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Case Study 1
Heba Said

Behaviorism

2Case

Description:

3Mrs. G is a kindergarten teacher in Boone elementary school. Boone is a public school which
4serve students from kindergarten to fourth grade. Most students are coming from low income
5families and low education parents. Most parents are in welfare program. The whole school is
6labeled as Title 1 School. Mrs. G is struggling with rules and change in state standards every
7year. She works with social worker in the school every year to help her students to move to first
8grade. As a result none of her students has to stay in kindergarten for the next year. Social worker
9works with parents to keep perfect attendance, connect, and communicate with teacher. Social
10worker makes home visits and meeting at school. This takes long time to enroll and close the
11case. This is Mrs. G ninth year in the same classroom. She prepared well developed environment
12and classroom management for students success. She has a limit with number of students she
13refer to social worker and speech. Every time she want to refer a student to the social worker, she
14has to close one case before she start the new refer. This week she got a new student in her
15classroom. J is a girl who diagnosis with mental and learning problems and she live in foster
16home. Mrs. G cant give J one to one attention with all other 17 students in the classroom. To
17refer her to social worker and special education, she has to close one case. All students with
18cases are not ready to be discharged. What Mrs. G has to do? The school administration office
19put this girl in her classroom so she is forced to close cases and open new ones. Opening new
20cases are hard for both her and the social worker. Mrs. G is stress out and doesnt know what to
21do. When she complain to the principal, the principal said You are the best teacher in the
22kindergarten team. I know you can handle it. You are the only one who can help this poor
23student

Case Study 1
Heba Said

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25Reflective
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Questions:
What will happen if Mrs. G did not close one of her old cases?
What type of reward Mrs. G got as result of good behavior?
Does Mrs. G got reward as she is the best teacher in the kindergarten team
Does Mrs. G get paid more than other kindergarten teacher in the same school?
What is the consequence of desired performance of Mrs. G?
Mager & Pipe provided some questions:
What is the consequence of performing?
Is it punishing to perform as expected?
Would the persons world become dimmer by doing it the expected way? (P, 59)

35Driscoll noted that behaviour principles are useful for managing learning and behavior within
36instructional settings such as classrooms, individualized instruction, and on-the-job training (p,
3757). Driscoll concluded that behavior is more likely to reoccur if it has been rewarded or
38reinforced (P, 35). He also explained Positive reinforcement refers to the presentation of a
39reinforcer (satisfying stimulus) contingent upon a response that results in the strengthening of
40that response (p, 37). When we look to Mrs. G case, she did not get rewards every time she
41close a case. She gets a new case to open and show well performance in teaching the new
42student. Every time she close a case she has to open a new one. This is not a reward it is look like
43punishment. This type of action will led to negative reinforcement. Driscoll explain negative
44reinforcement as Strengthens a response through the removal of aversive stimulus contingent
45upon that response (p, 39). When Mrs. G works in school for nine years and she showed well
46behavior and performance that help in calling her the best teacher in school. This is positive
47reward that help her to work with students to improve their learning skills. But when we think
48about she is the best teacher and as result she will get a students with more complication to make
49her every day miserable in the classroom. This situation will make Mrs. G life and world
50dimmer. She may think why she should work hard with student? Other teachers did not get

Case Study 1
Heba Said

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51punishment as result of not working hard with students. This situation may help Mrs. G to quit
52her job or reinforce negative behavior. I think there are two ways to solve this problem:
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1. Because Mrs. G is the best teacher in kindergarten classroom, the principal

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should take a student who Mrs. G just started with him and move him to another

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class to encourage other teacher to be the best teacher. Then J can be in Mrs. G

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class. All teacher will be working hard to have the reward The best teacher for

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the year
2. J can be enroll in another kindergarten classroom and Mrs. G can help the other

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teacher to work in J case. That will build and reinforce teaching behavior among

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kindergarten teachers and they will be challenged as the same as Mrs. G.

61Mrs. G can have another job as team coach to help other teachers improve their teaching
62behavior. She can be team coordinator for leading teachers who working with low students.
63 Principal can build a program that help paying extra for active teachers who show improvement
64in their students learning. It is not only about money but it can be a program which recognize
65teacher with small gift at the end of the school year.
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67References:
68Driscoll, M (2005) Psychology of learning for instruction. (3rd ed) Boston, MA. Pearson
69Education Inc.
70Mager, R. F & Pipe, P (199. Analyzing performance problems. Or you really oughta wanna. 3rd
71Ed Atlanta, GA. The Center for Effective Performance, Inc.