Module 3: Working with my students

CONCEPT 1: Behavior   

Still from The Godfather 

Summary
On page 272 of out text Woolfolk discusses the "behavioral approach to learning" stating that approaches like applied behavioral analysis "are useful when the goal is to learn explicit information or change behaviors." She goes on in the same page to give us tools to use such as the ABAB design principle: "Take the baseline measurement of the behavior (A), then apply the intervention (B), then stop the intervention to see if the behavior goes back to the baseline level (A), and then reintroduce the intervention (B)." Woolfolk also cautions us on the idea of punishments on page 263 saying that they can have adverse effects to the goal, and can "serve as a model for aggressive responses, and negative emotional reactions." She goes so far to say it's "unethical" and that we as educators should be more focused on fostering an environment that "supports academic learning." Woolfolk expands on this concept on page 544 of the the text when she quotes Geneva Gay, saying that "if the classroom is a comfortable, caring, embracing, and facilitative place for students, then discipline is not likely to be an issue."

Reflection

I really appreciated how Woolfolk focused on this idea that student behavior is something that we can rectify when we approach it with understanding. Not with fear, not with punishment, but with this idea of empathy. I discussed this with my teacher I interviewed this week as well, the idea of adapting and working with our students whose behaviors are going to change and evolve throughout the semester, and coming up with facilitative ways that we can approach them. I mean, this isn't the Godfather, and we don't have to put a proverbial dead horse on our students desk to get them to stay on task. 

In my novice placement this past semester I had a student who was very bright, but tended to act up in class a bit. One incident in particular happened when we were looking at images of album covers that students had found, and we were discussing what Element or Principle of Art and Design they represented. Well this students example was of a country album where the guys name was Dick. The whole class got a big laugh, and we discussed why it maybe wasn't the best example, and moved on with our lesson without much interruption outside of a few giggles. 

I could have gone off like the Angry Teacher from our discussion this week, but to the benefit of whom? Instead I utilized the moment as a learning one, and as we moved into the conception part of the lesson, and students were working out their ideas in their sketches, this same students was drawing an amazing complex example of radial balance, with the different sports items important to him bursting from the center of the composition.

As Woolfolk stated in page 267 of our text "consequences determine to a great extent whether a person will repeat the behavior that led to the consequence. The type and timing of consequences can strengthen or weaken behaviors." Now this student did get a consequence, but it was given to him later in the day, in private, and it was not that severe. Instead we focused on learning about why the example he presented was not the best, and all had a good time doing so. As stated, if I would have gone off, sent the student out of the room, or shut the class down, no one would have benefited from this situation, and I most certainly may not have gotten the chance to see how much this student does understand the material.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edqXSfoFoTU

CONCEPT 2: Management 

Summary
On pages 263-64 in the text Woolfolk details the story of Elizabeth struggling to manage the class her first time teaching. In her frustration and lack of management, Elizabeth missed opportunities to measure student growth and understanding. Woolfolk mentions on page 528 that "when a problem is behavioral, we often assume the student is not trying or that the error is intentional...successful teachers tend to see their role in improving behavior as interpersonal and instructional." Woolfolk takes a very individualistic approach when managing student behavior and the classroom. This correlates with previous chapters that underlines the importance of ethnic and cultural understanding in our classrooms. On pages 522-24 she details prevention methods as observed by Jacob Kounin for managing classroom disruptions and behavior problems that may occur: "Withiness - communicating with students that you know what is going on, Overlapping and Group Focus - keeping track and supervising several activities at the same time, Movement Management - keeping lessons and the group moving at an appropriate (and flexible) pace, and focusing on students and emotional skills to monitor self-regulation."

Reflection

Going back to the teacher that I interviewed for my other blog post this week, she had an amazing idea when it came to implementing self-regulation with classroom management. She set up different management boards around her room, that were obviously placed, and the results were students excited to engage in classroom management. I think that when we as teachers take students individual circumstances into account, we can build a better road map of student behavior, how to manage it, and ultimately how to manage our classrooms.

Woolfolk echoes this sentiment on page 524 by saying that "students respect teachers who maintain their authority without being rigid or harsh...all efforts directed toward building positive relationships with students and creating a classroom community are steps towards preventing management problems." This means that as educators we must approach student behavior disruptions with understanding, and empathy, if we wish to really manage it and our classrooms.

If we go back to my disruptive student from Concept 1, we can see this in that same example. As stated if I were to go off, or enact a strict or harsh punishment, my student would surely not have had the opportunity to learn, or display their understanding of the concepts. They also may have continued to act out, distracting other students, and taking classroom time away from learning. We as educators benefit from recognizing that "it's daily life, there are going to be days you're not at your best" - in knowing this and the complex relationships that exist between student life and behavior management, we as educators can work toward building a more manageable infrastructure in our classrooms.  

CONCEPT 3: Learning 

Still from Rugrats

Summary

In taking all of these Concepts further, Woolfolk breaks down Albert Bandura's theories on Enactive and Observational Learning on page 289 of the text. Enactive Learning can be described as "learning by doing and experiencing the consequences of your actions", whereas Observational Learning as "vicarious learning, or learning by observing others." Woolfolk continues on to page 291 saying that "there is great diversity in the learning histories of students (in your class)". Learning is understood then, as noted in the text, to be a broader concept than just the absorption of knowledge. This understanding is echoed on page 262, defining learning as an  "experience that causes a relatively permanent change in an individuals knowledge, behavior, or potential for behavior." Setting goals and strategies to manage behavior and encourage learning is crucial in our classrooms. On page 264 Woolfolk gives us tools to do this, detailing the Four Learning Processes: Contiguity, classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and observational learning. 

Reflection

In order to get to learning we have to manage behavior. The way we manage behavior could mean the difference between a student learning, and not learning. I saw this very clearly in my novice placement. My observing teacher commented to me after the class was over that the way I handled it allowed the lesson to continue with minimal to no interruption. I am finding that it is crucial as educators to sort of "roll-with-the-punches". I look at this as sort of the Angelica Pickles Theory...no not the one where all the Rugrats are actually dead...but that we will have students like her in our class, the way in which we respond to how they behave, and the ways in which we manage the situation, is what determines if an environment is rich for learning or not.

This can be as simple, as I found, as setting classroom goals and expectations in fun and creative ways around my class, and getting everyone encouraged and excited to follow them by making them engaging. I think as I have said that the key is about approaching our students with a sense of empathy and understanding, which allows us to adapt to them and their individualized needs in a way that maintains a healthy and safe classroom environment designed for learning and growth.