Chapter 9 Case Study

1. No; definitely not. The teacher was very negative towards the students creating an atmosphere of fear where the students didn't dare participate. In this class the students were unable to learn the ways which they learn best. If the teacher would have clarified this is a quiz I would like no notes to help you answer the environment would have been completely different. Because there was no instructions the students thought they could answer freely with or without notes. The first girl Miki may have really known the answer the teacher was asking but was either frightened or didn't know how to answer. With Robyn who was truly trying to learn in the class, she was completely ruined because of the rudeness and embarrassment the teacher put her through. How, if the students are scared and unable to learn in their best ways, are the students in a community of learners? No one is able to learn from each other because they don't know if they are right or wrong, and don't dare ask. How does the teacher give feedback that will help the students want to continue to learn? Being strict and organized may be needed at times but tearing a student down for trying is never acceptable. If they are wrong then politely help them to change their understandings to the correct way. Motivation here would also make the difference in a community of learners.

2. Presentation punishment because there was definite reduction of behavior from Robin. The situation was unpleasant and changed the way Robin learned or even wanted to learn about the war and the class as a whole. At the end it tells us she never took notes again in his class. Because she actually changed the way she learned and prepared for the class made this presentation punishment. Part of her behavior change made her unable to learn now. She had completely different motives to learn or even to try to learn from this teacher. She was hurt and sadly wounded from this teacher. This created a change in her behavior which ruined her learning experience.

3. Because Robin had just had a traumatic experience with her notes in the prior class that fact that Ms. Yamashita noticed and talked about Robins notes so closely to her incident made the feelings of fear and sadness come to surface again. This involuntary response happened because the two incidents were presented closely to the same time. Robin had no prior learning experience about how Mr. Kessinger would react to her notes, therefore creating a response. Robin had no control in this incident and encountered the stimulus to be a bad one. Robins emotions occur because of this stimulus and when Ms. Yamashita brought back the stimulus, even though it was positive, it brought back the same response to Robin. That response has been in some ways a trained response to the stimulus. Robins experience with note taking was a bad one which now created a reaction of sadness, fear, and anger.

4. Ms. Yamishita could quickly use reinforcements to meet the needs of Robin. For example Robin now has fear, sadness, and not feeling accepted. Ms. Yamishita can encourage her with positive reinforcement that the notes were good and meant she was being a good student who cared about her work. She could add things to the situation to bring out why the notes were good instead of bad. Providing pros to what note taking can do for a student. Recognizing these characteristics in front of the class and to Robin will help her realize that her efforts are good and not bad. Another strategy the teacher could apply is shaping not only Robin but the other students as well. Providing opportunities through assignments or class projects for students to create maps and a variety of notes can shape the students and especially Robin to have positive reactions that will develop her learning instead of negative ones. Through this strategy the teacher could create a antecedent stimulus. Then use behavioral momentum to increase the response for note taking outside of the classroom.