a portrait of the student as a young wolf using canine/lupine behavior models to increase classroom...
TRANSCRIPT
A Portrait of the Student as a Young Wolf
Using Canine/LupineBehavior Models to Increase Classroom Motivation
“Wisdom begins in wonder.” --Socrates
I wonder what’s for dinner.
The Ideal Student
The Actual student
If dogs, why not students?
Dogs and students (or teachers)
Parents’ weekend
Cheerleading tryouts
Sorority sister
Frat brother
Humans and wolves (and house-wolves such as Gwyn)
• Distance runners• omnivores• hierarchical social
structure• group hunters• fluent in body
language• readily motivated
Both want reward: tangible and intangible
:
Neither is inherently reinforced by formal education
“You want it so badly? You pick up the stupid thing.”
Game 1: Motivate the student
Our student: friendly, articulate, and willing to perform manageable tasks.
Motivation
Reinforcement:
Positive
Negative
no reward marker
Play/prey drive
Status
Reinforcement
Anything that, occurring in conjunction with an act, tends to increase the probability that the act will occur again.
Good ReinforcersImmediate
(“YES!!” “NO!” “TOUCHDOWN!!”)
timing is information
Focused
Something the student wants….
…. or wants to avoid
You would do almost anything for a million dollars. Would Gwyn?
Important note: Reinforcers are relative!
Think about it. Gwyn would do almost anything for a piece of raw
liver. Would you?
Poor Reinforcers
• Overly deferred (grades)• Unfocused (given for vague tasks)• Unwanted rewards• Nagging and scolding (if it doesn’t
stop immediately when the behavior changes, it’s nothing more than noise)
Reinforcers
• Positive reinforcer
• Negative reinforcer
• No-reward marker
Positive Reinforcement:
“What you are doing now is good, and will gain you something, so do it some more.”
Positive Reinforcement: advantages
• Highly motivational
• Shapes precise behavior
Positive Reinforcement: disadvantages
• Can lose impact quickly
• Can focus student on reward rather than task
“Mom, I am not a billionaire! A billion is like a thousand million; I’m worth a hundred million. A hundred million is just a hundred million.”
Positive Reinforcement: overcoming disadvantages
• Conditioned reinforcer
• Variable schedule
• Jackpotting
Conditioned Reinforcer
– Instant--focuses on specific behavior– Promotes long-term work (“keep going”;
“you’re getting there”; e.g., people work endlessly for money, a conditioned reinforcer for things money can buy)
– ALWAYS leads to tangible reward– Must be reserved for “real” task--a specific,
realizable goal
Gwyn’s CR Game Part 1
• Find the glove!
Variable Reinforcer: think slot machines (or cartoons)
• Constant reinforcement only for learning stages
• encourages improvement
• longer schedule, more powerful motivator
• exception: puzzle or test, which must be rewarded each time
“Oh, good Lord. Let him have the damned cookie.”
Jackpot• earned and unearned• can be used to mark a
sudden breakthrough, or
• to motivate an unwilling, fearful, or resistant subject
Aversives• “Natural” aversives
• Negative reinforcers
• Punishment
“Natural” aversives
• Product of “natural” distaste or social conditioning
• Must be overcome (using whatever creative measures are necessary) before progress can be made
Negative Reinforcement
“What you are doing is not good, and something bad will happen unless you stop.”
“Mind if I turn my hearing aid down?”
Negative Reinforcement
• Based on student control--can be halted or avoided by changing behavior
• Linked to clear, specific task
• Stops immediately when new behavior begins
Results of Negative Reinforcement
• Student confidence
• Self-motivation
Punishment: too much, too late
• Based on student weakness--change in behavior will not affect outcome
• Based on student confusion--no idea of how to escape the punishment
Fight
Total Submission
No-reward marker• “That will not be
reinforced”; “Save your strength”; “That’s a blind alley”
• Neutral--no aversive
• Informative
Game 2: Train the dog
We need 4 volunteers
Behavior shaping: performance without pain
• Single large goal broken into a series of feasible intermediate tasks (no one can write a book)
• Each specific task is selectively reinforced
• Reduction in repetition• Increase in quality
Shaping the scent retrieve
• 1.Dog holds forefinger unwillingly• 2.Dog holds forefinger willingly• 3.Dog opens mouth for forefinger• 4.Dog reaches for forefinger• 5.Dog holds paper roll• 6.Dog reaches for paper roll• 7.Dog picks up paper roll• 8.Dog holds dumbbell• 9.Dog reaches for dumbbell• 10.Dog picks up dumbbell from 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 feet• 11.Dog retrieves dumbbell next to unscented
anchored leather article• 12.Dog holds leather article• 13. If averse to leather, desensitize• 14.Dog reaches for leather article• 15.Dog picks up leather article• 16.Dog picks up leather article from 2, 4, 6, 10, 12
feet• 17.Dog retrieves leather article next to unscented
leather article • 18.Dog holds metal article• 19.Dog reaches for metal article
• 20.Dog picks up metal article from 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 feet
• 21. If averse to metal, desensitize• 22.Dog retrieves metal article next to unscented
anchored metal article• 23.Dog retrieves leather article next to
unscented anchored metal and leather article• 24.Next to unscented anchored leather and two
unscented metal• 25.Dog retrieves metal article next to unscented
anchored metal and leather article• 26.Dog retrieves metal article next to unscented
anchored metal and two unscented leather• 27.Dog retrieves metal article next to gradually
increasing combinations of anchored unscented metal and leather up to 10 unscented articles
• 28.Gradual removal of anchors--if dog retrieves unscented article, repeat steps 19 to 24 as needed
• 29.Introduction of “cold” vs. “hot” scent• 30.Introduction of foreign scent• 31.Dog does scent retrieve in distracting areas
Self-reinforcement
I suppose it should be
enough that I heard it…
Prey drive
• The “Aha!” moment
• “Killing” a problem
• Following movement
• Physical activity
Status• Most powerful
motivator--stronger than food or sex drives
• Linked to tangible rewards and prey drive
“Getting USDA approval means a lot to you, doesn’t it?”
Game 4: Beat the Dog
Winners of game 2 vs. Gwyn
“You feeling lucky, punk? Go ahead…make my day.”
The Pack and Pack Dynamics
Pack hierarchy
The Alpha Wolf (or student)
• assumes leadership (or may challenge existing leadership)
• makes rules (or tries to get around existing rules)
• gives orders (or subverts them)
• takes chances
• learns and innovates
• has most rewards
• is most stressed
As goes the alpha, so goes the pack.Control the alpha, and you control the
pack.As go the alphas, so goes your class.Control your alphas, and you control
your class.
Note: Alpha identification is essential to effective teaching!
The Beta Wolf
• good follower• takes direction• obeys rules• avoids risks• memorizes • fewer rewards• less stress
The Omega Wolf
• bottom dog in pack• outcast• often attacked by
other pack members when they’re uncertain of their own status
• only reward is pack association (quintessential groupie)
Searching for Your Alphas
Search Strategies
1. bone/magic pen
2. games (which can separate alpha from mere extroversion)
3. relative space/seating (two sides in front, rear center)
4. body language
5. eye contact
Alpha Multiplication
The Well-run Pack in the Home
Multiple beta system designed to promote peace
A Peaceful Pack
Darby-Super Alpha
Gwyn-Alpha F
Solo-Young Alpha M
Gwynedd-Beta F
WYSIWYG-Delta F
Morgan-Puppy F
A Winning Pack
AlphaM
AlphaM
AlphaF
AlphaM
AlphaF
SuperAlpha
The well-run pack in the classroom
Traditional methods (lecture) designed to produce multiple betas
Teaching the Pack model:the lecture mode
• Maintains order• Effective for
transmitting facts• Produces stasis• Rewards followers,
memorizers, risk-avoiders
• Directed toward comfort of all
• Only one Alpha
Beta Beta Beta Beta BetaBeta Beta Beta Beta Beta Beta
Beta Beta Beta Omega Beta BetaDelta Beta Beta Beta Beta Beta Beta
Beta Omega Beta Omega Beta Beta BetaDelta Delta Beta Beta Beta Beta Beta Delta
Alpha
The multiple Alpha model:peer learning
• Challenges • Motivates• Excites• Encourages critical
thinking• Encourages
original ideas• Uncomfortable• Multiple Alphas
Alpha Instructor
Alpha BetaDeltaOmega
Alpha BetaDeltaOmega
Alpha BetaDeltaOmega
Alpha BetaDeltaOmega
Alpha BetaDeltaOmega
Alpha BetaDeltaOmega
Using Multiple Alpha Status in the classroom
• Alpha squares
• Alpha circles
• Leader of the pack
Alpha Squares• Basis of the peer
learning idea.• Students form groups
of 2-4, shifting the alpha pattern, reshuffling the pack
• Individual strengths emerge
• Students get taste of alpha-hood
Alpha Instructor
AlphaBeta AlphaBeta
BetaBetaBetaBeta
OmegaOmega DeltaDelta
AlphaAlphaAlphaAlpha
BetaBetaAlphaBeta
Alpha Beta
Delta Omega
The Alpha Circle
• Circle shifts Alpha role from minute to minute
• High initial stress, resistance
A
Leader of the pack
• Traditional oral presentation; lecture format
• not stressful when used after successful trial alpha runs with alpha squares and circles
Recap: Using canine behavior models to motivate students
• Positive reinforcement• NO punishment--ever• Negative reinforcement--think student control• Behavior Shaping—know what you’re shaping
and why• Play/prey drive: competitive (including self-
competitive) games; “killing” the problem• Status: bringing out the alpha in your students
The End: Good audience! So clever!! Good work!!!
“I understand the Everest climb used to be quite a chore.”
Selected Bibliography• Benjamin, Carol Lea. Mother Knows
Best: The Natural Way to Train Your Dog. New York: Howell, 1985.
• Chance, Paul. First Course in Applied Behavior Analysis. Pacific Grove CA: Brooks/Cole, 1998.
• Galvin, Kathleen M. and Pamela J. Cooper. The Basics of Speech. NTC/Contemporary, 2001
• Smith, Karl A. et al. Cooperative Learning : Increasing College Faculty Instructional Productivity. Wiley: 1992
• Lewis, Janet R. Smart Trainers; Brilliant Dogs. Lutherville MD: Canine Sports Productions, 1997.
• Pryor, Karen. Don’t Shoot the Dog! The New Art of Teaching and Training. New York: Bantam, 1999.
• Walvoord, Barbara et al. Effective Grading. Jossey-Bass, 1998. "Every teacher should have been an animal trainer
at some time in his career, because when the animal doesn't do the trick, you don't blame the
animal!"--Jean Piaget
A Portrait of the Student as a Young Wolf
Using Canine/Lupine
Behavior Models to Increase
Classroom Motivation
“A dog has the soul of a
philosopher.” --Plato