Behaviorism in Practice

After reading in the Howard Pitler book, "Using Techology with Classroom Instruction that Works", about reinforcing effort (chapter 8), I was a little disappointed that the technology they talked about using was simply spreadsheet generated rubrics.  However, I did find Ms. Powell's Effort Rubric very interesting.  I am actually considering using it next year with my eighth graders since often I find myself having to explain to students and parents that if I had seen a little more effort in class, the student would have got a 70 in my class instead of a 68.  (We are discouraged from giving a grade of 69 by our administrators - you either give them a 70 or drop the score to a 68).  I can also see how this can help to make a student more accountable for their grade and give them a sense of how they are responsible for the result - a clear point for the behaviorist theory.

In Chapter 10, "Homework and Practice" I can see how more technology could be implemented.  A teacher can always assign creating a presentation about a book the students are reading, which generates more student interest, than using the traditional book report, that most students find boring and uninspired.  A student could use wikis to post their summaries or character analysis and have other students rate how they did.  Again, this would help students to feel that their learning has a reward, which would make them more apt to complete assignments and more willing to learn new technologies to further that feeling.

I think being able to use technology to complete homework would also appeal to a student who frequently does not complete or turn it in.  By using technology, the student will be more willing to "show off" for the teacher, and if the are turning it in on line or posting where other students can see what they have done, the student who wasn't turning in work, now has a new avenue to show their knowledge and become "famous".  This ties in to the use of contracts to extinguish undesirable behavior, in this case - not turning in work, a classic example of behaviorism.

Clearly, behaviorism still has a place in the classroom today, and just because we are becoming more technology literate it does not mean we should forget early research and practices.  We just need to adapt them to work with technology and our changing classrooms.