As I discussed earlier, we all find quick de-stress when procrastination, while that increases procrastination and de-empowers us in systems such as education.
I'd like to consider this question of procrastination further, seeing procrastination not only a question of stress, but also about a lifestyle choice, even a question about habits.
Start here with Judson Brewer's TED video:
All habits are reinforced through "trigger, reward, repeat." Procrastination is like that -- we feel stressed, we reward by avoiding that stress, deceive our last-minute half-effort learning, and repeat. It's that deception that fails us in learning. I've learned that students who survive in community college and into university follow the very same reinforcement, but where "trigger, reward, repeat" builds strength and additional resources for learning success, both intrinsic rewards knowing that we strengthening cognitive bridge in dopamine. When we go through a cycle of minor successes -- such as completing homework, or advancing writing stages -- our brain rewards itself.
On the other hand, I see students stumbling with community college using the same reinforcement where ultimately the stress and lower esteem results in withdraw. It's ok to fail occasionally and we all fail sometimes. But with lost in the bad habit of procrastination, we experience loss and alienation.
Brewer recommends to substitute the reinforcement with positive rewards.
I'd like to consider this question of procrastination further, seeing procrastination not only a question of stress, but also about a lifestyle choice, even a question about habits.
Start here with Judson Brewer's TED video:
All habits are reinforced through "trigger, reward, repeat." Procrastination is like that -- we feel stressed, we reward by avoiding that stress, deceive our last-minute half-effort learning, and repeat. It's that deception that fails us in learning. I've learned that students who survive in community college and into university follow the very same reinforcement, but where "trigger, reward, repeat" builds strength and additional resources for learning success, both intrinsic rewards knowing that we strengthening cognitive bridge in dopamine. When we go through a cycle of minor successes -- such as completing homework, or advancing writing stages -- our brain rewards itself.
On the other hand, I see students stumbling with community college using the same reinforcement where ultimately the stress and lower esteem results in withdraw. It's ok to fail occasionally and we all fail sometimes. But with lost in the bad habit of procrastination, we experience loss and alienation.
Brewer recommends to substitute the reinforcement with positive rewards.
- Don't force it. Forcing your intellectual experience will bring negative relationships both mentally and physical.
- Focus on curiosity. Ask yourself to describe your procrastination. Even write about your curiosity. Move to self-aware.
- Be mindful. Be aware of your past, present, and future and your identity. How has you made in the past (your goals), your present body (what you can and what resources you have), and your future body (where you have changed and expect more change).
- Metacognition. Reflect, learn about your own learning, to observe how changing positive and negative. Again, I recommend writing in metacognition.
Student Learning Involvement
- Follow a two-week journal with brief observations of routines -- notes your time, place, and other environmentals (including mentioning other people) that relate to your college work. Consider how you feel during these routines. This includes positive routines, and negative routines that reinforce procrastination.
- After your two-week journal, write (including options of video, creating lyrics or poetry) about your mindfulness. Consider how your mindfulness changes your behavior. Share this with other students and even with professors.
Professor Learning Involvement
- We need to reconsider the reinforcement cycle in ways other than grading. Grading brings rewards for some students, but often not with multicultural students. We have multiple conversations against grades and I'm not arguing abolition; but we need to understand how grading supports or alienates community college students.
- Similarly, we need to reexamine our instruction-assignment-feedback/assessment cycle to reinforce student process instead of product. How can we learn more about community college student worlds with positive rewarding and incorporate those rewards as a bridge to the academic discourse.
References
Deans, Emily. "Dopamine Primer." Psychology Today. 31 March 2011. Web. 25 February 2016.
Kohn, Alfie. The case against standardized testing: Raising the scores, ruining the schools. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2000. Print.
Wilson, Maja. "Responsive Writing." Educational Leadership (2009).
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