Module 3

This week’s reading was over chapters 7 and 13.  Chapter discussed behavioral views of learning.  The chapter starts by talking about conditioning learning.  Condition learning is where a stimulus is presented and produces a response.  Ivan Pavlov discovered this theory in 1920.  Condition learning is considered an example of extrinsic motivation.  This is important to me because I am doing my research paper on intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation.  There are three types of conditioning training.  The first is contiguity and is when two events are associated because repeated pairing.  The second is classical and is when there is an automatic response to new stimuli.  The last is operant conditioning and is when learning is voluntary behavior and is weakened or strengthened by consequences Classical is the one, we use the most.  It is used with rewards and or punishments.  After punishments the chapter talks about reinforcements.  Behavior is learned by using a continuous behavior schedule.  Once it is learned you can maintain behavior by using an intermittent behavior schedule.  The effectiveness of reinforcement is based on the control.  Like the article Punish by Rewards stated you need to be careful when it comes to reinforcement.  Too much reinforcement can turn into extrinsic motivation and can become detrimental to a student learning.  The next thing I enjoyed reading was the handling undesirable behavior section.  The chapter gives us example of how to handle behavior issues.  I think most of us have used negative reinforcement.  This is where you tell students that they cannot join the rest of the class if they have not finished class assignment.  Another way to handle undesirable behavior is one that we may have happen to us, but outside the classroom.  That one is response cost and that is the same as paying a fine for infractions.  When it comes to dealing with bad behavior, we have to make sure not to punish the whole group when it is just one or a few kids that are misbehaving. 

Chapter 13 talks about classroom which is helpful with our interview assignment.  The beginning talks about how the basic task of management is gaining cooperation.  The chapter proceeds to talk about the goals of classroom management.  Those were to gain access to learning, give more time for learning, with good management you gain good relationships with students, and help create self-management among the students.  And with the many teachers I have asked classroom management is the most difficult to master especially when you first get into the classroom.  I know from personal experience as a substitute teacher that managing the classroom is the most difficult, I have ever done in the classroom.  The most important part of keeping your classroom managed well you need to maintain a positive learning environment.  The chapter starts to tell us what it takes to be a good classroom manager.  The first is routines and procedures.  This also include rules.  Students enjoy routines and schedules and seem to be more successful when there is a concrete routine.  The book also tells us that rules need to positive and observable and must be the same for everyone and every situation.  The consequences as well as the rules need to be concrete and the same for everyone.  The next thing that helps creates proper classroom management is planning spaces for learning.  “Spaces for learning should invite and support the activities you plan for your classes, and they should respect the inhabitants of the space” (pg. 518).  The book does give some examples of classroom setup.  Some of those are horizontal rows, which is probably the most common and clusters of four or circle.  You should always change up the classroom setup to keep things fresh.  Next what was discussed is how to maintain a good environment.  One that I think is very important is caring relationships.  The first and most important is teacher connections.  It tells us that students respect teachers that maintain authority without being rigid and also to be fair.  The students also value when teachers show students that they care academically and personally.  An important part of providing a positive classroom is to keep the line of communication between you and your students and make sure you are empathetic.  I feel the classroom management section of our reading is the most important for us as new teachers.  If you can not keep a positive learning classroom nothing else will be successful.