In looking at behaviorism and the ideas of reinforcing effort and homework and practice it is obvious these techniques can be frequently seen in classroom instruction. Behaviorism is based upon the principles of reinforcement and punishment dependent upon behaviors exhibited. Both reinforcing effort and homework and practice can be used to demonstrate behaviorism.
In looking at homework and practice it is clear homework can be a very useful tool in adding to classroom learning. It is used to different degrees at different levels and classes. To me homework's role in education to is reinforce what has been learned in class. I am careful to not make homework an overwhelming part of their school experience as then the homework itself becomes a punishment. I believe if you allow homework to become a punishment, it will then not accomplish the goal for which it is intended. So, in that perspective I aim to not allow homework to become a form of negative reinforcement in itself.
Within the realm of behaviorism, I believe reinforcing effort is as important as any part of behaviorism. While their is not the concrete right and wrong of evaluating answers, evaluating effort allows all students to find success by working hard. By rewarding effort, I believe the other positives we seek will follow closely behind. I reward effort in the high school classroom by having credit/no credit grades on some assignments so that students who make an honest effort are rewarded one way of another. We then go over the correct answers so all can have them. However, the reinforcement of their effort makes students more willing to try on future assignments. I believe if you can have students (especially in high school) buy into the effort portion of education you have taken a huge step toward showing them how to be successful.
Robert,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your perspective on homework. Your comment about not wanting homework to become a punishment really struck a chord. As a result of past experience, this is one thing I battle with at the beginning of every school year. I do not know if it is because of the emphasis put on homework by past teachers, or simply because it can be a response learned from older siblings, but I always seem to be trying to break the misconception that I assign homework because I want to be mean. Some of my students get very “stressed out” about incomplete homework, so I open my classroom approximately ½ hour prior to the beginning of the school day for any students needing or wanting study hall time. They are permitted to come in for extra assistance as needed. This seems to take some of the stress off, and shows students that I am willing to take the time to assist with homework because I care and I want them to succeed.
I have a tendency to be afraid of assigning homework because in my middle elementary years I was assigned hours per night. It is not that I do not believe homework holds a benefit, I just believe it took years of my childhood and I hated it so much once I reached junior high I stopped doing it for a while. That said, I think it is hard to have a successful teaching experience if students are not ever studying outside the classroom. Since "studying" is not a habit most students have, homework is almost like an encouragement for studying.
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