Aaron gave a presentation that summarized what we read. Even though the class had already read the material, I always find it helpful to review what I learned.
One concept that tonight's class helped me put into words is the fact that reward can backfire. Yes, students may learn more/better if they are rewarded for their efforts, but the reward may often take the place of the motivation to learn. For instance: If students are given a task with vague instructions like "make flashcards" and are given a piece of candy for each flashcard they make, they may create low-quality flashcards in great quantity so that they can receive more candy. The point of the exercise is not to eat candy, but students will treat it as such. It takes a wise teacher to know when to cut off reward, or to know when to limit it to keep it from overtaking the task at hand.
Also, as Stephanie pointed out in class and in her blog, the reward can backfire if some students are left behind. If students are given a piece of candy for each correct math problem, the reward will be effective so long as the students are receiving roughly equal amounts of candy. But in her case, she was far behind the class, and started to lose hope, thusly decreasing her motivation. Just as we learned a few weeks back, a teacher must observe the frustration level of the students to determine if the activity/reward is causing more bad feelings than good ones.
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3 comments:
I think you brought up a good point at the end of the entry. It is true that apart from having appropriate positive feedback, teachers must also be sensitive to the way rewards/feedback influence their students. This in itself has a lot to do with pedagogical psychology, or teacher' ability to detect students' mental states and accordingly adjust class activities, doesn't it?
"I always find it helpful to review what I learned". Thanks Chris, I thought for a moment there that you were going to say something vicious, like: Even though the class had already read the material, Aaron's monotonous presentation really helped to tranquilize the class, kind of like shooting a bear with a liquid version of the text... And yes, I am kind of bored this Sunday afternoon.
Actually reviewing is efficient when it is fun. So remembering is connected with pleasant emotions, which last longer. That is why having jokes and fun activities during revising is better than simply summarizing the reading. And activities can also focus on the most important things. This is my point of view.
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