Chapter 6 Response to: Reinforcement and Learning

by April

I have to agree with you regarding the reward system. I don't think it can be used for very long without it losing it's effectiveness. I had a child that we tried to give a small piece of candy at the end of the day if he'd gotten through the day without hurting another child. For a week, it was a very effective technique. After that, the candy lost its appeal. What this did show me is that he had the power to control his behavior, which gave me more motivation to find a technique that would work in the long term. I think if I had known about the self-management strategies, a similar technique would have possibly worked with him. Unfortunately I didn't actually have any information about possible strategies to use. I only had what I could come up with in my own mind. The other thing I think you mentioned in your response to me was the response of the mother in regards to changing the reward all the time for the boy you worked with. I don't remember if it was in this chapter or in the articles I read for SpEd but somewhere it pointed out the importance of the parent's commitment to helping their child and that often means learning new parenting techniques. There are usually a lot of factors at work, affecting a family's willingness (or unwillingness) to look at their own responsibilities in regards to their child's behavior. We, as educators, need to be ready to provide resources to help parents but also we need to be sensitive to the internal struggles parents have regarding their children's behavior.

I like how you explained self-management skills in terms of the way they help you study and get through a program as intense as this one is. You pointed out a few great things that should be taught, not left to chance. We can and should teach out students to set goals, to prioritize, to assess, to "check things off," and more. I remember my freshman year of college we were required to attend a seminar on time management. At the time I thought, "We're in college, who at this point doesn't have time management skills?" Well, I was surprised to find out that most students didn't have time management skills. Obviously it comes easier for some than others to manage "self," but I do think it can be taught and it seems that schools are failing students in this area.