Behaviorism in Practice

In the chapter about reinforcing effort from Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, the authors makes a great statement. They state that "effort is the most important factor in achievement" (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007). I am constantly telling my students that they need to put forth some effort to get anywhere.
In the text, they show you different ways to get your students to correct their own work so that they can see that effort equals achievement. Many students do not believe that if they work harder that their grades will improve. The rubric that is in the text is a great item to use. It currently shows students how to grade themselves and then they take the information and graph it. I teach math and to have the students look at a graph is a great visual for them to see growth.

"Homework and practice give students a chance to review and apply what they have learned" (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007). This is exactly the way that I view homework in my math class. When I give an assignment, I give it as practice. This allows the student to work on the material outside of class. If they find that they are not understanding, it gives them an opportunity to come to class the next day and ask questions.

The technology that is discussed in this chapter is a great resource. They correlate to instructional strategies and behaviorism by giving the students another way to learn. One technological item they talk about is using spreadsheet software. Spreadsheet software is a great way to show graphs. If the students take the information from their effort/achievement project, they can use a bar graph in a spreadsheet to get the visual to see their improvement.
Adding technology will help increase the understanding and effort put forth by the students. The more effort you can get from them, the more achievement you will see.

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Alexandria, VA: McRel