Chapter 7 of the Woolfolk touches on student learning and different behavioral views of learning. Something I found interesting was the idea of a teacher giving compliments to students on their work. This may be difficult for some teachers because some give out compliments too easily and some may never give compliments. Giving positive feedback to students is necessary for some students, statistics show that students who get positive feedback from teachers have better grades then ones who don't get good feedback. I found this interesting because it made me think about my past teachers and I don't recall to many giving me positive feedback. I hope when I become a teacher I will give positive feedback to all my students. In chapter 7, "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 pages 263-264).
The use of punishment in the classroom is a topic can be controversial. Depending on how big the punishment is and if it was actually necessary. Some punishment can go along way but I think depending on how the student reacts to punishment can differ how the teacher hands out the punishment. In the old movie we we're to watch for this class shows great value in punishment in education. The students refused to learn and listen to the teacher. It was majority of the class, and when that happens it is very difficult to punish just one student.
Chapter 13, the topic is bullying and cyberbullying. Yes, there is a difference. As discussed in the chapter, 10 percent of students are victims of bullying. (Woolfolk page 508) Teachers need to be aware of bullying, at all ages. I believe that middle school is actually worse in the bullying category rather than the high schoo level. Regardless, bullying is a huge problem in both school levels. Students every year hurt themselves due to bullying and sometimes commit suicide. As years past, more help has part of schools and recognizing bullying issues but I believe bullying will always be part of growing up in schools. As a coach and a substitute teacher, I see some sort of bullying everyday, even if it is less serious. Sometimes the less serious bullying comments go unnoted. Every student hands bullying differently therefore we must treat every sort of bullying with all seriousness.
I believe there can be positives and negatives for praise and feedback depending on how we use it. When all students are working and doing what is expected of them there is no reason to praise them. However, when they are struggling students that need a boost of encouragement it's ok to give them some positive feedback they may need it to get through their work. In terms of punishment we as the teachers have to decide if what we are going to do is going to increase the negative behavior or make them want to get it together. We have to incorporate some positive reinforcement in our classroom and it doesn't always have to be in tangible rewards. Lastly no bullying is good wheter it be cyber or physical. Each can make a students self esteem decrease and make them feel worthless. We have to be innovative with he ideas when it comes to helping students build self-esteem and self confidence. If they can learn to love themselves first before anything else it will become more difficult for people to break them.
ReplyDeleteYour post made me look back on my own educational experience and the teachers I had. One thing they all have in common is that the ones I remember in a positive way were all very mild mannered and complimentary while the ones I look back at negatively were always scolding and very short tempered. However, the one teacher that really sticks in my head is one that was not afraid to be stern and punish, but also knew when a compliment was necessary. His classroom was very balanced. It was comforting, but you still knew it was a work environment.
ReplyDeleteI believe that both punishment and praise are necessary pieces to the classroom management puzzle. As a teacher we need to praise, but not coddle our students.