Section 4: Human Performance Technology

1.            I have used many non-instructional techniques to enhance student performance. Using an attendance chart is a good way to encourage students to come to school. If students are in school each day that week, they receive a silver star. When they have accrued 5 silver stars, they get a gold star. All the students talk about the stars and how many they have. Attendance improves and therefore should help student performance. After all, if they aren’t there, they can’t learn. I have also used many different forms of behavioral modifications programs. Passing out tickets for drawings at the end of the week has always been effective. I would randomly pass out tickets when students were following directions. The reward was always random. I had read that random positive reinforcement was a very strong reinforcer (see slot machines). Students who had collected more tickets during the week would have increased odds at winning a prize. This would give us a chance to learn about probability. After a while I would hear students saying things like “increasing my probability of winning.” and "my odds are increasing." They knew that more tickets meant a better chance of winning. It was a great way to get students to follow directions. It was kind of funny. I kept the tickets in my pocket, so after a while all I would have to do is put my hand in my pocket and the students would get on task. This really cut down on discipline issues.

Paperclip Guy!!

2.            Searching the internet for more information about electronic performance support systems, I found some different terms. One site used the terms e-learning, Process Embedded Learning, and the phrase “guided help.”  I like the phrase e-learning because that’s exactly what it is: electronic learning. EPSS, or e-learning, provides workers with tools and resources on demand. These are built into many applications that we use every day. For example, Microsoft word has a tutorial that will show me how to use all of its tools and features. I don’t have to call someone to learn how to set margins or change fonts.  I just call on that little paperclip guy who magically appears on the screen, or I could simply read the tutorial. To help out librarians, our library services department has a wiki page that will help you solve a myriad of problems from how to hook up a dvd player (there are illustrations and text to follow) to how to check out a book to a student. These were put in place so we could learn about them more efficiently when we need to learn about them. One thing I noticed that our text book does mention is that text and graphics are the most commonly used media types in these EPSSs. I think using more audio and visual tutorials might be effective, especially for those who learn better that way. This could contribute to EPSSs not being fully embraced. Another reason might be that people just prefer to be taught by a “teacher”. Whether it’s a one on one teaching situation, or it’s a traditional classroom situation, I think many prefer that mode of instruction to an electronic/media database of information. This maybe a digital native/digital immigrant thing, so as time goes by EPSSs will become the standard for training and on-going services. Those who have grown up with EPSSs will be accustomed to them, and this will be the norm.

Data, Data, Data!!

3.            On my campus, Edna Rowe Elementary, we are very concerned about our TAKS scores. It is ultimately how our school is judged.  Agree with it or not, this is the hand the state of Texas has dealt us. So…our students take district benchmark tests, and we test students formally and informally throughout the school year.  We also give our students TAKS tests from previous years. We do this to generate information and data on each student. We have meetings and look at all the data (tables, charts, etc.)to help us guide our instructional strategies. We are able to gauge which teaching strategies are effective and which are not. Small groups and after-school tutoring groups are determined from this data as well. We are able to make good decisions to guide and shape instruction if we have good data. Here’s the rub. Do we teach to the test? It is very tempting to do this, and I know some schools that operate this way. Their students pass that test, but is that really what we want to create: a bunch of test takers? Or...do we want students who can problem solve, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and think critically? By ensuring students have opportunities to do all of these things and by providing a standard of academic rigor, our students will have the best of both worlds. Yes, students have to practice bubbling in answers and need to see a practice TAKS test before they take the real one, but these should not dominate the curriculum. Students would be much better served if they are given opportunities to think critically and problem solve. These are the skills they will need throughout their lives to be successful.

Super Motivation For Learning!!

4.            “Informal learning gives learners more control of what, where, and how they learn and usually involves intrinsic motivation.” (Reiser & Dempsey, p.167) To me, this is the ideal learning situation. The motivation drives the learner to seek out and learn despite no clear cut direction showing him the way. It is simply a quest for knowledge. Lately, I have been spending a lot of time with iTunes, my iPad, and my iPhone. Most of what I have learned about these items has been learned by exploring, talking to friends, and reading blogs and forums. None of this learning has come from formal instruction (classroom setting, training program, etc.). I feel that because I am so motivated and interested in learning about these technologies, I don’t see this as work. It’s more like fun and play. This truly maximizes learning. In a classroom setting where motivation is high, students are much more likely to be engaged and eager to learn, and if students can take more control of their learning and feel connected to what they are learning, they will benefit all the more. They will be like me learning about my iPad and iPhone.

What A Class!!