Learning Environment - Post 4

Creating a conducive learning environment that both the students and the teacher can agree upon can be rather difficult. However, I really appreciate the idea of rule establishment before the year ever really gets going. In class, we discussed how we can steer the rules in the direction we want, but by asking the class, we can get it in language they agree upon and understand. However, how would a teacher go about illustrating the rules? In Julie McLaughlin's portfolio, she observed one of her teaching mentors posting " classroom posters demanding respect and tolerance," which "set a  clear tone of what was expected from the students in terms of behavior." By doing so, the teacher was very clear in how the class will be conducted and if someone betrayed the rules, she could easily reference the agreed upon rules to make the infraction clear. It may even be a good idea to get students to sign the poster to make them agree in a less than passive manner.

http://sitemaker.umich.edu/mclaughlin_portfolio/creating_a_positive_classroom_environment

High School Case Study

You have started to dread your fifth period English class.  It is made up entirely of seniors who are counting the days until graduation and seem to care very little about learning.  Most of the students are obviously members of one clique or another.  Whenever they think your back is turned, they start passing notes and text messaging.  Worse, three boys have started disrupting those engaged in learning.  No matter what you say, they laugh at the students who focus on writing their essays, especially when they compose in the library's lab.  Yesterday, Tony, Jeff, and Morris started roughhousing then all three of them refused to sit down and follow the class procedures that the classroom community agreed upon at the beginning of the year. Although you have been using a set approach to handling infractions of rules, you decide it is time to change these procedures.

In this situation, by in large, motivation is the issue. I'd have to say most of these students have work-avoidance goals, as they engage in "off-task behavior" and they also likely "select the least taxing alternatives" (Omrod 383). The developmental theorist, who ascribes to behaviorism, B.F. Skinner, has many ideas regarding positive/negative reinforcement and punishment. To explain these, I will borrow the eloquently composed explanations, as I can't find myself doing much better for this blog.

·         "Positive Reinforcement: Give (+) what individuals like when they have performed the desired behavior (Griggs, 2009).

·         Negative Reinforcement: Remove (-) what individuals do not like when they have performed the desired behavior (Griggs, 2009)."

·         "Positive Punishment: Give (+) individuals what they do not like when they have performed the undesired behavior (Griggs, 2009). Positive punishment is what we think of when we think of a "punishment"

·         Negative Punishment: Remove (-) what individuals like when they have performed the undesired behavior (Griggs, 2009)."

To fix the student's behaviors, we could potentially offer rewards (positive reinforcement) and by doing so, they may have an incentive to perform better/ be on task. These will most likely be intrinsic, but be creative. Some restaurant chains (Pizza Hut being an example) gives out vouchers for a free pizza as a promotional tool for teachers to take advantage of and you could inform students of places that give rewards for good report cards.

For negative reinforcement, taking up phones seems to be the obvious answer. While you may only be able to take it up for the period (I suppose it depends on the school's rules), it's a place to start.

https://wikispaces.psu.edu/display/PSYCH484/3.+Reinforcement+Theory

By taking actions like the two I have listed above, hopefully some students will begin to improve their behavior. While it will certainly take time and more invention (rearranging seating comes to mind), with some extrinsic rewards and taking away a privilege (something they probably aren't allowed to have out anyway) the seniors may find some incentive to not disrupt the class.