Wednesday, February 16, 2011
A class using operant conditioning.
This video displays examples of using positive reinforcement in ESL class. I choose this video because the theme of this video is about students' English learning in Asian countries, which is more related to my background. When we took English class in middle school, there was not so much games and fun. We were struggled with all the new words and grammar rules. This video proved that positive reinforcement is effective tools in teaching class like this. However, I insist we should not rely too much on the prizes. Because if students make a stable connection of their effort with prizes, once the prizes are gone, they might easily lost their interests. Another issue is, at the end of this video, the teacher mentioned everyone received present. I understand that everybody worked hard for their team and the final prize, and teacher should give positive feedback to their efforts, protect students' feeling, give them encouragement. However, I suspect, if everybody wins in each competition, is winning still precious? Maybe, maybe not...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This was a great video. I have a background in TESOL/TESL and was curious to see operant conditioning applied in a classroom. I thought the author/video producer did an excellent job of explaining the situation, the approach and the outcome of his attempt to use operant conditioning. I thought it was also useful that he commented on the long-term outcome which was students lost interest and knowledge when positive reinforcements were not used. This goes along with comments about not relying too heavily on prizes as a learning reinforcement. Thanks for sharing this video!
ReplyDeleteI agree that this video is an excellent example of how operant conditioning is used in the classroom. Thank you for your reflective statement that explains your thoughts as well.
ReplyDelete