Thursday, February 12, 2009

Behaviorism

2-D Geometry: Behaviorism

The purpose of this lesson is for students to be able to demonstrate their understanding of Geometry by naming and identifying different lines, shapes, and angles through the use of their bodies and critical thinking.

Learning Task:
1. Show students different ways to use your body to show shapes,lines,and angles.
2. Have the students model what you are doing
3. Have students create the shapes,lines,and angles on their own
4. Play Geometry says with the students where they use their body to show the shapes,angles, and lines
5. Have students search for real objects in the room that are angles,lines, and shapes

Positive reinforcement

I will use positive reinforcement throughout the lesson to increase student’s behavior. When they are doing the right motions I will comment on them being correct. When students stay standing in Geometry says I will give them a reward.
When students are quietly making observations around the room I will make comments about what they are doing right. When students are giving good descriptions to one another they will get rewards for doing it correctly.

Reinforcement Schedules

By having the students play Geometry says I will use variable fixed-ratio. I will state the term and students have to demonstrate using their bodies the term. If students get it wrong they have to sit down. Students that continually stand up until the end get a reward. Students will realize that the number of times I say Geometry says will not be constant. I will try and make it unpredictable so students will try and stay in the game as long as possible, by doing the right symbols.

Premack Principle

By having the students do the movement activity, geometry says, observing the classroom, and descriptions for each other they are doing preferred activities. When I say preferred I mean that they are more fun for a child to do than worksheets and countless problems from the book. However, for homework they may need to do worksheets, so by doing these more preferred activities to begin with they serve as a reinforcer for the less preferred activities (worksheets, book work, etc.)

Vicarious Reinforcement

One way to help students learn the terms is to have them use their bodies to show what a shape, angle, or line looks like. When students are demonstrating the geometry symbols correctly then I will give them positive reinforcement. I will point out specific students and say why what they are doing is right. By doing this hopefully the students that are doing it incorrectly will observe what is correct.

Observational Learning

I will increase students learning by helping them observe myself and others. I will keep their attention throughout the activity by staying excited and keeping the pace up. So during the body movement activity I will model this behavior in hopes that they will model my behavior. By engaging all of their different senses it will help them retain the material better. I will use visuals, kinesthetic, and audio cues to help them retain the geometry terms. I will then have them practice what they learned through all of the different activities so they can master the terms. I will try and keep the students motivated by not staying on any one activity for too long and keeping the material upbeat. I will reinforce the students when they are doing things correctly so they will continually do it correctly.

1 comment:

  1. you give accurate and direct examples of how you'd incorporate behaviorist principles throughout your lesson, mostly through management. Your observational learning example makes sure to incorporate each aspect of observational learning mentioned by Bandura (attention, retention, production, motivation)--yay!
    Your task analysis (I'm assuming this is the 'learning task' is not stated in terms of what observable behaviors students will complete at each stage so you can shape them.)

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