Module 3-Classroom Management

Chapter 7 focuses on the behavioral views of learning. I found the concept of reinforcement pretty interesting, because it reflects on what it is and how it is used in the classroom. It seems that not everyone really understands what it is, and are using it in the wrong way. This creates classroom chaos and what we have seen in this week's video, "Angry Teacher". I mean everyone knows what is positive reinforcement (i.e. good grades, rewards), but what about negative reinforcement? The text states, "strengthening behavior by removing an aversive stimulus when the behavior occurs"(Woolfolk, 251). Before reading this chapter, I asked this, "is a teacher taking away a toy from a child to stop crying considered negative reinforcement?" I was so confused, because that sound like a punishment.  Now in my classroom with three-year olds, we have kids that have temper tantrums everyday. Our negative reinforcement approach is taking his/her toy away or we simply just walk away. Walking away seems to do the trick, because they eventually stop crying. But taking away a toy just seems so cruel and they still cry. Is that the right way to handle a situation like this? I guess my biggest concern was always handling bad behavior in the classroom. This chapter really helped my understanding on the differences between negative reinforcement and punishing. It gave specific examples on how to reinforce and specific instances. The concept of private reprimands is a lot more effective, than loud ones (something I should tell some of the teachers at school). There's the response cost, where a student may lose something like recess time for the amount of markings next to his/her name. Then there's social isolation or a time out for extremely disruptive behavior, but something I don't agree with it. These things don't seem all that bad and then on page 263, there is the "what not to do" section. Many of these I have seen in classrooms. Some examples were giving out more homework for misbehavior and ignoring minor misbehaviors. One important rule I have learned was "less punishment is more effective, as long as it is paired with reinforcement for doing the right thing"(Woolfolk, 263). I think all teachers should be aware of this. 

Chapter 13 discusses my favorite subject: classroom management. The first goal in achieving classroom management is giving all students access to learning. This is making sure that everyone knows how to participate in class activities. Wow. That sounds like a lot of work. But definitely something that can be done. It is said that a lot of classroom time is really spent on disruptions, late starts, and etc. But there isn't a lot of learning going on, so how do we do that? The second goal for classroom management is to increase academic learning time by keeping students actively engaged in worthwhile, appropriate learning activities (Woolfolk, 474). Breaking down the steps is really helpful in understanding how to help each student learn in the classroom. The third goal is to help students become better able to manage themselves. This is really important, because a teacher first needs to know how to manage her/his-self, before they can help a student. By doing so, it creates more confidence, less-stress, and supports teacher's sense of efficacy. This is definitely a plus for both students and teachers in handling classroom management.