Cognitive behaviour modification and
management
(Behavioural approaches to Teaching and
Management)
Mastery learning: Teaching approach
in which students must learn one unit and pass a test at a specified
level before moving to the next unit.
Good
behavior game: Arrangement
where a class is divided into teams and each team receives demerit points for
breaking agreed-upon rules of good behavior.
Croup
consequences: Reward or punishments given to a class as a whole for adhering lo
or violating rules of conduct.
Token reinforcement system:
System in which tokens earned for academic work and positive classroom behavior
can be exchanged for some desired reward.
Contingency contract: A
contract between the teacher and a student specifying what the student must do
to earn a particular reward or privilege.
A
recent application of behavioural views of learning emphasizes self-management
– helping students gain control of their own learning.
Self-Management
Use of behavioural
learning principles to change your own behavior. If one goal of
education is to produce people who are capable of educating them-selves, then
students must learn to manage their own lives, set their own goals, and provide
their own reinforcement. In adult life, rewards are sometimes vague and goals
often take a long time to reach. Think about how many small steps are required
to complete an education and find your first job. Life is filled with tasks
that call for this sort of self-management (Kanfer & Gaclick. 1986).
Students
may be involved in any or all of the steps in implementing a basic behavior
change program. They may help set goals, observe their own work, keep records
of it, and evaluate their own performance. Finally, they can select and deliver
reinforcement. Such involvement can help students master all the steps so they can
perform these tasks in the future (Kaplan. 1991).
Goal Setting. It
appears that the goal-setting phase is very important in self-management
(Pintrich & Schunk, 2002; Reeve, 1996). In fact, some research suggests
that setting specific goals and making them public maybe the critical elements
of self-management programs.
Monitoring
and Evaluating Progress.
Students may also participate in the monitoring and evaluation phases of a
behavior change program. Some examples of behaviors that are appropriate for
self-monitoring are the number of assignments completed, time spent practicing
a skill, number of books read, number of problems correct, and time taken to
run a mile. Tasks that must be accomplished without teacher supervision, such
as homework or private study, are also good candidates for self-monitoring.
Students keep a chart, diary, or checklist recording the frequency or duration
of the behaviors in question.
A
progress record card can help older students break down assignments into small
steps, determine the best sequence for completing the steps, and keep track of
daily progress by setting goals for each day. Here is a checklist, taken from
Belfiore, & Hornyak1998) to help students manage their homework:
1. Did
1 turn in yesterday’s homework?
2-
Did I write all homework assignments in my notebook?
3. Is
all the homework in the homework folder?
4. Art
all my materials to complete my homework with me?
5.
Begin Homework
6.
Are all homework papers completed?
7. Did
someone check homework to make sure it was completed!
8. After
checking, did I put all homework back in fouler*
9. Did
I give this paper to teacher? {p. 190),
Self-evaluation
is somewhat more difficult than simple self-recording because it involves
making a judgment about quality. Students can evaluate their behavior with reasonable
accuracy, especially if they learn standards for judging a good performance or
product.
Self-Reinforcement. Providing
yourself with positive consequences, contingent on accomplishing a particular
behavior. The last step in self-management is self-reinforcement. There is some
disagreement, however, as to whether this step is actually necessary. Some
psychologists believe that setting goals and monitoring progress alone are sufficient
and that self-reinforcement adds nothing lo the effects (Hayes et al.. 1985).
Others believe that rewarding yourself for a job well done can lead lo higher
levels of performance than simply setting goals and keeping track of progress
(Bandura. 1986). If you are willing to be tough and really deny yourself
something you want until your goals are reached, then perhaps the promise of the
reward can provide extra incentive for work.
Cognitive Behavior
Modification and Self-Instruction
Self-management
generally means getting students involved in the basic steps of a behavior
change program. Cognitive behavior modification adds an emphasis on
thinking and self-talk. They talk to themselves, often repeating the words of a
parent or teacher. In cognitive behavior modification, students are taught
directly how to use self-instruction. Meichenbaum (1977) outlined the steps:
1.
An adult model performs a task while talking to him- or herself out loud (cognitive
modeling).
2.
The child performs the same task under the direction of the model's
instructions (overt, external guidance).
3.
The child performs the task while instructing him- or herself aloud (overt,
self-guidance).
4. The
child whispers the instructions to him- or herself as he/she goes through the
task (faded.overt self-guidance).
5.
The child performs the task while guiding his/her performance via private
speech (covert self-instruct ion), (p, 32)
Brenda
Manning and Beverly Payne(1996) list four skills that can
increase student learning: listening, planning, working, and checking.
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