Northfield Middle School: Behaviorism and Cognitivism

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Behaviorism and Cognitivism

In Ms. Bloom’s English class I have observed the use of behaviorism in the form of operant conditioning, primarily through the use of positive reinforcement to encourage desired student behaviors. For example, Ms. Bloom is very welcoming of class participation; she is sure to thank students for their insights and acknowledges their ideas by restating them to the class. This makes students who participate feel appreciated and motivates them to contribute more in the future. It also creates a safe environment where even shyer and quieter students feel comfortable stating their thoughts. Grades are another reinforcer: when students perform well on assignments they are rewarded with good grades, while poor performances are penalized. Ms. Bloom rarely uses punishments in her classroom. As Zoe also noted in her blog post, rather than ridiculing students for falling behind on their work, Ms. Bloom offers them additional support to help them catch up with their peers. I will sometimes work one-on-one with students who are struggling with their assignments to help them complete their work. Other than that, Ms. Bloom will occasionally reprimand students if they are being disruptive, talking out of turn, or using their iPads improperly. This is a negative punishment because when students are called out in front of their peers, they feel ashamed of their behavior and are motivated to be more focused in the future.

Cognitive approaches to learning are focused on students’ thinking and depth of comprehension rather than on the behaviors that they exhibit. Part of cognitive learning is meta-cognition, or the ability of students to think about their own learning. One activity that I observed that encouraged meta-cognition was a reflective writing assignment that Ms. Bloom gave students following their Socratic Seminars. In this assignment, Ms. Bloom asked students to briefly reflect on their preparation for the seminar, the quality of their participation, and how they could improve in future discussions. This writing task gave students the chance to reflect on their own learning, which is an important aspect of a cognitive approach to learning.

I prefer cognitivism to behaviorism because it values students developing a deep understanding of the material. Within a behaviorist model, a student can cram to study for an exam, receive an A, and continue this reinforced behavior throughout school. From a behaviorist’s perspective, this is successful learning because the student is motivated by external rewards to complete required tasks. However, the student likely will not truly grasp the material or retain their knowledge after completing the class. It is important that students understand why they are doing the steps to solve a problem, not simply going through the motions. I think that cognitivism privileges what is most important in learning: self-motivation, a depth of understanding, perception, and memory.

Other Observations

This week, I observed two Socratic seminars, one on school policies and the other on technology use. For these seminars, groups of 5-6 students who had researched a particular subject gathered in the center of the room to discuss while their peers observed. The discussions were self-guided and students were encouraged to introduce evidence from their independent research. The conversation on school policies was very awkward because no one wanted to talk and Ms. Bloom had to jump in multiple times to prompt students to speak. It helped when students called on each other to speak by saying things like “I would like to hear what Jack has to say about this subject” (typically to the horror of Jack). One student brought up the idea of having mental health days for students, which I thought was a good contribution. The second discussion was more energetic, though it mostly consisted of students agreeing with their peers and repeating ideas that had already been stating.

This activity created an interesting social atmosphere. The kids were clearly quite nervous and I overheard them following their turns saying “that was awful” and “I was so scared.” Their friends were quick to reassure them, saying that their discussion was the best so far or that they talked a good amount and did a good job. I thought that this was an interesting example of how a students’ peers can help them through the Ericksonian industry versus inferiority crisis. We tend to focus more on the role of teachers, and the potential negative impact of peers through things like bullying, but having supportive friends is also very important for a student’s self-esteem. I wonder if it would have been more effective to have a debate to prompt participation and a larger variety of ideas. Overall, I think it was a semi-successful attempt to encourage the students to practice public speaking and to share their research with the class.

An image of iPad use in a classroom from The Irish Times.

I am still averse to the frequent use of iPads in the classroom, though I don’t have a particularly good reason for it. It just feels disconnected and sort of dystopian to watch students staring at their separate screens in a prison-like classroom. At least they’re saving the trees by not printing out tons of worksheets. I also have been reflecting more on my own middle school education at an alternative school that was very self-guided. I think that this type of education suited me because I was self-motived, but that perhaps it wouldn’t work as well for most students. I did have the freedom to study the topics I wanted and to make my own schedule, which I really enjoyed. I think that this experience has shaped my view of Northfield Middle School and has made me (maybe overly) critical of the more controlled and structured education that students receive.

• This topic was modified 3 years, 9 months ago by Tonja Clay.

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