Module 3 Blog Post

Chapter 7 of the Woolfolk text focuses on learning and the different behavioral views of learning.  I found interesting the discussion of methods for encouraging behavior, including teacher attention and praise, the Premack principle, and positive practice.  The use of praise has positive results when teachers carefully praise their students and do not just hand out compliments. Students should know exactly what they are being praised for and the student’s success should be attributed to effort and ability in order for the praise to have a motivational impact (Woolfolk p. 263-4).  The Premack principle states that a preferred activity can be an effective reinforcer for a less-preferred activity (Woolfolk p. 264). For example, one can use a variety of reinforcers such as working in a group, moving around the classroom, or using the computer (preferred activities) if they first work quietly on their own and complete their worksheet.  Positive practice is the idea that students replace one behavior with another.  For instance, when students make a mistake, they must correct it as soon as possible and practice the correct response (Woolfolk p. 266).  This was evident in the 1947 Managing Classroom video in the latter part of the video when the teacher went over the student’s mistakes on the math test.  He went over the explanation to the problem missed on the board and encouraged students to practice other similar questions in the book in order to reinforce the correct way of doing the problem.

The use of punishment in the classroom is a topic that is rather controversial. According to the text, punishment should a) suppress the undesirable behavior and b) make clear what the student should be doing instead and provide reinforcement for those desirable tasks.  Punishment itself does not lead to positive behavior (Woolfolk p. 271).  A key that Woolfolk discussed in Chapter 13 is that “prevention is the best medicine.” The ideal way to manage problems in the classroom is to prevent them in the first place.  The concept of “withitness” means communicating to students that you as a teacher are aware of everything that is happening in the classroom. This can be done by always scanning the room, making eye contact with individual students, and letting students know that they are always being monitored (Woolfolk p. 503). This will promote an environment that discourages undesirable behavior and can prevent small disruptions from turning into larger ones.

Another interesting topic discussed in Chapter 13 is bullying and cyberbullying.  It is noted that studies indicate that about 10% of students are chronic victims of bullying (Woolfolk p. 508).  As teachers, we have to be aware now more than ever that this unfortunately is a common occurrence and know how to spot this type of behavior and try to do everything in our power to prevent it from continuing to happen. Bullying can have longstanding effects of students, both physically and psychologically. Personally, as a substitute teacher, I have witnessed this in the classroom with a student who is prone to crying who will get picked on by the other students for doing so in the first grade.  It is important to catch this early and try to change this type of behavior as children who are the victims of bullying through elementary and middle school are more likely to be depressed and more likely to attempt suicide as young adults (Woolfolk p. 508). With advances in technology, unfortunately, also come more diverse opportunities to bully using Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, etc.  As teachers, we must always promote a safe environment for students and make them always feel comfortable coming to us and know that bullying in any form will be dealt with seriously.