There were two main ways that Woolfolk explains that teachers utilize reinforcement of behavior in their classes. First, she shares that both of these types of reinforcements use a reinforcer, which is “any consequence that strengthens the behavior it follows” (267), meaning that these reinforcers are used to encourage or discourage certain behaviors or actions by students. The first type of reinforcement is positive reinforcement, which is used when the behavior leads to something being presented to the student. (268) This type of reinforcement encourages the behavior, like a student getting laughs from other students for being disruptive. The second type of reinforcement is negative reinforcement, which focuses on removing or taking away something to strengthen a desired behavior. An undesirable behavior occurs, so something is “subtracted” from the situation, prompting the desired behavior from the students. One final component that Woolfolk shares is punishment, which she states as always involving a decrease or suppression of a certain behavior. (268) This is different than reinforcement in that it does not encourage any behavior, but rather only looks to lessen the bad behavior.

Reflection:

            These types of reinforcement and punishment patterns are something that students and we as people have our lives structured around in some way. From the earliest of ages, we have been structured in such a way as to learn what should and should not be done in certain circumstances. I can think of many instances in my own life where both parents and school worked to teach me what I should or should not do, what was appropriate and inappropriate for me to be doing. I think of instances where my teachers would reward my classes for acting appropriately or gathering the most cans for a can drive to help us continue to do these types of actions. To put a label on it, they were using positive reinforcement to encourage the behavior we were already giving.

            I can also think of a number of instances where my teachers have removed certain “rights” or activities from a plan to reinforce more positive behavior instead. One example is when my teachers would shush students when they were talking or saying that they will remove a fun activity from the lesson for the day, which would often prompt students to quiet down and act more self-controlled. There were also a number of punishments that arose in my classes that kept us responsible for our actions, like not being able to have a Christmas party in a class. These punishments would often work for us to act better in the future.

            Looking at my past experiences with reinforcement and punishment as a student, I now find myself on the other side of the discussion as a future educator. Many of these events now have greater depth to them and have forced me to think outside the box. In discussions concerning punishment and reward, I now find it harder to say 100% yes or no to a given situation. For example, if a reward is offered to the class if they behaved a certain way, and everyone in the class except for a few students did, is it better to not reward anyone or to reward all those who followed the rules and not reward those who did not? These types of situations become a lot more individualized from class to class and the situations begin to separate more. I no longer feel as though there are universal answers as to when to used reinforcement or punishment. It is amazing to me that one piece of a classroom such as this can have so many different techniques and results attributed to it. I am sure that with experience, knowing my students, and specific circumstances surrounding situations, my answers for when to use reinforcement versus punishment will change over time.

CONCEPT 2: Shaping

Summary:

            A new point that I had not considered before reading this chapter was the idea of “shaping”. Shaping, as defined by Woolfolk, involves “reinforcing progress instead of waiting for perfection.” (275) This type of thinking aims to negate the issues of a classroom that only aims for the end goal. When a classroom tends to focus on only the end goal for a behavior, if a student is not able to attain the level of mastery that they need they will tend to shut down and stop trying to get to that point. Woolfolk shares a good technique for us as teachers to work with to create a more shaping-style approach to improving behavior. She shares that if a student is struggling to attain the end-goal for a certain level of behavior, it may work better for the teacher to ease the student towards that type of behavior through a series of steps. These steps of developing behavior are more attainable than a single “jump” to a level of behavior. These steps work to shape behavior in increments, which helps get to the same end but more gradually.

Reflection:

            Looking at this style of behavioral adjustment, I can see a great deal of the logic behind this technique of shaping. I could see this technique working for a great number of behavior situations because it still achieves the end goal for behavior while making it more manageable for the student to attain. I think that this style of behavior teaching can be effective both because it makes the levels more manageable for students to work through, but it also sets a direct course of action for both the students and the teachers. I could see this type of instruction working to open dialogue between the teachers and students and also give an opportunity for the students to monitor their own progress in regards to their behavior.

            As a future teacher, I can again see the logic in this style of behavior development. Some students will be able to attain the level of behavior desired for my classroom immediately, but others will struggle greatly to achieve that level of behavior. When I thought about this style the first time, I thought of coaching in the same light. A coach cannot expect their players to immediately reach the level of play that the coach wants them to be at by the middle of the season during the first practice. Instead, the coach needs to help set up practices for the team to grow their skills and their chemistry over the coming weeks. There need to be a number of levels for the players to improve to gradually, while still aiming for the final product. I have seen these types of techniques used often in sports teams that I have coached and been a part of, so I think like this when I head into the classroom. Looking back on my education, I cannot think of definite examples where I saw students’ behavior being developed through shaping, but I am sure that some may have happened. However, a majority of behavior was simply demanded to be at a certain level and all of us were expected to be at that level of behavior immediately. I can see the benefit that certain students could gather through a shaping mindset of behavior.

CONCEPT 3: Self-Management and Goal-Setting

Summary:

            Near the end of Chapter 7, Woolfolk shares the importance of self-management in behavior and some techniques that can lead to students being able to manage themselves better. Woolfolk shares that students having a hand in managing their own learning is an important piece of today’s education. (287) She shares with us an important truth: that the responsibility and ability to learn is within the students, that teachers cannot learn for the students. After understanding this idea, we can begin to truly recognize the importance of a student’s role in their own learning. They have a great deal of responsibility in this, which is why developing self-management techniques is so important.

            One of these self-management techniques is goal-setting. There is a great deal of research that points to both goal-setting AND making those goals public having positive impacts on the learning of a student. (287) First and foremost, a student must have some sort of goals that they decide for themselves. A teacher can assist in suggesting them, but if a student does not buy into the goals themselves, they tend to be less successful in achieving them. In addition to that, if a student makes these goals public, whether that be to a study group or another classmate, the success of achieving these goals improves yet again.

Reflection:

            When considering the types of classrooms that I hope to be in someday, I begin to realize just how important the skills of self-management will be for my students. In high school (where I want to teach someday), students need to be developing personal control and accountability for their studies and growth in learning. High school is less structured, less controlled, so students begin to have a stronger presence and influence over their own education. It is imperative they do so, so as an educator of these types of students, I must consider how I can begin to instill in them a sense of personal responsibility to their learning.

            Why I specifically chose to discuss goal-setting is because I think it is an essential piece to managing one’s personal education. If a student does not have goals themselves, they can often hinder themselves in their learning just as much as a teacher imposing many restrictive learning goals on them may. When I consider my own education, especially in the last 4 years or so, I have had to develop a personal management style and have needed to set goals for my education. This type of goal-setting has pushed me to be responsible for my own learning, but it has also done more than that. Goal-setting has also given me a new passion and vigor for what I am learning and what I want to accomplish through that learning. I believe that passing these types of skills and mindsets can greatly assist high school students in their learning, both in their high school and post-high school education, whatever that may be.