Teachers study all types of education philosophies to prepare for working with students. One popular, although perhaps old-fashioned, philosophy is Behaviorism [a great tutorial on what behaviorism is from the University of Georgia Department of Educational Psychology and Instructional Technology can be found at http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Behaviorism]. Decades ago psychologists began to explore stimulus – response behaviors in animals and people. Both respond to positive reinforcement like attention and rewards and negative reinforcement like punishment. Education today is a complex process involving addressing different learning styles, implementing a more thorough understanding of how the brain thinks and stores memories , and the creation of meaningful learning environments for all students. I believe that behaviorist approaches still can be valuable in the high school science classroom.
In secondary science education, we face challenges with our students that come from years of conditioning. Many students enter our rooms believing they are no good at science, or that they are not smart enough to excel in science, or even that science is too hard. It is difficult to coax out of students the effort it takes to learn ideas, practice skills, and persist because effort pays off. Pitler, Hibbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski in their book Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works reassured me that “(s)tudents can learn to operate from a belief that effort pays off even if they do not initially have this belief.” (2007, p155) Technology can provide terrific tools to reinforce student effort. From Behaviorism we know that students need to feel success to know that their effort paid off. Using a rubric and a spreadsheet program available to most computer users, teachers can direct students to enter their effort in various categories and compare it to their weekly quiz or test results. The computer can chart their effort next to their achievement in a side by side bar graph – a wonderful visual reinforcement for students. (Pitler, Hibbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, pp 157-160). This application of technology and the time it takes to implement in class teaches students the value of effort. It is data driven – perfect for science classes. I am excited to try this approach this year.
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Christine,
ReplyDeleteI am saddened to hear that high school students come to you with such low self esteem that they think science is hard or that they are no good at it. You mention conditioning that they have experienced gives them this feeling. As an elementary school teacher it would be helpful to know just wha kinds of things we could do better to ensure that these young people come to you excited and ready to explore science. Perhaps it is down to the individual teacher's approach to and enthusiasm for (or lack of) science that affects their students.
I would be interested to hear more about the rubrics and spreadsheets that you use to have students monitor their effort. Do you think it could be used with younger students?
Minty
I think the spreadsheet program to motivate your Science students sounds like an excellent idea. It will be a very visual reinforcement. I wonder how it will be for the struggling students if they see their achievement go down. I would hope that it would show them that they need to put more effort in, but I always worry about the point where they just flat out give up. I also wonder how to manage the students in ensuring that they are honest in inputting their effort. I really like the idea and would really like to hear more about your process and results. I'm not exactly how I would use this with third graders. I bet it would be more powerful to use with their parents during a conference or as a general example whole class.
ReplyDeleteTonya
Here's my third attempt:
ReplyDeleteI was saddened to hear that when your students come to you they have a negative view of science and their capabilities in that area. As an elementary school teacher I would like to know what you think the conditioning is that results in this. Do you think that it is how teachers have shown their attitude towards science or is it the content that and testing that needs to be done in the younger grades?
I would also be interested to find out more about the rubrics you use in order for students to self evaluate their effort. Do you think this is something that could be adapted for use in younger grades?
Minty
Great post. I think another reason behaviorism works so well for all students is that it provides immediate feedback. You stated that students need to feel success to know that their effort has paid off. This is true- especially in a world where we are looking for instant results/gratification. Through the behaviorist model and using technology we can achieve that with our students.
ReplyDeleteThanks all for your responses:
ReplyDeleteNot all students come to class with a negative view of science but about 1/4 to 1/2 do. :o(
The rubric for their self evaluation of effort is given in the text (Pitler,Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, p 157)