I thought I would write about how my new "assignment
completion" system has been working with Ty these past couple weeks and
what I have learned about myself and implementation of this system.
One assignment I tried focusing on as much as possible last
week with Ty was a handwriting assignment. All she had to do was copy down some
sentences that the teacher wrote on the board and discussed/ formed with the
whole class. I noticed that Ty becomes distracted the most during this type of
whole group instruction because it requires her to work on her own, at her own
pace, address her attention to her own paper and handwriting and then back to
the board…there is just a lot going on for a girl who already has difficulty
staying on task. So, I sat right next to Ty in my own chair and began to help
her. I reminded her that if she copied something down, I would give her a check
mark for trying. But, if she copied just as it was on the board and did her
very best, I would give her a smiley face. She seems to respond positively to
this system because it is immediate and gives instant gratification and
recognition for her work.
I have been using a
purple pen because, one, purple is her favorite color, and two, it is almost
like getting a grade from a teacher and is something different from her pencil.
She receives POSITIVE feedback from an authority figure, seeking approval and
aiming to please. Although I want her to do her best because SHE wants to do
her best and please herself, I think she needs this type of outward approval
from an adult figure in her life. I honestly don’t know if she receives this
type of attention at home or not but I think she is enjoying it in the
classroom (especially positive, not focusing on what she’s doing wrong).
Anyway, while Ty copied down some of the words, I would put
a check mark or smiley face after each word she wrote, focusing on very small
aspects of the assignment and encouraging her to take it one step at a time. I
would also give Ty the chance to re-do her work if it was wrong or wasn’t her
best, while still remaining positive. For instance, if she miswrote the word “have”,
or didn’t make the stem of the “h” go all the way to the top line, I would reassure
her efforts by saying, “oh, so close! You’re doing great and that is how you
spell that word but a lowercase h looks like this. Would you like to try?” Most
of the time, she would be very engaged and respond with an enthusiastic, “Sure!”,
then trying again. When she wrote it right or fixed her mistakes, I would use a
verbal praise (“That looks much better! Very neat handwriting!”) and then place
a smiley face over the word or correction.
Although we didn’t finish the complete assignment and get a
chance to copy down all of the sentences, we did make it to the back of the
paper which is the farthest I have ever seen her write correctly before. There
were some marks and erasing involved but you could tell she was proud of her
work and that it took more effort than what she was used to exerting during the
handwriting assignment.
Reflecting on this experience, I realized that I should have
given her a sticker or some type of reward (maybe sit with me at lunch) for her
hard work. But, the goal of me working with her was to encourage her to just
simply finish an assignment and this one was much larger than what she is used
to completing. Also, since I encouraged her to correct her mistakes and
constantly monitor her progress, it took us more time than it would’ve if she
had just wrote the way she wanted (i.e., with mistakes). So, I am still a
little unclear about the best way to reinforce this behavior in a positive way.
Additionally, that assignment for that day was, what I consider, overall
successful but I was not consistent with her the next few days due to testing
other students, teaching, or her being absent. I realize for this type of system
to work, there needs to be:
1)
Clear expectations (and she should repeat them
so I know she understands them)
2)
Consistency (to back up the expectations and
create the positive habit)
3)
Effective reward system that is unique to her
needs and wants to develop internal motivation
No comments:
Post a Comment