As some of you know, I have an adorable puppy named Roca. She is a shepherd crossed with a husky (we think). We know for sure she is a german shepherd but we aren't positive on what she is crossed with because we adopted her. Her mother was rescued from a reserve up north. Anyways... As I'm training her and learning, I've noticed that in many ways, training a dog is like teaching a student.
Now you may be wondering, HOW?! I've noticed this in many ways: positive reinforcement, body language, time and effort, perseverance, and also by what you teach them but also by what you don't teach them. Now what I mean by the last point "by what you don't teach them," is very similar to students (also known as the null curriculum). For example, if Roca jumps up on us and we don't scold her or tell her "no," she sees that as an okay thing to do. Related to the classroom, if our students are talking inappropriately or bullying, and we as teachers walk by and ignore it, these students think it's okay. Sometimes to kids, ignoring = approval. Maybe kids feel like if we disagree we will talk to them and if we don't say anything then we must agree. I think sometimes we think if we ignore it that the problem will go away but that isn't the case.
Dogs understand body language just like students do. I have hand signals for Roca for when I want her to sit, roll over, lay down and shake a paw. I feel that our body language is crucial in how we respond and react to our students. For example, if our student asks us a question and we don't look at the student because we are too busy paying attention to our computer screen and simply mumble an answer to our student, how do you think that makes our student feel? Unimportant? Pushed aside?
Dogs take lots of time, effort and perseverance just as students do. Sometimes I've felt hopeless with Roca and felt like giving up when teaching her to roll over, but I've persevered and pushed through it and now I have succeeded! We need to remember this as teachers. Sometimes we may feel discouraged or helpless but we need to persevere through it and keep going.
Dogs and students both need positive reinforcement rather than negative reinforcement. What happens if you are training a dog, they aren't doing what you want them to do, so you yell or get mad? The dog would probably get confused or frustrated and not listen to you. Students will do this too. Kids are very smart and can see when you are getting frustrated. As teachers we need to remember to stay calm and stick to positive reinforcement. Every time Roca does something good (like whines at the door to go out or lays down while we are eating supper) we ALWAYS say "good girl!!" Just as dogs need to know when they are doing something right, our students do too! When a student is rewarded for doing something positive, both them and others will continue or strive to do more things positive to get attention or recognition. Students love attention, so if a student is acting out, maybe they are craving attention and they feel that is their only way of getting it!
These are all just my personal thoughts and views. Feel free to express your views or if you agree or disagree with my points. Do you have a dog and feel that you can relate to my post? Let me know! :)
