I teach freshman in an Introduction to Algebra course. In the transition from middle school to high school the expectations increase. Students are expected to take more responsibility for their learning and behaviors. The book Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works highlights two of McREL’s classroom recommendations for teachers:
1) “Explicitly teach students about the importance of effort”
2) “Have students keep track of their efforts and achievements”. (Pitler et at..,2007)
To put this into practice with the Behaviorist Theory, the teacher must define for the student the behaviors expected. By starting with an Effort Rubric, students can self-assess where their behaviors fall in terms of Class Notes, Attention, Participation, Homework and Studying. To continue to reinforce the importance of these behaviors, student could track their progress in a spreadsheet, easily converted to a visual graph.
If the desired behaviors are seen, the teacher can offer a positive reinforcement. While developing these skills, positive reinforcement will also be reward by increased grades. They will also see their peers modeling positive behaviors. Students will then begin to internalize the correlation between effort and achievement, and mature into productive, successful high school students.
Hansen, Kevin. (2009). Technology that Works. Retrieved November 11, 2009 from
http://technologythatworks.wikispaces.com/Reinforcing+Effort .
Pitler et at..(2007). Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL).
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Your emphasis on internalizing an understanding of the correlation between effort and achievement reflects a keen comprehension of a major goal of a good education. Too often, we allow our students to graduate from high school with no clear sense of self-efficacy. Some see graduation as a release from involuntary confinement, granted for time served rather than as the consequence of academic effort. Teachers who do not understand their students' failure to recognize this causality are often frustrated by their inexplicable behavior in school. But the real damage shows up after they graduate into an often hostile world, not understanding that their fate lies in their hands. Surely, this alone is an argument for involving students in this sort of activity.
ReplyDeleteA quote we didn't put in the book but certainly is a big part of effort and recognition both is "kids don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."
ReplyDeleteSometime I feel my students want to blame others for their knowledge base. In math, a cumulative disciple, we often build on previous material. When I try to give a pre-assessment, the students will often blame their last teacher for not teaching it well. I put the onus back on them and tell them to go to an internet source to re-learn it. Is this a maturity issue, a parenting issue or a society issue? When I find my sons placing blame, I immediately tell them they are responsible for their actions and choices. Sometimes to show them we care, we have to be honest with them.
ReplyDeleteI think it is a combination of all three that create this issue. I teach first grade and parents seem very clueless about how to help their children to succeed and think that it is the teachers job alone to make their children successful in school. If only it was that simple! I definitely make my students accountable for their actions, I think that the ones that have it the worst (home situation, etc) need that support the most because they are pretty much on their own in terms of their education.
ReplyDeleteHi Nancy,
ReplyDeleteCurrently, I have implemented the effort rubric into my middle school students’ lives, and I hope that as you said, “Students will then begin to internalize the correlation between effort and achievement, and mature into productive, successful high school students.” While we are on this path, I plan on providing students with positive reinforcement by meeting with them individually to discuss their progress. We are able to do this due to having a seminar or study period every other day for 80 minutes, so I had better take advantage of it!
The importance of effort is huge in today's society. Many students believe we are suppose to spoon feed the information to them, rather than the student putting forth the effort to actually learn it. When the student sees the direct correlation between effort and outcome only then will we overcome these attitudes.
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