Reflective Journal Post #2

 

Description:

The focus of this week’s readings examined behavioral theories and their applications in education.  The experiments and findings of Pavlov and Skinner were discussed and used to explain how student behaviors, good or bad, are reinforced within the classroom environment. The role of consequences and their impact on subsequent behaviors were also examined.

 

Analysis:

          Pavlov’s research focused on instinctual behaviors and how instinctual responses to stimuli can be manipulated to provoke desired responses for unrelated stimuli. “Pavlov’s experiments showed that if a previously neutral stimulus is presented at the same time as an unconditioned stimulus, the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus and gains power to prompt a response similar to that produced by the unconditioned stimulus” (Slavin, 2018, p.99).  In education, these insights should be considered when crafting classroom discipline policies and in handling discipline issues with students.  If we positively reward negative behaviors, then students learn quickly that they can get the attention or reward even when they do not display the encouraged behavior.  Skinner and his colleagues focused less on the instinctual behavioral response and instead designed controlled environments with consequences related to behavioral responses. Skinner’s method of operant conditioning uses “pleasant and unpleasant consequences to change behaviors” (Slavin, 2018, p.99). By rewarding positive behavior, it is encouraged, making the displayed behavior a more favorable option than the negative behavior. Simply put, “pleasurable consequences strengthen behaviors; unpleasant consequences weaken it” (Slavin, 2018, p.101).  It would seem logical when approaching classroom management and discipline, a combination of these theories in practice would be appropriate.

          The additional factor to consider in how students’ behaviors are conditioned is what other influences exist on their behavioral decision making. Children are exposed to television and other media outlets outside of the classroom that influence their decision making inside the classroom.  As shown in the Bandura and Social Learning Theory video, children that are exposed to aggressive acts are more likely to instinctively respond in more aggressive ways (The Curious Classroom, 2013). If students are exposed to verbal or physical aggression in their home life, their conditioned response will be similar. More often students who are exposed to environments or situations with verbal or physical aggression will lack the prosocial skills that are expected within the classroom. This can lead to poor decision making and discipline that further perpetuates bad behaviors. Developing students’ abilities to make positive behavior decisions for themselves and incorporating more positive reinforcements is needed to create productive learning space.

In the classroom, teachers must be intentional in their use of positive and negative reinforcers that influence behavioral decision making by students. Often students receive “praise, grades, or stars” as positive reinforcement for making good decisions (Slavin, 2018, p.101). Conversely, when bad decisions are made, students are often punished with negative reinforcers as “escapes from unpleasant situations” (Slavin, 2018, p.101).  These types of behavioral interventions must be carefully considered though. If a student is causing disruptions in class or behaving inappropriately, the punishment is typically a trip to an administrator or removal from the classroom environment.  If used inappropriately, this type of discipline strategy can positively reinforce those negative behaviors. If this behavior is properly anticipated and accommodated for, other intervention can be in place to better discourage the negative behavior or intervene prior to the disruption.

 

Reflection:

          I was told by a mentor many years ago that you should always catch children being good. As educators, if we can find opportunities to positively reinforce good behaviors when children are naturally doing them, they become more likely to default to these behaviors naturally. Whether these behaviors are driven by positive modeling of prosocial acts, instinct, or conditioning if we can positively reinforce good decision making, children are more likely to display the behaviors we reward. Building positive relationships with students allows teachers to better understand the driving forces behind negative behaviors which in turn allows us to respond more appropriately.

 

 

References

The Curious Classroom. (2013). Bandura and Social Learning Theory. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjTxQy_U3ac.

Slavin, R.E. (2018). Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice (12^th ed.). Pearson.