Operant conditioning and Functional analysis.

After learning about both operant conditioning and functional analysis, I would have to say that I strongly favor functional analysis.  I think that while operant conditioning works very well to modify behavior, and indeed I strongly believe in praising my students, giving them positive reinforcement, functional analysis originates more from a care for the student whereas operant conditioning seems to be more intent on control.  I believe that students can often strongly sense whether you genuinely care for them or merely teach them because you have been hired to do so.  In my experience, students often value their teachers to the same degree that they feel valued by them, and so operant conditioning, in my opinion, sacrifices the relational aspect of teaching in favor of control. 
     I am currently doing a practicum in a high school English class right now, and, quite honestly, my mentor teacher is so concerned with the why of her student's behavior that she could practically be classified as a humanist teacher.  She has informed me that establishing great relationships with her students is bar none her favorite aspect of her job.  She cares so much for her students, is enthusiastic whenever they learn anything and sacrifices her evenings and lunch hours to help students in person and over e-mail because she really wants to help her students succeed in any way she can.  Many many times, when a student acts up in any way, she will deal with the incident calmly and rationally, then come to me later, explaining how the student is really a good person, and brilliant besides, but that he or she works two jobs outside of school, has a learning disability, or whatever the case may be.  I do not think that there has been a single instance where she did not consider the student's motivations in doing what they do and acting accordingly to these observations.  Anyhow, it quite amazes me, but her classroom has a sense of warm community to it.  However, it is not so much coherence as a group that causes this atmosphere of acceptance as it is each student having a genuinely comfortable and positive individual relationship with their teacher.  Her students, whether they previously enjoyed English or not, often report that they loved her class.  Quite frankly, I view her as an excellent example of the benefits of formal analysis, and I hope to teach in a similar manner someday.
     So, the scenario from class today....  Cody could possibly feel out of control of his life and maybe wishes to assert himself and feel he has a handle on one aspect of it.  After perhaps discussing with Cody what might be going on with him in order to verify if this hunch is indeed accurate, the teacher could then suggest that  he goes to see a counselor when he feels out of control like this, and thus deal with his frustration in a different way.
-Rachel


I found this funny, but wouldn't this be positive punishment
 because he wants the behaviour of robbing to decrease???




Both cartoons were found on Google.



FAT city workshop

I found the F.A.T city workshop video extremely eye-opening.  Often enough, I find that this type of student really is seen as more of a troublemaker, disturbance or even a lazy student in classrooms simply because they cannot cope with the pacing of the classroom.  Thus, I really appreciated the exercizes done with these individuals, and I am really thankful that we were able to see this film.
     I really thought that the ways that Richard D. Lavoy showed the participants what school is like for children with a learning disability were very innovative.  I really marvelled at how quickly they regressed to acting like these children in refusing to volunteer to answer questions, in accusing each other of making mistakes, and in showing confusion and frustration.  I though that the fact that children with learning disabilities become obsessed with finding the mistakes of others so that they can prove that they are not the only fallible individuals was so accurate and insightful.  I have particularly noticed this in my own experiences with these children, as they are often the most  quick to pick up on the slightest inconsistencies, especially in how your treatment of them and other individuals differs.  I suppose that, often enough, they are really simply obsessed with the idea of normalcy and fitting in, and that this behaviour is simply an outflow of the frustration they feel at not being able to fully mesh with their peers.  I guess that, as a teacher, it is then really important to try and see situations from the perspective of the student before reacting to them, because these people often seem to take a great deal of their self-worth from how others see them.  Also, I particularly enjoyed his advice in regards to calliing on children with processing difficulties in the classroom.  The notion of taking these children aside and telling them that you will never call on them unless you are standing directly in front of them really seemed brilliant to me because it takes so much of the stress of not wanting to seem unintelligent out of that student's life, and really helps to let the student know that you are there to help him or her, creating a stronger and more supportive relationship.  In that way, the student can feel validated and can be more free to concentrate on what is being taught.
     Anyhow, as I'm sure you can see from the above comments, I am very thrilled and greatful that we were given the opportunity to watch this workshop.
-Rachel

Learning disabilities and coding

     I found the discussion of coding in schools rather interesting last class mainly because I had just had a similar conversation in my practicum about learning disabilities with my mentor teachers.  I would like to say first, however, that I did mention this same instance in my EDFX 203 blog tonight.  Yesterday morning, in one of the classes I was observing, I noticed a boy trying to flip a finger skateboard over the rings of his binder.  I pointed this out to the E. A. working with the class, thinking that she would laugh about it, or ask him to focus, or something similar, however, she simply told me to look back over, and I saw that the boy had briefly put down his skateboard to take a few notes on what Mrs. W. was saying.  She then told me that many of the kids in this class have diagnosed or undiagnosed learning disabilities, and that it can be especially hard for ADD students to focus if they aren't moving simply because their brain does not receive enough stimulus for them to process the information.  Thus, she told me that as a teacher, it is especially important to really look at if the child really is paying attention before you correct any seemingly distracted behaviour because these apparent behavioural corrections can actually impair a child's learning.  This caused me to think about my own experience as a student.  I have a somewhat pronounced tendency to doodle or hum when I am focusing, as immature as that may sound.  I've found that I often felt very uncomfortable in classrooms where I was told that the noise I made was disruptive, and conversely, most accepted in the classrooms where teachers treasured my idiosyncracies and allowed me to learn in my own way.  While I do know that at times I likely was disruptive to my fellow students, I am grateful that I was often allowed to work in my own fashion.
    Later, I talked with my mentor teacher, and she told me that she does indeed suspect the student in question of having a learning disability, however, she really does not want to get him tested at this point, because she feels that a great deal of his difficulty arises from simply not putting effort into his classes. She did, however say that should he place more effort into his work and still experience these problems, she would love to get him tested and better helped.  She simply believes that because he currently is not putting enough effort into his courses, the testing may not provide as accurate results as it should, and she really does not want her student to wrongfully have to live with the stigma of a learning disability.  Personally, I thought that this was quite an admirable and compassionate perspective of the situation as she considered the needs of the student above the schools needs for funding.  From personal experience, I do know that schools, particularly those that operate outside of the public schooling system sometimes attempt to diagnose children with more disabilities than they may actually possess in order to receive more funding to provide for the needs of their school, and somtimes not even the needs of the student at all.  Although I do not yet know what the system is changing to, I am quite content that the coding system is becoming obsolete because it is far too easy for schools that are suffering financially to expolit the system at the expense of the students concerned.
-Rachel

These images were foumd with google images.
 I thought they were a funny perspective on the situation.

  

Homophobia and Teaching

     Today we discussed the relation between sexual orientation and gender.  In my own personal experience in schools, I have not so much witnessed bullying of homosexual students as I have simply the awkwardness that inevitably seems to accompany the discussion of sexual orientaion.  Culturally, I know that we tend to address this issue with a fair degree of trepidation mainly because a great majority or Canadians, regardless of their own personal beliefs, simply do not want to offend those who engage in such activities.  However, this awkwardness usually carries an underlying tension between those who simply view it as wrong and those who approve of it or indeed practice homosexuality.  And thus, in the classroom, I have noticed discussions of this nature often seem to carry an extensive effort to justify the equality of the different sexual orientations in an attempt to minimize this awkwardness.  I think that although prejudices against homosexuals, in my experience, are often not stated by students in schools, they are quite prevalent, and indeed visible through the cliques that emerge: some people simply refuse to associate with people of a homosexual orentation.
     I would strongly agree that males tend to be more homophobic than females.  I believe that this is greatly a result of gender roles in society.  Men are practically indoctrinated from their youth that masculinity involves strength and a lack of public displays of emotion.  As homosexuals of both sexes are generally portrayed as more materialstic, soft and emotional, essentially a stereotypical perception of femininity, it is perfectly understandable that men should be more repelled by the notion than are girls, as it is a much greater deviation from the gender identity they are trained to possess.  However, homosexual females do not display much deviation in behaviour from that expected of their gender, which makes it much easier for the population to ignore this deviation from the norm.
     I would think that regardless of their personal convictions, teachers should encourage acceptance of individuals who display homosexuality.  I also believe that teachers need to make a conscious effort to ensure that any biases that they may or may not possess in regards to the matter do not in any way influence the way that they treat students who they know to be homosexual. It is important to remember that these students, regardless of their sexual orientation, are students with their own personalities, talents, challenges and potential, and that it is so vital that they are treated with respect simply on the basis of their shared humanity.  In my opinion, proactively ensuring that your students are aware that you disapprove of discrimination against homosexuals  often does a great deal to prevent the issue of homophobia from becoming prevalent in your classroom. 
-Rachel                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Gender

     I totally agree with the statement that gender is learned.  I am taking cultural anthropology in conjunction with this course, and it is quite interesting to see how the different social contexts influence gender roles.  Today, for example, we somewhat superficially examined how the division of labour differs between males and females.  Females often do work closer to home while the men do work that is generally more dangerous, requires more strength, or causes them to travel away from home.  Yet, this is not the rule cross-culturally.  Although our western society would stereotypically think of construction as men's work, in some parts of Africa, it is the responsibility of the women. 

     There are also the issues of how the media influences our perception of gender.  With many of the women portrayed on television being rather unhealthily thin, this creates an unacheivable ideal that many of the young women in our society fruitlessly try to achieve.  Even in class  today, the three attributes we chose as inherently feminine were, in effect, all quite external.  We determined that the ideal female is classy, stylish, attractive and beautiful, and yet we pretend that we are well aware of the way that the media influences our perception of such matters.  Yet, feminity goes far beyond efforts to preen oneself into a fascimile of another's natural physical beauty.  We neglect to mention the emotional sensitivity women posess, their strength and determination, their ability to sacrifice themselves for the sake of those they love.  Are these not mose important than ensuring that every last hair is in place prior to leaving the safety of one's home?  If feminity is defined by the external, then it is extremely repressive. 

     This question of gender roles is extremely relevant to teaching.  When we as teachers condone this limiting, superficial feminine identity, we help to mold our students into shallow imitations of some supposed ideal when we should be encouraging them to become more fully themselves, regardless of any culture influences that act against this process.  It is also important to note that as the idealized cultural perception of femininity is quite physical, there are girls who develop eating disorders in an attempt to gain the status, respect, or sense of belonging that they believe accompanies this ideal physique.  In good conscience, teachers must be proactive concerning these issues, not merely part of the problem.

-Rachel


The above three images were all found when I googled femininity...
They were the only three that significantly deviated from the sensual to show
real women who seemed to be truly unique and enjoying this difference.



Diversities and socioeconomic status

     Today we talked about socioeconomic status and its correlation with academic success.  I actually find both reasons discussed in class for this to be either incomplete or ludicrous.  Even though studies may have linked socioeconomic status to academic achievement, I think that this is only due to the expectations teachers, parents and society in general place on students based on this status.
      Firstly, intelligence is in no way determined by material posessions, rather, it is genetic.  How then could the lower socioeconomic classes be considered to have less intelligence than people who may posess more status in the cultural context in which they are found?  The notion is completely illogical, and frankly, contains a great deal of bias against socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals.  Secondly, I do think that the school system does to some extent discourage people of certain backgrounds from succeeding, however, I would not limit this prejudice against socially and economically impoverished people to merely the school system.  Rather, I think our society places a certain stigma on people who come from these circumstances, and that the population in general is taught to believe that those individuals will not succeed.  This social pressure can be particularly devastating to young individuals, especially if this pressure also comes from parents.  If children are bombarded with an association between poverty and intelligence, how can we expect them to remain strong and confident when we as a society strive to enculturate them with such degrading beliefs?  In effect, I believe we create this intellectual disparity between classes through unconscious prejudices, then reinforce them through theories such as the ones expressed in class.  I think it is neglectful, actually, to discuss this disparity in inteligence without discussing the solution thereof.  As students undergoing higher education, I believe it is vital that we actively examine ourselves on an individual basis to ensure that we do not develop such discriminatory notions based on whatever education others may or may not have had.  I believe that if we have the intelligence to recognize the problem, we have the responsibility to work towards the solution.  It is often all too easy to ignore issues such as this by engaging in the unmerited pride of belonging to a higher, educated socioeconomic class and thus believing that therefore you must be more intelligent than the norm.  However, as I am sure you would agree, to put the issue in such blunt terms simply serves to emphasize how ludicrous this generalization is.  Not all individuals with a degree are geniuses, and there have been amazing intellects from low socioeconomic backgrounds. 
     As future teachers, I believe we need to fully address our own beliefs, taking time to consider how the expectations that we hold of our students can possibly influence their success.  Thus, I believe that what I learned from this class was not so much diversity theory as it was the importance of ensuring I do not accidentally marginalize any of my students by treating them as inferior in any way to their peers.
-Rachel

Google

My intelligences.

In yesterday's class we studied Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences.  I actually was quite interested because while I had heard previously of Gardner, I had never heard about the spiritual or existential intelligences. 
    
     Anyhow, I suppose that while I identify with quite a few of the intelligences, I would have to say that I am quite strongly verbal.  I've long noticed that I have a natural fluency in reading and writing, and I instinctively sense how to best phrase what I write in order to best convey my thoughts.  I've also noticed that if I read a word once I can spell it.  I do not have to put a great deal of thought into anything related to language; it simply is natural to me... 

     I would, however, say that I am also quite strong musically.  I often have a song running through my head (which, quite often escapes my lips without me being at all aware)  and I genuinely enjoy singing and playing both the piano and flute.  Sometimes I just need to hear myself talk in order to fully absorb information.  My family actually gets quite annoyed at times, because if I'm in the right mood, I improvise songs about whatever mundane aspect of my life interests me most at the moment. 
 
     I definitely identify with the intrapersonal, logical mathematical, and spiritual intelligences as well, although to a lesser extent.  Perhaps I also identify with the existential intelligence, as I really like to think about abstract ideas and notions.
-Rachel

Linguistic intelligence

Found on google.  And no, this is NOT a serious piece.  It's just quite funny.