While reading Chapter 14 I really enjoyed Figure 14.1 that laid out Gilbert’s Behavior Engineering Model simply and effectively. It allowed me to really grasp what the chapter was driving at with Human Performance Improvement/Human Performance Technology. Since I work in a normal office building (I haven’t had the good fortune to be in a classroom yet!), I found that this model really spoke to me and I was able to relate in several ways. Currently, I am a Quality Lead who works with around thirty specialists on their customer service skills and adherence to company and team policies and procedures. I spend my time evaluating phone calls and providing feedback in one-on-one sessions with the specialists.
Going through each cell in Gilbert’s model, I am directly relating to our team’s meetings from the beginning of the year where we were (and still are!) deciding what is expected of our specialists to become “experts” in their field and what was expected of us to help them achieve their goals. We also needed to understand what tools the specialists needed to reach these expectations (whether they were training documents, the proper access to software programs, etc) – the Quality team is still struggling with outdated software of our own, so we are using this as an opportunity to approach our leadership about our needs. Moving to Cell 3 we are still trying to come up with new and effective ways to reward and recognize the specialists for a job well done. Cell 4 focuses both on the specialists on the floor and the Quality team, since we are constantly needed to stay up to date on current trainings and process changes. Cell 5 gives the Quality team the opportunity to provide feedback to the specialist’s leadership in hopes to further their career and make sure they are in the best position for their skills. Understanding a specialist’s motives makes the reward/recognition piece a little easier to understand for Cell 6.
I believe that this type of thinking would help teachers and students understand their interwoven roles and what they can expect from each other. I think Cell 6 is very important, because a teacher needs to understand what motivates their students and how to reach them better throughout the school year. If they are more interested in one-on-one time with the teacher, perhaps there would be more time made available for that particular student to have that time. Or if having their name on the board with a gold star means more to another student, perhaps that process could be used for the entire class in hopes to motivate multiple students.
For the second part of this week’s reflection, I found a podcast on iTunes by searching “middle school education” and playing with some different options before coming across “Savvy Science.” I was unable to find a website for this particular podcast, but it was published on iTunes by Harrison Middle School in Arkansas. This podcast had actual students conducting and explaining science projects, and where they can be found in real life. One example was students teaching the viewer how to make a lava lamp with oil and water. I think this was a useful podcast because it had the students really think through their experiments and understand the science behind it; my father always told me was the only way to ensure I knew or understood something was to be able to teach someone else.
I think podcasts can be useful in classrooms if the material is relevant to the lesson or if the students are able to share their material with other classes through this medium. Personally, I think a lot of podcasts are made by people who like to hear themselves talk – but looking through the educational podcasts, I see that they are useful in teaching various subjects a little easier than using a text alone.
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