Week 7 - Reflection

As I was reading Chapter 14, I couldn’t help but think about HPI in relation to my students and myself. I teach a broad range of students who produce an output that covers most levels of achievement from very low to the very high. The "Human Performance Improvement" for my students can vary a great deal from one day to the next. Tapping my HPI can be dependent on many variables–who I am teaching, what I am teaching, and how many different ways I have attempted to help students achieve the desired objectives.
I found the fact that Thomas Gilbert was a student of B.F. Skinner. I am currently teaching psychology and extremely enjoy teaching the different theories of psychology–especially behaviorism.
I believe Gilbert’s Behavior Engineering model could be useful in designing lesson plans because it is important to understand what the environment is and what the individual is capable of. For me, this model is similar lesson planning–both include objectives, resources, knowledge, and incentives. The model could easily be adapted to help design a unit or lesson.
The HPT model on page 141 could also be useful in designing units or curriculum. I believe this model has the ability to cover a broader scope that Gilbert’s model. For instance, I can see the staff at my school using a model such as this to help us outline a safe learning environment in our school. We have looked at all of these areas throughout the school year. Sometimes, some of the steps seem to be decided after the fact–incentives. This design may help us to create an appropriate plan up-front. I can also see this model being used by individual teachers for lessons or units. I find it important to reflect on my teaching to determine what works and what doesn’t. This is helpful if I teach the same unit again or utilize the same technique for another lesson–if need be I can tweek specific points of lessons/units.
I like to use different forms for presenting the same information and have students compare what they have found out. "Podcast for Teachers" is another one that I chose. I liked this podcast because it has a variety of tips for technology that I find useful. The last podcast I chose is the "American Writers.com - Creative Writing Podcast." I find this podcast may be use to use when working with my students on writing projects–some of these topics can help inspire my students to think about writing in from different perspectives and in different ways. It also helps for them to hear what I tell them being reiterated by someone else.
I believe that podcasts can be very useful in an educational setting. My students could either utilize podcasts on an individual level, or I could use a podcast for the whole group depending on what the lesson is trying to achieve. I also like the idea, if technology is available, for students to work cooperatively in creating a podcast as a group project. I think many of my students step up to the plate in accountability when they know their assignment will be put on the internet for others to view or listen to.