In my mind, Mr. Gates teaches in a
third second grade classroom.
The first specific thing that I would
see in his classroom that reflects his learning theory is a sticker chart. This
is connected to operant conditioning. When a student helps out another student,
actively participates in the classroom, or completes assignments on time, Mr.
Gates can place a “Good Job!” sticker or a smiley face on the chart to reward
the student for a desired behavior. However, this sticker chart should only be
used to reward one type of behavior, because if he uses it for more than one it
can be misused, leaving no value in the chart.
Another thing I would observe in his
classroom would be a game corner which reflects the Premack principle. Mr.
Gates could allow students to play games as a reward for completing assignments
or whatever task he would like them to complete. This is considered to be a
reinforcement tool because students will want to complete their assignments in
order to play games with the time left over.
The final thing I would observe would
be a wind chime. The wind chime serves as a cue, which can be used to quiet
down the students when they become too noisy or when Mr. Gates needs to get
their attention. Once the students become used to the idea of the wind chime,
they will know what it means and what behavior is expected out of them when it
is used.
For the sticker chart would it be used for a behavior such as attaining a certain grade on a test or more of a kindness chart? I feel as if it were for either it would work but the grades would give the students something to achieve year round and the teacher would always know about whereas the kindness aspect of a chart can only be when the teacher physically sees it themselves. The wind chime is definitely a good idea and something Mr. Gates could use as well when starting a new section of his teaching i.e. changing subjects too. Really nice ideas!
ReplyDeleteI don't understand what you mean by the chart being misused if it's used to positively reinforce more than one behavior? I might be picturing it differently, but each child could have a line of 'good jobs' for each instance of good behavior (in any form)?
ReplyDeleteBe sure to explain HOW something is an example of the Premack principle, connecting to specifics of the theory. Hopefully you could explain (or imagine) how the wind chime would be conditioned as a cue. Otherwise, nice job. :)