The behaviorist learning theory is a very broad strategy. It encompasses several aspects when thinking of a classroom and technology. One of the instructional strategies, reinforcing effort, is tough at times when students are unwilling to complete an assignment or do not see the benefits in doing so. It is important to remember not all students realize the importance of believing in themselves and their abilities. As a teacher, we are also looked upon as a coach because we not only need to help students discover their own knowledge, we also need to be able to get students excited about learning. If teachers reinforce student effort in a positive manner, not only will that particular student become aware of the behavior, but the other students around that student will, as well.
The instructional strategy based on homework and practice is also important in terms of behavior. As a teacher, I assign homework to give students a chance to demonstrate proficiency on a topic discussed in a lesson or a multitude of lessons. I also make it a priority to give each student feedback on the assignment in order for students to grow and see the importance of completing all homework assignments.
The two instructional strategies, reinforcing effort and homework and practice, both play an important role when discussing the behaviorist learning theory. Students need to be able to see the importance of student achievement and along the way positive reinforcement or punishment may be needed to make this possible. It is important to have all students actively engaged at all times to ensure all students understand the topics being discussed.
Marazano's research about repeating a new skill 24 times to attain 80% recall is amazing to me. I tested this out on myself, by playing the Arban "Blue Bells of Scotland" and the variations 24 times. It is the best I have ever played that piece of music. At the level I play at, I was much higher than 80% recall. One of my trumpet texts actually suggested 50 times to begin to get comfortable with it. I have shared this with all or my students. The choice is theirs.
ReplyDeleteIncorporating technology into studying will heighten the interest of the student making it more meaningful and lasting. Using iPods or other MP3 type devices will enable students to download pertinent information, vocabulary terms and definitions, comprehension stories, historical events, speeches, and more; all of which can be accessed daily to enable higher recall and making connections.
ReplyDeleteGetting students to realize that effort is the key to their success is a hard task at times. We all remember being that age and we remember how adults would tell us to do one thing and how we wanted to do the opposite. I liked the effort rubric. It gives us a way to measure effort because our version of giving effort and our student's version of giving effort are two very different things.
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