Chapters 9 & 10

A)   With younger students, reinforcement can be a very effective tool.  Implementing positive reinforcement strategies into lesson plan objectives can provide multiple avenues of mastery.  Providing students with at least two choices when determining the method to achieve the desired objective is a great way to use reinforcement in terms of giving students a sense of responsibility and power over their learning process. These reinforcements can be stronger when they are positively correlated with students’ interests. Using the “this for that” strategy can motivate students to achieve goals that they would not normally be overly excited about. They know that if they achieve a certain goal, they will be granted something that excites them in return.  Successful behaviors are all the result of the use of reinforcement within the lesson objectives in terms of the behavioral view of learning.

The social cognitive view of learning, in terms of reinforcement, is somewhat different than in the behavioral view of learning.  Mastering lesson objectives from this perspective includes implementing consequences that have an effect on behavior.  This will only work if the learners are aware of this contingency.  This strategy often decreases behavior in that the learners realize that the consequence is a direct result of their behavior. This allows students to form expectations about the likely consequences of their future actions, and therefore behave accordingly. Mastering the lesson objectives in this perspective requires that students are on the same page as the instructor, in terms of consequences.

B)   I am working with the Early Childhood Education Case Study, little Willard.

He has not grasped the functionality and order of the classroom, as the other students have.  When viewing the case study from the Behaviorist perspective, I need to evaluate the amount of and type of attention that I am giving Willard in response to his behavior.  Am I not giving him enough constructive attention? Am I giving him too much attention, so that it is causing his behaviors to continue?  I need to find the balance and determine my course of action in addressing his behavior with my attention. At this point I would start with immediate response with positive reinforcement. Providing Willard with a “responsibility” in the classroom that receives praise may be a way to break through as well.  Self-efficacy plays an important role in my intervention strategy, as Willard is just in Kindergarten and his previous experiences have not provided structure.  He has never had to function in a structured environment, nor had any expectations of him.  Providing him opportunities for responsibility in the classroom can likely help build his level of self-efficacy. Self-regulation is brought into the intervention process through elaboration of the sense of responsibility.  I would need to not only provide Willard with classroom responsibilities, but also allow him to help determine the extent of those responsibilities.  Through the use of self-regulation strategies, Willard will be able to feel important in the classroom and likely take his role seriously.  This in turn will likely produce productive behavior in the classroom.