The Operant Conditioning theory of B F Skinner, especially the positive feedback, has been prevalent in our school of language learning. An example of positive feedback that I have been using is called e-portfolio which involves four key elements, such as students work, efforts, achievements and self-reflection. This is purely student driven work with timely feedback by the teachers. The purpose of the e-portfolio is to boost students’ confidence by encouraging them to showcase their achievements in a conference which is attended by academic specialists, diagnostic assessment specialists, teachers and other students from lower levels. The key element is the self-reflection where students take a moment and reflect on their own learning strategies and subsequently make necessary adjustments for improvement. By sharing their stories, the students allow the teachers and academic specialists to provide materials that are tailored to the specific need of the students. The lower level students also benefit by learning strategies that will help them gain mastery of their learning. Students’ e-portfolios get evaluated and graded which counts toward their overall GPA. By providing positive feedback and encouragement for good behavior, the school reinforces the good behavior in students. It is also ties in with the notion of the self-fulfilling, in the beginning, a false definition of the situation evoking a new behavior which makes the original false conception come true. If you hold people to high standards they will live up to them, but if the expectation are low they will also live up to them. Hence, positive feedback can encourage people to live up to their true potentials.

Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968) studied self-fulfilling prophecy in a classroom: Pygmalion in the classroom. Teachers were allowed to overhear a conversation at the beginning of the year that identified 20 children in the class as ‘late developers’ about to ‘spurt’. The teachers believed this was based on an IQ test done, but it was random. At the end of the year, those 20 children did indeed have improved IQ scores, and continued to for 2 years.

The ‘prophecy’ came true because the teachers responded differently to them (more feedback etc).

[Image result for self fulfilling prophecy ppt]

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/200503/self-fulfilling-prophecies

The link below sheds further light on the use of e-portfolio.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh1s6cXxcYY