PLE #8: Behaviorism

Elementary Education Case Study:
You engage your third grade students in cooperative learning activities at least twice a day, changing heterogeneous group members once every four weeks. You have agreed upon routine procedures that your classroom community uses within their small groups, including the roles and responsibilities of group members. Lately you have noticed that one small group always seems to have difficulty grasping material and completing their project in an acceptable manner. You observe this group carefully and find that Lisa seems to be the catalyst for their problems. She gets angry with others if she does not get the job she wants and refuses to do her part in contributing to the group’s learning. She constantly interrupts others in her group. She does not pay attention when her group prepares for class presentations.

There are two tools that the behaviorist could use to discourage Lisa's undesirable behaviors during heterogeneous group work. One possible tool is presentation punishment, or the presentation of a stimulus to decrease a behavior. In order to decrease Lisa's behavior, the teacher could scold her or give her a particularly harsh look. It is important to note that scolding her or giving her a less than pleasant look can only be considered presentation punishment if they cause a decrease in Lisa's inappropriate behavior during group work. Another possible tool is removal punishment, or the removal of a stimulus to decrease a behavior. In Lisa's case, the teacher could lower her individual grade on the group assignment, have her complete her work individually while the rest of the class is at recess, or have her move her card down a level on the classroom behavior chart. All of these are examples of removal punishment.

Click here for an interesting article on using punishment appropriately and effectively in the classroom. The article explains how to include punishment in a classroom management plan and gives examples for when it is appropriate to use punishment in the classroom.

A constructivist would likely approach Lisa's undesirable behaviors in a completely different way. A constructivist classroom is generally more student-directed, and this would likely be evident in the way the teacher handles Lisa's misbehavior. The teacher might put on a emphasis on teaching Lisa to self-monitor and self-regulate her own behavior during the group. Making a behavior contract might be one way to encourage this type of self-monitoring. Lisa and her teacher could come up with a list of appropriate behaviors during heterogeneous group work and create the contract together. After the creation of the behavior contract, Lisa would know what was expected of her and be expected to self-monitor her behavior with minimal teacher assistance. The focus would be on Lisa as an autonomous individual with the ability to regulate and change her behaviors during group work. If this was not effective, then some form of logical consequences would follow as stated in the behavior contract.