Module 3

Chapter 7 Behavioral Views of Learning 

and 

Chapter 13 Managing Learning Environments

Highlight Review

This weeks reading about behavior views of learning and how to manage learning environments are two chapters that pretty much seemed to go hand in hand-- in fact to manage a classroom I would think it is important to understand behavioral views and how to enforce them in a classroom, so I'll get right to my highlight take away from each chapter. 

This week in chapter 7, we cover what is positive and negative reinforcement in relation to punishment. We define punishment, we also discover types of consequences, antecedents and behavior change as well as methods for encouraging behaviors. The highlight of this chapter for me was understanding what punishment is-- and by definition is defined as a process by which a consequence immediately follows a behavior which is meant to decrease its frequency over time. In understanding punishment is was then important to understand how positive punishment and positive reinforcement works as well as negative punishment and negative reinforcement works. In reading about these important terms, I learned that positive reinforcement and positive punishment a stimulus is always given to get the desired behavior. For example with positive punishment If you touch a hot stove you will be burned. Touching the stove is the behavior, getting burned is the stimulus-- the outcome is getting this response will diminish this behavior.  where as in negative punishment and negative reinforcement something is taken away in order to achieve desired behavior. As the chapter goes on Woolfolk ties the importance of these terms and what they mean into how they are used in the classroom by methods of acknowledging positive behavior. 

      "...to encourage behavior is to reinforce it. There are several specific ways to encourage existing behaviors or teach new ones. These include teacher attention and praise, the Premack principle, shaping, and positive practice (Woolfolk 273)." 

as the chapter goes on Woolfolk compares the effectiveness of praise and ignore approach to that of the Premack Principle. I've seen both done, in fact depending on the student I am dealing with I choose which method to use in my current line of work, as a paraprofessional. I relate most to this portion of the chapter because I relate first hand dealing with students on a daily basis. It provides me with a little more incite on how and why students respond to different stimulus. There are some students that respond well to praise and ignore, I find because of the attention from the teacher that they desire. Students that seem to look for attention of any kind from the teacher tend to respond more to praise and ignore tactics versus the student that responds to the premack or the "first, then" method. First-- then, students are motivated by their own interests and activities they prefer do over the attention of the teacher. So in reading this chapter I think it is important to know your student in order to understand which form of reinforcement they will respond better to. 

Moving into chapter 13 I focused in on the basic tasks of a teacher in the classroom and the goals of classroom management. Woolfolk quotes Doyle in the start of the chapter with " The basic management task for teachers is to achieve order and harmony by gaining and maintaining student cooperation in class activities (Woolfolk 510)." In reading this chapter it is mentioned that there are 4 specific goals of classroom management:

• Access to learning, or making sure that everyone knows how to participate in class activities. Now, initially reading this goal, I thought that was pretty trivial, but as I read on I realized that is not so true. Just because its a classroom does not mean that everyone knows how to participate or that everyone knows the rule in the classroom. Ideas like are the rules of the room explicit, are the listed, did the teacher verbally go over them with the students, how do the students know what is appropriate in the classroom if we do not tell them and reiterate them when needed. 
• More time for learning, or making sure that students are having adequate amounts of time for academic learning and instruction. 
• Management and relationships or establishing teacher student relationships that are positive and conducive to a positive learning environment. When teachers establish high-quality, trusting relationships with students, they are less likely to be defiant, and too seek proper help in areas needed. 
• Lastly management for self-management or helping students learn to manage themselves. Of the four goals I found this one to be one of the most important. I think students learn better independently when there is a great foundation of self control. In using self control, students use things like time management, manage their behaviors and relationships with their peers. 

Reading about these important classroom management goals tied into my personal experience is that because I aspire to be a ED/ BD teacher it is important for use these as motivation for how I run my classroom. I want to create a classroom of inclusion for my students. I want student to learn tools to self regulate, to promote a positive learning environment. And as their teacher I want to find methods of reinforcement that are conducive to establishing positive relationships with students.

Module 2

Module 2 reading of chapter 4,5, and 6 was jam packed with information. I learned about about cultural differences and diversity and the role it plays in and out of the classroom, in chapter 6. I learned about English language learners and how they are taught and and the different needs of different types of learners. As this post goes on these are some highlights and takeaways from each chapter.

In chapter four it is said "The future is not bright for students with emotional and behavioral difficulties, who do not get the appropriate help"(Woodfolk 154). This short statement about students with emotional and behavioral difficulties resonated with me because its a short but true statement that I've seen more often than not to be true with students I've worked with as a paraprofessional and aspire to work with as a teacher. The chapter goes on to talk of the characteristics of students that suit the bill for ED and BD-- "... these students aggressive, anxious, withdrawn, or depressed and who often have difficulty following rules, paying attention, staying in their seats, or interacting with others,"(Woodfolk 154). As I though in reflection of the contents of the chapter this stuck with me because these are students that may very well be quite remarkable as far as intellect goes but have a difficult time with their emotional and or behavioral disturbance. Without the proper learning environment, and an educator that can work with them beyond the surface of what we perceive as just troublesome, these students go to the wayside. It is said in the text that students of this kind, need structure. As I read on I am prone to agree just from experience. The students I've worked with were very capable students, they just required structured schedules, structure in the classroom and in activities that they participated in. I hope to continue as a teacher working with that demographic of student.    

As I read into chapter five learning about English Language Learners, the specific part that I really enjoyed in this chapter was learning about the differences between Bilingual Maintenance Programs (BMPs) and are they more effective that English immersion. The question was posed "...is it better to teach students who are ELLs to read first in their native language or should they begin reading instruction in English," (Woodfolk 202). As the chapter goes on we learn that studies shows that learners retain and preform better in BMPs than in total English immersion. As I though about it, I questioned why that is the case. I think if I had to immerse myself in another country, challenged to learn their language, I had to be taught what I don't understand in a language I don't know, the stress of learning itself would make it hard for my to perform. Also I'd imagine that learning another language in my native language first would help my comprehension. It made me think of how students are taught second languages as electives. We don't learn that language by being totally immersed in a setting only that language is spoken. We learn by reading in our native English language and slowly the foreign language we are being taught is integrated more and more until eventually we have learned enough to speak read and write in that language, so the idea that ELL students would learn and better perform in BMPs made more sense to me. 

Lastly reading that studies and statistics of studies of diverse cultures piqued my interests because it speaks to something that I'm passionate of-- and that is teaching students of different races, backgrounds and demographics. It is important to me to reach every student I can-- the student that doesn't present me with much of a challenge, the student the doesn't speak English, the student that has an emotional disturbance or learning disability, right down to even the students that experience homelessness and poverty. As I read more about that, the portion of chapter six that focuses on the influences of students that experience poverty made me think of what they go though at school when their home lives are so hard. "Increased stress is related to increase school absences, decrease attention span, and concentration ability, problems with memory and thinking, reduced motivation and effort, depression and reduced neurogenesis," (Woodfolk 226). As a student in college full time currently, I work full time, I'm a single mom, I've experience hardships financially and had to over come a lot of things that have been added pressure as I pursue my education, as an adult some days I get stressed, so I picked this quote because if we as adult experience these things it made me empathetic to a young high school student that may be experiencing hardships of poverty, teen parent hood or other difficulties of living in poverty. It made me think as an educator that what we teach is very important but students don't learn well when they are not mentally or emotionally present. They don't learn well when their stomachs are empty or their angry because they had a rough night or morning. These are worries of students that come from difficult backgrounds. My hope is as a teacher that I can reach those students by being as resourceful with them. I hope to provide them with different options and solutions to some of the problems they encounter. 

Context for Learning Description of School and Students

Trinity Christian College Field Experience Form

Context for Learning

Description of School and Students

About the School Where You Are Observing or doing Field Experience

School Name and City: Transition 99 (T99), Downers Grove

Type of School: Elementary school, Middle School, High School, or Other:  Transitional Program

Setting: Urban, Suburban, or Rural: Suburban

Write your responses to the three questions below in paragraph form.

1.    List any special features of the school or classroom setting (e.g., themed magnet, classroom aide, bilingual, co-taught with a special education teacher, pull-out program).

T99 is a transitional program for 18-21 year olds that focuses on life skills, such as funds management, furthering education, job skills and community interaction. Though all the students that attend have disabilities, special education teachers, with the help of paraprofessional staff assist and aide in their educational process both in the classroom and out in the community.

2.    Describe any district, school, or cooperating teacher requirements or expectations that affects the planning or delivery of instruction, such as required curricula, pacing plan, use of specific instructional strategies, or standardized tests.

3.    For special education only: List any educators with specialized expertise in the school/district (e.g., specific disabilities, subject-specific pedagogy, English language development, speech therapists). Transition 99 is staffed with 5 special educator teachers, and 4 paraprofessional educators per classroom. There is a permanent nurse on staff in the building, as well as a speech pathologist, occupational therapist and physical therapist. 

About the Students in this Class [Give a brief or one word response]

1.    Estimated percentage of students eligible for free/reduced lunch: About 56%

2.    Grade level(s): 18-21

3.    Number of

a.    students in the class: 7

b.    males:2

females:4

c.     English language learners:0

d.    students identified as gifted and talented:n/a

e.    students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or 504 plans: 7

4.    Complete the chart below to summarize required accommodations or modifications for students receiving special education services and/or students who are gifted and talented as they will affect instruction. As needed, consult with your cooperating teacher to complete the chart. The first row has been completed in italics as an example. Use as many rows as you need.

Special Education Category	Number of Students	Accommodations, Modifications, and/or Pertinent IEP Goals
Example: Learning Disability	Example: 4	Example: Close monitoring, follow up, and Resource Room
Intellectual Disability	2	Assistance or aide in communicating with others, job supervision until they have learned skills,  assistance in basic math, some reading and writing, guided social interaction
Autism	3	Assistance in using voice equipment, close monitoring for seizures, use of magnetic devices in event of seizure, use of sensory aids and space, assistance in social skill and job supervision
Down Syndrome	2	Allow more time on assignments Allow activity breaks Don’t use timed activities Allow short breaks between activities Ignore minor movement Allow student to stand and work Use physical adaptations (seating supports)

About the Class You Observed

1.    How much time is devoted each day to instruction in the classroom? Describe the class periods (if applicable)? Choose a content area of your specialty or major. How much time is devoted to teaching that subject?

    Because T99 is a transitional program that focuses on life skills, and more, there is less classroom instruction in a day and more hands on activity that focus on building skills students need to become as independent as possible. Students work on time management, with individual schedules that could include activities like, work, college courses, and time spent in the community volunteering. During their day students are assisted either by their teacher or teachers aide in their activities as they learn to social interact, work or learn in a college setting. The entire day is geared towards hands on learning and instruction for students. 

2.    Is there any ability grouping or tracking? If so, please describe how it affects your class.

It is common to see students with the same level of functionality to be grouped together which seemed to better help the teacher and TA manage classroom tasks and student needs better.  

3.    Identify any textbook or instructional program you primarily use for instruction. If a textbook, please provide the title, publisher, and date of publication. N/A

4.    List other resources (e.g., SMARTBoard, manipulatives, online resources) used for instruction in this class. SMARTBoard, Online Resources, physical manipulatives,  large print, picture instructions, and use of timer.

5. What do you know about what your students know, what can they do, and what are they learning to do? What do you know about your students’ everyday experiences, cultural backgrounds and practices, and interests? Two of the students in the classroom have intellectual disabilities, these two young ladies, are pretty independent compared to their classmates. They work short hour part time jobs, and job train, they are learning time management, and how to learn in a college setting though vocational courses at the college of dupage. 3 of our students are autistic and require hand over hand assistance with their voice devices. They are learning to carry out basic activites like, eating, showering routines and the use of technology with their speaking devices. Lastly 2 students that have down syndrome display high functionality by managing part time jobs, and also attending college vocational courses, they are learning to manage time, volunteer in the community and home skills, like cooking, cleaning and personal self care. 

6. Describe one teaching event. What best practices in teaching were used?

One student in the kitchen learning to meal prep. I observed the student struggling to carry out the task set before them. Instead of the teacher doing it or showing the student how it is done, the teacher, used fewer words in her directions and talked the student through things one step at a time so that the student was able to do things for herself. Though there were minor mistakes or things that needed to be fixed the student learned hands on for themselves, how to complete the meal prep task. The teacher verbally reassured the student they could do this, that it was difficult but they needed to try. The student stood and listened to directions and one by one was able to do what they were told. I liked that instead of doing it for them, they allowed the student to make mistakes to learn from and through repetition they will learn to do it better and better each time