Virtual Field Trip: Farming and Concept Map

In my urban classroom, there is a large disconnect between food and it's sourcing.  Many students associate the grocery store as the origination of the foods they buy, and have little to know background knowledge of how food is actually produced.  A virtual field trip to the farm is a great way to provide them with knowledge of where their food comes from, and all the time, effort, and work that goes into producing it.  In my lesson, the key question students were seeking to answer was "What is Farming?".  Using the virtual field trip provided by the 4H society, students had the opportunity to experience different types of farms, both agricultural and livestock.  Each farm had it's own unique vocabulary terms and specialty focus, providing students with audio and visual representations as well.  The concept map helped students concentrate essential information from the field trip to the overall category of farming.


Virtual Field Trip Link: 4H Virtual Farm Field Trip


Graphic Concept Map Link: Virtual Field Trip Concept Map

Behaviorist Theory in the 21st Century Classroom

Behaviorism is the idea that students will exhibit measurable and observable behaviors in response to various classroom stimuli (Orey, 2010).  As it pertains to behaviorism, new digital resources and tech devices can affect student motivation and enhance homework efficiency positively.  

A behavioral strategy that plays into student success is the concept of reinforcing effort. "Reinforcing effort enhances students' understanding of the relationship between effort and achievement by addressing their attitudes and beliefs about learning" (Pitler et al., 2012, p. 57).  If we want students to strive for success, we must utilize systems and methods that validate their effort, not necessarily the results.  Intrinsic motivation is the gold standard for student-driven achievement, but as is the nature in education, we need to "teach" this skill.  In planning, as we lay out lesson-specific learning outcomes for students that are visual and prominent, we are exhibiting behaviorism theory.  The scholarly source I found this week proclaimed that the specific verbiage and details outlined in learning outcomes affect the student's reactions and behaviors (Murtonen et al., 2017).  This shows that behaviorism in the 21st century as it relates to instruction is not all in the tactics and management styles of the educator, but the planning and presentation as well.

As it relates to the non-academic behaviors of the classroom, behavior theory is still critical in maintaining a safe and productive learning environment.  In the popular source I found this week, Teachable Moments (2017) had several suggestions for a focused technology implementation of behaviorist theory in the classroom.  Tips such as setting clear guidelines for acceptable times to use technology, parameters of appropriate web activity, and using tech in purposeful ways are all strategies to incorporate in the classroom.  The blog I found this week echoes this proposal.  Whereas traditional behaviorism would help students with memorization and repetition in the past, 21st-century behaviorism should focus more on logistics and creation through technology (History with Mr. J, 2016)

As Dr. Orey (Laureate Education, 2015) states, behaviorism is "ubiquitous" in online learning.  B.F. Skinner, who founded behavioral theory, explained that behaviorism revolves around two reactions to behaviors; positive reinforcement or punishment (Winokur, 1971).  Through online tutorials and gamification of a myriad of academic tasks and concepts, students can virtually receive instant positive reinforcement through the use of badges, certificates, or "level-ups" in digital platforms.  Sites such as IXL or Prodigy reward students who are working on remedial concepts or repetitive exposure to a subject with these validations for correct responses.  If answers are incorrect, the programming will re-explain the problem, and provide additional help so that the student has the chance to solve the problem correctly the next time it comes around.  While technology should not be used solely for remediation purposes, it augments the experience for students that need the most exposure to these skills.  

An argument against behaviorism from various educational psychologists and experts is that the theory is "outdated."  I think a clear distinction that needs to be made is the difference between what is theorized, and the practices implemented in theory.   Behaviorism is a force in modern education and enhanced through technology in the realm of positive reinforcement and correction of misconceptions.  This practice, however, can still be used ineffectively if not handled intentionally.  As Dr. Orey (Laureate Education, 2015) described, during the No Child Left Behind Act, the tendency was for the lowest-achieving students in a school to receive the most access to technology to be used for remediation purposes.  However, when technology is used to enrich content or promote creative endeavors, it is much more valuable in regards to the behavioral theory.  

In my own classroom, I incorporate the elements of behaviorism relating to boundaries of technology usage.  I teach 2nd grade, so I want to develop my student's digital literacy skills and good habits early on so they can benefit from the results for the continuation of their education.  I make sure to reiterate the times it is acceptable to use technology in the classroom, and the websites/resources that are approved to be used.  Monitoring student access online and the efficacy of the resources used aligns with ISTE Standard 3: the Citizen.  Under this standard, I help to provide students with safe and ethical online experiences, mentor appropriate digital practices, and model proper portrayals of personal data/digital identity online (ISTE, 2016a).  An area I would like to improve upon as it relates to 21st-century behaviorism and technology in the classroom is the use of technology in creative and meaningful ways.  While students enjoy engaging in the online game resources that practice repetitive skills, I do not want this to be the bulk over their digital experience.  Inclusion of group projects, digital depictions of knowledge acquired, and resources that deepen the learning more than physical manipulatives can adhere to ISTE educator standard 5: the Designer (ISTE, 2016a).  

More importantly, students benefit from having these practices in place.  Students would align with ISTE Student standards 2: Digital Citizen, 4: Innovative Designer, and 6: Creative Communicator (ISTE, 2016b).  Incorporating any worthwhile educational theory should have a positive effect on student success and achievement at an individual level. 

A key aspect to seeing all of these standards/goals come to fruition is to keep pedagogical learning at the forefront of planning, before finding the tech resource that will be the best fit (Moorehead, 2014).  I will use this strategy when implementing my lesson in conjunction with the Hour of Code in the coming weeks with students.  I want to be very clear with my learning outcome for students before I choose the Hour of Code program that helps meet that outcome best.  I will use the research and applicative tips from my scholarly and popular source articles in the lesson's planning portion.  Intentionality is vital for student success, and the implementation of behaviorist theory in 21st-century education.  

References

History with Mr. J. (2016, November 13). Behaviorism in the 21st-Century Classroom. Historywithmrj.https://historywithmrj.wordpress.com/2016/11/13/behaviorism-in-the-21st-century-classroom/

ISTE Standards for Educators | ISTE. (2016a). https://www.iste.org/standards/for-educators

ISTE Standards for Students | ISTE. (2016b). https://www.iste.org/standards/for-students

Laureate Education (Producer). (2015). Behaviorist learning theory [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Moorhead, L. (2014, September 3). There’s no app for good teaching. Retrieved from http://ideas.ted.com/theres-no-app-for-good-teaching/

Murtonen, M., Gruber, H., & Lehtinen, E. (2017). The return of behaviourist epistemology: A review of learning outcomes studies. Educational Research Review, 22, 114–128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2017.08.001

Orey, M. (Ed.). (2010). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://textbookequity.org/Textbooks/Orey_Emergin_Perspectives_Learning.pdf

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E. R., & Kuhn, M. (2012). Using technology with classroom instruction that works (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Teachable Moments. (2017, December 9). Behaviorism in the 21st Century Classroom. https://teachablemoments2017.wordpress.com/2017/12/09/behaviorism-in-the-21st-century-classroom/

Winokur, S. (1971). SKINNER’S THEORY OF BEHAVIOR AN EXAMINATION OF B. F. SKINNER’S CONTINGENCIES OF REINFORCEMENT: A THEORETICAL ANALYSIS1. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 15(2), 253–259. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1971.15-253