Week Two- Positive Reinforcement

  This week the focus was on reinforcement of behavior, both positive and negative.  I found this topic very interesting.  I currently work with Pre-K students, and have learned these past three years that more often than not my actions and words are what effect their behavior the most.  It is the way I say things and my response to situations that will dictate a child's response to me.  When a child is being disruptive, I have to make a conscious decision to diffuse the situation, rather than build it up.  Children in a Pre-K classroom are still in the Pre-operational stage according to Piaget's theory.  This means that they gather and understand knowledge and behavior directly from what they see and experience in the environment.  If I positively reinforce a child's behavior by giving into what they want, or not re-directing them correctly, I am not only encouraging that specific child but the rest of the class to continue with such behavior.
  Specifically, the discussion prompt focused on office referrals, and their role in reinforcement of behavior.  In my opinion, unless the student is physically injuring himself or others their behavior should be dealt with within the classroom.  A teacher needs to display to their students that their authority in the classroom is not to be taken lightly.  The student should also have a relationship built up with the teacher, so that when conflict arises a solution can be reached peacefully.  As I mentioned in my post, in order to change a behavior I believe it is necessary to get to the root of the behavior.  There is a reason when students act up in class.  Making a student leave the room does not help the teacher acknowledge the root of the behavior.  Instead of removing students from the classroom, the teacher should find a way to diffuse the situation, calm the student down, and then redirect the behavior.  Using preventative instead of reactive measures to avoid disruptive behavior would also be beneficial.  If a teacher realizes a student is always acting out in math, talk to the student before the subject is taught, ensure they have the support they need to complete the work, and provide open communication for the student if they need to ask for help.
  Reinforcement of behavior can happen in multiple ways.  Just like it is possible to reinforce bad behavior, it is possible and necessary to reinforce good behavior as well.  In teaching younger children I find positive reinforcement necessary for every point of the day.  In the Slavin text it states the following, "In other words, if praise or self-reinforcement or feedback on progress will work, don’t use certificates. If certificates will work, don’t use small toys. If small toys will work, don’t use food. One way to find out what reinforcers to use is to ask the students themselves, who are more likely to work for a reinforcer they have selected (Cote, Thompson, Hanley, & McKerchar, 2007)" (Slavin, 2015).  I completely agree with this line of thinking.  It is sometimes easy to depend on candy to get a four year old to do whatever you would like.  However, every educator should make developing intrinsic motivation a goal.  It is important to vary the type of praise and motivation given to students that way they do not tire of it or depend on it to perform.

References

Slavin, R. E. (2015). Educational psychology: Theory and practice. New Jersey: Pearson.

Week One- Piaget

This weeks concept was centered on Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development.   Though I have researched and studied this topic in the past, I enjoyed getting the opportunity to re-visit the topic.  Piaget's theory is based on the idea that their are four domains for cognitive thought process that are based on age.  The stages are as follows: sensorimotor (birth-2), preoperational (2-7), concrete operational (7-11), and formal operational (11- adult) (Slavin, 2015).  Each of these stages have different characteristics that describe the way people think and are able to analyze new concepts.  I currently teach Pre-Kindergarten, and I can see how my students have moved away from the sensorimotor stage to the preoperational stage.  Unlike babies who primarily use touch to explore their surroundings, Pre-K students can use previous experiences and memories to analyze situations.  The are different from older students in the concrete and formal operational stages in that they are unable to efficiently analyze abstract concepts.  According to the text, Educational Psychology: Theory in Practice (2012), Piaget’s theories have influenced teacher to focus on self-initiated tasks and active involvement; acceptance of individual thought process; and the importance of a child’s thought process instead of teaching children how to think like adults. For the aforementioned reasons, it is imperative that teachers be prepared to have student-centered and interactive lessons planned when teaching a new concept or skill.  When I teach, I always try to think in the terms of my students.  I often will talk aloud when modeling concepts and use child friendly-language and thought solutions during instruction.  Another strategy that I put into place is consistently using hands-on activities and technology during my instruction.  This guarantees that my students will remain engaged in the material and can better grasp the information because they are interacting with it.
  In their article, Explaining Student Cognition During Class Sessions in the Context Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development, authors J.C. Ewing, D.D. Foster, and M.S. Whittington discuss the teacher's role in students' cognitive development, "Piaget further theorized that teachers had little impact on the maturation influence, but teachers, through the active experience influence, provided exploration, observation, testing, and information organization, all of which were likely to alter thinking processes. In addition, Piaget felt that teachers would impact the social transmission influence (i.e. learning from others) depending on the stage of cognitive development the student had already reached when entering a classroom relationship with the instructor" (Ewing, 69).  I completely agree with Piaget's beliefs on the teachers role.  In my own classroom, I hope to create an environment in which students are able to be positively influenced through a relationship with me.


References:

Ewing, J. C., Foster, D. D., & Whittington, M. S. (2011). Explaining student cognition during class sessions in the context piaget's theory of cognitive development. NACTA Journal, 55(1), 68-75. Retrieved from http://library.valdosta.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/864043581?accountid=14800

Slavin, R. E. (2015). Educational psychology: Theory and practice. New Jersey: Pearson.