Learning Theory

Erin Steiner
Personal Learning Theory
Psychology
April 10, 2009
Modeling and Positive Reinforcement
There are vast amounts of research that show how students learn best. I believe that modeling and positive reinforcement encourage effective learning among students. I feel that students need to have things modeled for them, and when that is done, they remember so much more. I also think that by giving students rewards for certain behaviors, they are more willing to work harder and to learn the material.
Modeling is “changes in behavior, thinking, or emotions that happen through observing another person—a model” (Woolfolk, 2008). The question now is: why is modeling so important? Can we not just expect our students to read our minds and know what we want them to do? Obviously, this is not the case. Students require much attention and instruction regarding the assignments and behaviors teachers expect. What is that saying, Monkey see, monkey do? Modeling is so effective, that even bad behaviors can be learned by students from modeling. A study shows that children who watch violence portrayed on TV and in movies are more likely to be violent themselves (Van Stolk, 1976). This is pretty scary if you think about all the garbage that is on TV and in movies now-a-days. We need to make sure that in our classroom, we are only modeling good behaviors that are school appropriate. I honestly believe that if we try our best to model good things, this will carry over into student’s home lives. This is why modeling is extremely important. We are role models for our students. If we expect them to learn something, we need to first demonstrate it ourselves.
Not only are behaviors important to model, but lesson instructions are important. We can’t expect different types of learners to all understand verbal directions or visual directions. We need to have the sight-sound connection as well as kinesthetic motions to show the students what is the expected learning outcome. We appeal to all types of learners when we do this, which proves to be extremely effective. It is also an efficient use of our time as teachers. We aren’t trying to explain one assignment four different ways. That gets to be a little bit ridiculous. We can give our instructions verbally while showing students what to do with our own bodies, and we can write the directions down. Modeling is a key factor in learning success in the classroom. If we don’t model the tasks we cannot expect our students to master the lesson we are teaching. They can’t play these guessing games…don’t we all hate mind games anyways? If we aren’t clear in showing students the expected outcome of projects and tasks, they will probably have to repeat the assignment multiple times, which is inefficient use of classroom time. Think of the time you spend on sending students back to their desks several times…you can be having other lessons that help improve students literacy and other important aspects of learning.
Another benefit of modeling to student learning is that it enhances active learning. “Active learning refers to techniques where students do more than simply listen to a lecture. Students are DOING something including discovering, processing, and applying information” (as cited in Losser, 2009).
The reason I think modeling and active learning is related is because when we model tasks for our students, it usually is for them to turn around and do it themselves. Active learning helps students to be fully engaged in the class and this is only achieved through correct and decently modeled practices. Active learning can even include learning rules and procedures of the classroom. If you model the behavior you expect, they should become active and practice those newly learned techniques. Therefore, modeling is extremely vital to student learning.
The other factor that I think is helpful to student learning is self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is a person’s sense of being able to deal effectively with a particular task (Woolfolk, 2008). Self-efficacy is different than self-concept and self-esteem. You would think that this is not true, but it really is. Self-efficacy really focuses on the individual’s ability to complete a task (Woolfolk, 2008). I think this is particularly valuable to student learning, because they are able to compete with themselves and not with other people. This encourages self-esteem, because they are able to build a healthy self-image by bettering themselves.
Self-efficacy does not deal with self-worth judgments; it deals with judgments of personal capabilities. This is why I think it is an important aspect of learning. Students are able to see their own capabilities and rely on themselves, not others. They are able to make themselves better learners by competing with themselves. This is excellent. This reminds me of the FRIENDS episode where Monica competes with herself. She gets roped into cooking Thanksgiving dinner and her motivation is for being better than herself the year before. This is pretty neat. This is what our students need; they need to be able to recognize that they can better themselves and make goals that are attainable. I believe that self-efficacy increases motivation. Research supports my claim. Woolfolk states that self-efficacy influences motivation through goal-setting. When you set goals, you do it for the purpose to reach those goals. I feel like it’s a waste of time to make goals if you don’t plan on working to reach those goals.
I’ve learned through personal experience that the best way for me to learn is through this art of self-efficacy. It’s not always easy, but when the skill is practiced, it is more beneficial than competition in other forms. I’m a highly competitive person in certain circumstances. I easily get frustrated with others when they don’t perform the way I want them to perform, mostly in sports settings, but in others as well. What I’ve learned though is that self-efficacy makes me learn more because I can recognize my weaknesses and not what others lack. It has been a beneficial lesson for me to realize that self-efficacy enhances learning because the focus is placed on the individual and not on those around them.
So my question is: what are some teaching practices that can help these factors become evident in student learning? I think with modeling, it is based on the individual teacher. Each teacher is different. They all have different rules, consequences, classroom procedures, etc. How they chose to model their classroom policies is up to them. For me, I need to make sure to model clearly each step of what is expected. I also think it is helpful to model these things several times. By modeling each step multiple times, students are really able to see what the outcome will be and will be able to assess if they may have difficulties with a certain task.
Not only do we need to model tasks that need to be completed, but we need to model good behavior. The case study regarding violence makes it apparent that students learn negative things through modeling. If we don’t show students a higher standard, how can we expect them to live up to a high standard? Modeling is crucial because students are watching our every move…or sometimes it may feel like that. They watch our every behavior because we are a significant figure in their lives. They look up to us and expect us to teach them certain things, not only pertaining to academics. All we can do is be a good model in all aspects of our lives.
What can I do as a teacher to help self-efficacy be an important aspect in each student’s life? First, we need to be high-quality teachers which include: classroom management, instruction, and content knowledge and understanding (Payne, 2008). This helps us to increase self-efficacy in our students. Second, I think that I need to provide appropriate lessons. Guided learning and direct instruction lessons are key factors in this (Losser, 2009). Guided learning and direct instruction lessons provide students with opportunities to set goals and make sure to reach them. As a teacher, I need to provide experiences and opportunities for these goals to be reached. I need to help students to see their strengths and weaknesses and recognize what they can do better.
Modeling and self-efficacy enhance student learning. These factors are efficient to help people learn. I think that a classroom without these is probably a class that struggles. Students need to see good behavior modeled by the teacher. They also need to see the tasks that they are expected to complete modeled efficiently. Teachers need to make sure that they are placing high priority on goal setting to encourage self-efficacy. By being able to perform a task and recognize the individual capabilities, students can better themselves as learners and therefore they can see weaknesses they can work on. We need to make sure that our lessons are coherent as well as our directions. If we don’t model things appropriately, it makes self-efficacy of students hard to reach. Learning is obviously influenced by many things, but I think modeling and self-efficacy are the two most apparent.
Resources
Losser, J.L., (2009). Elementary education 302 planning and management packet.
Payne, R. K., (2008). Under-resourced learners: 8 strategies to boost student achievement.
United States: aha! Process, Inc.
Van Stolk, M. (1976). Monkey see, monkey do. Retrieved April 9, 2009 from ERIC
Database.
Woolfolk, A., (2008). Educational psychology. United States: Pearson Education, Inc.