Ch. 9 and 10 Case Study

Ch. 9 Questions:
1. Does Mr. Kessinger's class represent a community of learners as defined in Ch. 7? Why or why not?
Mr. Kessinger's class does not represent a community of learners (and I would say more closely resembles a dictatorship.) A community of learners classroom is an environment where things like discussion, participation, mutual learning and peer review is present. Mr. Kessinger's class (based on the example given) does not really show any of these characteristic. The expectation of Kessinger even implies that learning is to take place at home and that the classroom is a place for review and recitation.
2. Does Mr. Kessinger utilize presentation punishment or removal punishment with Robin? Justify your response.
Mr. Kessingers reaction more closely resembles presentation punishment. That which is being presented is public criticism and scolding. Here he is not really taking away any privilege (from what I understand using notes never was an available privilege in that class.)
3. Explain Robin's reaction in Ms. Yamashita's class from the perspective of classical conditioning.
Based on the idea of classical conditioning, Robin reacted the way she did because in her mind the action of the instructor recognizing her use of a concept map was paired with a very negative reaction from the teacher. When Ms. Yamashita recognized the concept map Robin immediately thought back to the negative reaction of Mr. Kessiinger and thus acted the way she did.
4. How might Ms. Yamashita encourage Robin to create concept maps in the future? Include behavioral concepts such as shaping, reinforcement, etc., in your response.
Ms. Yamashita might use positive reinforcement such as pulling Robin aside to tell her that she has done well, praising her (as she has done, when she has Robins attention) or providing some sort of extra credit for using concept maps. This goes along with operant conditioning, which Ms. Yamashita could achieve through continued reinforcement each time she notices Robin's concept map. Because of Robin's bad experience getting her to use concept maps again may take more gradual persuasion. Ms. Yamashita might also congratulate Robin on similar actions such as note taking in class, or studying at home.
Ch. 10 Questions:
1. Which teacher in the scenario demonstrates vicarious reinforcement? Justify your response with an example from the case study.
Mr. Kessinger does not use vicarious reinforcement in his teaching of the three students he questions, he only accepts one answer, and even that goes without any kind of reinforcement. Ms. Yamashita gives reinforcement to Robin based on her concept map, this could then motivate others to do the same.
2. Is Mr. Kessinger considering reciprocal causation in his class? Explain your response, including all aspects of reciprocal causation in your reasoning.
Mr. Kessinger is not considering reciprocal causation. He fails to look at how environment, behavior and personal factors may be affecting one another. For example in saying that Mikki needs to study more carefully he is not recognizing any personal factors that may be at play. Rather than finding out why she is not able to give the correct answer he passes judgement. He also fails to recognize the pressure he (the environment) is putting on the situation. We also see this in the fact that Robin never took notes again (her behavior) because of the negative stimulus from him (environment).
3. Which self-regulated learning process is Robin engaging in when she creates her concept maps? Explain your reasoning.
Robin's concept maps best represent flexible use of learning strategies. Robin wants to be prepared for the questions that Mr. Kessinger will fire at her (that is her goal). So she develops a learning strategy she feels will best help her reach that goal (concept map).
4. How do you think Robin's self-efficacy has been affected by this experience. Be specific about which self-efficacies have been affected and justify your response with examples from the case study.
The effects on Robin's self-efficacy will likely be detrimental. Mr. Kessinger's scorn has not only made Robin feel inadequate about her current knowledge, it has also made her doubt her method of learning to achieve her goal. Based on the fact that She never took notes again, it is likely that her resilient self efficacy has been compromised. (the set-back, scorn from the teacher, has affected her belief that she can do better).