Re-hired and It Feels So Good
Title I funding was used to bring me back (me in all my un-tenured glory) as a literacy intervention teacher. I have a class size cap of 10 students and the freedom to build this course from the ground up.
First assignment: I had students watch this video clip:
A video on how to teach a dog to roll over using operant conditioning. Students were utterly confused, wondering what sort of class they were put in, and I had them just where I wanted them. I asked them to then describe what happened in the video. I stayed silent until a student mentioned how this video may apply to real life.
"We get treats for doing things."
"Yeah, oh yeah -- chores!"
The conversation quickly moved to schools. Right where I wanted them.
Homework assignment for day 1: In 24 hours, document five behaviors requested/demanded of you and the "doggy treat" offered to you if you performed the behavior.
I do not have the space to tell you what the students brought back, but I can tell you that two and a half weeks into the course, this is a common student reply when another student asks for some sort of external motivator for work being asked of them in class: "Do you want your doggy treat now or after you roll over?" We laugh and instead engage in a conversation on the importance or lack thereof of the work being requested.
All in all, a great start to a democratic climate in this classroom.
Posted in DemEd in Real LifeStudentsTeaching on Feb 21, 2010 - 10:16 PM
On January 29th, I received my official letter of termination. Our district has lost more than a million dollars in funding and any new teachers were immediately cut. On February 1st, I received my official letter of re-assignment. This story has a happy beginning.Title I funding was used to bring me back (me in all my un-tenured glory) as a literacy intervention teacher. I have a class size cap of 10 students and the freedom to build this course from the ground up.
First assignment: I had students watch this video clip:
A video on how to teach a dog to roll over using operant conditioning. Students were utterly confused, wondering what sort of class they were put in, and I had them just where I wanted them. I asked them to then describe what happened in the video. I stayed silent until a student mentioned how this video may apply to real life.
"We get treats for doing things."
"Yeah, oh yeah -- chores!"
The conversation quickly moved to schools. Right where I wanted them.
Homework assignment for day 1: In 24 hours, document five behaviors requested/demanded of you and the "doggy treat" offered to you if you performed the behavior.
I do not have the space to tell you what the students brought back, but I can tell you that two and a half weeks into the course, this is a common student reply when another student asks for some sort of external motivator for work being asked of them in class: "Do you want your doggy treat now or after you roll over?" We laugh and instead engage in a conversation on the importance or lack thereof of the work being requested.
All in all, a great start to a democratic climate in this classroom.
Tags for this entry:
alfie kohn,
conformity,
critical thinking and analysis,
animals and learning,
b.f. skinner
