Module 3

In Chapter 7 of Woolfork’s text, we learn about Behavioral views of leaning. As an educator, it is my belief that the most important aspect of behavior in learning is self-management. Woolfolk states that “different areas of research and theory all converge on one important idea: that the responsibility and the ability to learn rest within the student” (pg.276). Today’s society is much more diverse than generations past in many different areas, including professional. There are no limits to the achievements students can accomplish, both in school and in life if they are willing to work at it. As educators, it is our responsibility to guide, not lead, these students down a positive path. It is important for students to be able to rely on themselves. According to Woolfolk, the first step in building positive self-management is goal-setting. It is important as an educator not to set the goals for the student, but rather collaborate with the students to help them create a high, yet obtainable goal of theirs. I would do this by asking my students in my class to write one goal they have for themselves in my classroom. Throughout the year I would collaborate with them periodically to keep their goal fresh and help them continue to succeed.

Woolfolk also talks a lot about the concept of reinforcements. Between the text, and Alfie Kohn’s article “Punished by Rewards, it is evidently clear that reinforcements, both positive and negative, can be a slippery slope in education. As an educator, it is important to be aware of what type of enforcement you are placing on your students, ensuring it is beneficial to the educational well-being. As Woolfolk wrote, “associate positive and negative reinforcement with the consequence of adding or subtracting something following a behavior that has the effect of strengthining the behavior.” (pg.258). I remember growing up as a student in elementary school, my third grade teacher would give our class a minute challenge test in math class every Monday that covered the curriculum from the week before. If we received a 100% on the challenge, nothing happened. If we received a 60% or lower, we would have to miss recess the next day to study, then take it again on Wednesday. I hated these tests because I was terrible at math, and instantly gave up on myself, missing more Tuesday recess than necessary. I never studied because I did not see a point to it. Perhaps, if my teacher would have offered more of a positive reinforcement for the 100% I would have been more inclined to try harder.

In Chapter 13 Woolfolk discusses ways to create learning environments that are conducive to the students’ educational needs. As educators it is important to think about what our goals are for out students. As our philosophy begins to pan out, it is then time to figure out how we are going to fulfill those goals. This is dont through Classroom management. According to Woolfolk, "in study after studyt of the factors related to student achievement, classroom management stands out as the variable with the largest impact” (pg 488). Fact is, we are going to encounter diverse student bodies as educators, year by year, period by period. We must be ready to encounter any obstacle at any time due to the unpredictability of the classroom. The biggest proponent of positive classroom management that I took from the text was proper time management, specifically in the engagement of learning/teaching in the classroom. Based on research Woolfolk presents on page 492, students are actively involved in 62 hours of active academic learning out of 126 scholastic hours per year. This is something that will be on the forefront of my mind going ahead in my educational career.