Gecko Claps vs Computer Programs

[Logan Robinson]

Particularly in an elementary school classroom, there are many examples of reinforcers utilized to help motive and shape the students’ behaviors. Over the term I have noticed a range of reinforcers that Mrs. McLaughlin has established in her classroom; some of which work and some of which don’t seem to. She most frequently uses positive reinforcement with the students. One attempt at operant conditioning that both Sophia and I have mentioned before in our blogs is reading rewards which is a fixed ratio schedule reinforcement. Every Monday the students sit patiently in their seats squirming with excitement to see who has earned their 500 minutes of reading so they can choose from an assortment of fun things (special pen for a day, teacher’s chair for a day, Culver’s treat, making a bookmark, etc). There is also an element of punishment to a degree as children are disappointed when they do not receive a reward. From the picture below you can see that the range of where students are at varies a bit at the extremes. However, Mrs. McLaughlin really encourages enjoyment of reading, creating lots of space to help students find their level and interests. The class as a whole is at over 19,000 minutes read which is pretty neat! This number is displayed on the whiteboard at the front of the class, again positively reinforcing the act of reading by showing such a large impressive number.

Some of the more basic positive reinforcers I’ve noticed include students getting to ring the bell when they complete a unit in their online reading program, Lexia. They also have been working on these multiplication coloring sheets where each sum is assigned a different color. This in itself is a positive reinforcer, as when they get the problems correct, the squares turn into a picture. They also get to hang up their art after they complete them, which again serves as a reward. One of my favorites is the “Gecko Clap”, which basically is Mrs. McLaughlin’s way of controlling fourth-graders clapping. But, whenever students share a good answer to a question or contribute, Mrs. McLaughlin acknowledges what she liked about their response and then gestures to the class by saying “Let’s give *student’s name* a gecko clap”. To which everyone raises their arms apart and does one clap, almost like a shark or alligator chomp. This is a form of continuous reinforcement, as the students know that if they contribute they will receive praise from the whole class.

One negative reinforcement example is Friday free day, where if the students have completed their weekly Lexia hours by the end of the week they get to have free time on their iPads instead of doing Lexia. There aren’t as many examples of punishment in Mrs. McLaughlin’s room that I’ve witnessed. However, one that does come to mind is one student in particular often starts doodling in class instead of focusing on the task at hand. As a penalty after being asked to stop, Mrs. McLaughlin will take away her doodle book after explaining the potential of a reinforcement later by getting it back after she has paid attention. It is interesting to me that as students get older the reinforcement schedule gets more variable or less frequent.

In contrast to the behaviorist nature of reinforcers, Lexia and IXL are the two computer programs that the students use frequently which fall more on the cognitive approach. For both of these activities, students are each individually on their iPads completing tasks the program determines based on their previous performance. The programs ask questions on topics related to things the students are learning in class, but force them to transfer this knowledge to comprehend new material on their own through an indirect process. It also promotes more memorization and individual decision making while reorganizing what they have already learned into one whole configuration. There is more of an emphasis on theoretical understanding and meaning.

I think with that being said I am more of a cognitivist. While in a fourth grade classroom it makes sense that there are lots of examples of behaviorism, as one gets older cognitivism becomes more important. Ultimately, one must learn how to internally motivate and explore indirect paths to understand what they are learning. Behaviorism is certainly part of learning, as empirical and trial-and-error based learning are how many of us begin the learning process. But, it seems that most of what I consider the core of learning lies more in the cognitivist mindset.

There are a few other observations I’d like to add. The first being one of the students I typically read with has seemed off recently. I checked in with him, and while he didn’t tell me what was going on he seemed appreciative that I took the time to ask. He also was then much more responsive to the task Mrs. McLaughlin asked me to help him with.

Sophia and I were also in the classroom on the Friday before Halloween. We did an interesting math activity where the students had to use their iPads to unlock clues and solve math problems to solve a Halloween mystery. I appreciate the way Mrs. McLaughlin incorporates opportunities for the students to utilize technology as I think it is a fun way to engage. It is so crazy to think that as long as we have had technology in our lives, they really don’t know a world without it. I had a computer class in elementary school learning how to type on a word document; they have iPads that they use daily for various activities!

 

 

 

[Angela Ellis]

The gecko clap. That is so adorable! And what an obvious example of positive reinforcement. If I knew I would receive a gecko clap from my classmates in my 200-level political science class maybe I would be more eager to contribute.

It’s clear that Mrs. McLaughlin is being very intentional about encouraging good behavior in her students. You listed so many ways in which she is actively motivating her students to accomplish class goals. As you note, this makes sense for younger students. Fourth graders are less likely to question the meaningfulness or importance of the reinforcements they receive. As students get older, they begin to set their own goals. These goals may be different from their teachers, so the teachers’ form of positive reinforcement may have no impact on their motivation to continue. For example, some students may prioritize socializing over their schoolwork, so receiving an A on an assignment may not be enough to motivate them to give a good effort.

I agree that, eventually, students have to learn to motivate themselves independently from external sources. We are going to enter a world where there is no longer an individual in our lives who is going to walk us through each step of our goals. Finding what motivates you and keeps you going even, and especially, when the goal seems far away is the key to accomplishing your life objectives.

[Trina Eichel]

Logan,
It is interesting that you bring up that there is an age-appropriate level of behaviorism in the classroom. I can imagine that elementary school classrooms utilize behaviorism much more blatantly than college classrooms. I can also see that different types of schools may be more behaviorism oriented than cognitive. It seems that the Northfield public schools (and my experience in high school) are particularly rich in behaviorism and the use of positive/negative reinforcement and rewards/punishment. At Prairie Creek, there are not as many examples of behaviorism especially not super blatant ones. Kids are expected to have intrinsic motivation to learn especially since the curriculum is largely driven by the student’s interests. I think that this is a very interesting point that you brought up and allowed me to think about deeper!

[Izzy Charlton]

I really resonated with the way you interact with students. The student you mention, the one you usually read with who seemed slightly off, really struck me. I think you were right to check in with him, even if he was hesitant to share. It is really important to show students that you do care about them and you notice when they seem off, so kudos to you for doing that. From how you describe it, it seems this was a positive interaction so much so that it made him more open to listening to the teacher and completing the task. I was also really struck by the lack of punishment in this classroom. In my experiences, many of my elementary classrooms depended on punishment. I am so glad that these kids have so many positive reinforcements to encourage them, not to scare them with punishments. I think punishment can be a really easy go-to when dealing with classroom behavior, but I am glad that this particular teacher is so dedicated to positive reinforcements and encouraging her students.

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