Friday, September 29, 2017

Ellie Hates Tennessee (Or, Principles of Learning)

All of my work with Ellie and Isabelle is really premised on two principles:
1. Conditioning (aka "pairing" aka "learning"); and
2. Generalization.

Conditioning isn't hard, once the human has learned how to teach, and the bird has learned how to learn. All we're doing is creating an experience and labeling it. For instance:
1. I hold up broccoli and ask Ellie to touch it.
2. I label the object "broccoli".
3. She repeatedly touches and I repeatedly label broccoli.
4. Ellie learns the name of the presented object, broccoli.

Generalization isn't hard either. I bring out different broccoli heads here and there. They aren't the same "broccoli" that she learned, but they are similar enough that she can recognize them as "broccoli". Ellie has learned broccoli.

So pairing is really just vocabulary development through hearing the word and observing (or experiencing) the corresponding representation, be it object, feeling or desire. ("This is a duck." / "Ellie feels happy." / "Ellie wants a book.") And generalizing is understanding that the vocabulary word extends to similar objects/feelings/desires. ("Ellie feels happy when she has a treat." "Ellie feels happy when she has warm tea." "Ellie feels happy when Grandma visits.")

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I travel occasionally, and my girls are lucky enough to have some of the most wonderful babysitters, who house-sit and play with them for hours every day. Ellie is very curious about her world... I always wished I could somehow show Ellie what other places in the world look like, but I never thought the opportunity would arise for her to experience anything other than our fun, backyard life in sunny Florida.



How do you explain to anyone - including a bird - that the world is full of places that are beautiful, and that the outside looks different than their home?




And then there was a hurricane! And we drove to Tennessee! It was the perfect opportunity to teach Ellie about mountains and states... and living in a hotel, actually.




I showed both girls pictures of Tennessee mountains on my phone, and they got treats for "touching" the mountain pictures. I said, "Mountains are in Tennessee" and showed them pictures of Tennessee too. Then I distinguished "mountains" and "Tennessee" from our Florida landscape, and the word "Florida". I also distinguished "home" from "hotel room" through the use of pictures - and treat rewards for touching. I wrote out sentences:
Ellie is in a hotel.
Ellie is in Tennessee.
Ellie sees mountains.
There are mountains in Tennessee
Ellie lives in Florida.
Ellie lives in a house.
There are no mountains in Florida.

Each of these sentences was likewise paired with visual images, and heavy emphasis on repeating our vocabulary words to underscore the vocabulary development.

We practiced this pairing over and over and over again and had a great time with yummy treats!

"Home" vs. "Hotel"


Home

Hotel


Finally, I took Ellie on a drive through the mountains to Pigeon Forge, where we "mined" for gemstones. She loved foraging in the sand! The entire way there and back, she sat on my shoulder looking outside - seeing mountains for the first time in her life. I kept saying, "Ellie is in Tennessee. Ellie sees mountains!" It was so precious to me--sharing the world with my curious explorer. I'll never forget it <3

"Mining"


For all of that, life in the hotel was somewhat stressful. My usually-uncaged girls were confined to small travel carriers whenever I left the room. (They went in under 'force-free' conditions - I hid treats in them, and they wandered in, but still...) Yet, usually for six or seven hours every day we played together, so it really wasn't tragic. But they didn't have access to their garden or to outside playtime. No dancing, no shouting and excitement...

(We did have a fun shower.)


After a few days of vocabulary development, I had a chat with them both.
Me: Ellie, are you in Tennessee?
Ellie: Yes.
Me: Do you like Tennessee?
Ellie: No. (LOL)
Me: Are you home?
Ellie: No.
Me: Are you in a hotel?
Ellie: Yes.
Me: Do you like the hotel?
Ellie: No.
Me: Did you see mountains?
Ellie: Yes.
Me: Did you like mountains?
Ellie: No.


On top of the cooping up, the drive there and back was fourteen and sixteen hours without a break. I can understand why she didn't love it <3

My conversation with Isabelle was so different! (My girls couldn't be more opposite!)
Me: Isabelle, are you in Tennessee?
Isabelle: Yes.
Me: Do you like Tennessee?
Isabelle: Yes.
Me: Are you home?
Isabelle: No.
Me: Are you in a hotel?
Isabelle: Yes.
Me: Do you like the hotel?
Isabelle: Yes.
Me: Did you see mountains?
Isabelle: Yes.
Me: Did you like mountains?
Isabelle: Yes.

She is so much more laid back! "As long as we're together, Mom, I'm happy!" ;)



Now Ellie and Isabelle both have a baseline experience for understanding "places". There's a place called Florida, a place called home, a place called Tennessee, a place with mountains, and a place with shrubs and beaches. They are different places, and she can get from one to the other through a long car ride :)

I'm so thankful my girls got to have this experience. It opens so much learning for them - places and landscapes, states, and more! I can show them pictures of my travels. They'll understand when I say, "I'm staying in a hotel." They'll have some concept that the world is filled with different topography.

That said, I'm pretty sure if I invite Ellie to come along with me, she'll say, "No." ;)

3 comments:

  1. So glad you're safe with your feathered family. I love reading your method and adventures and am truly envious. I so wish I could have a similar relationship with my feathered dictator. We have to travel frequently and even though he loves his travel cage, I can't get him to go in it by choice andsince we HAVE to go, I must force him in. That leads to more resistance and more biting I fear. More biting leads to more safety measures for me which leads to more anger and biting. I do so love Ellie but I don't have an Ellie and Goffins seem to have really long memories.Please keep posting about your training, technique and results.

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    1. Aww, you're so sweet. Thank you for your kind words!! It IS tough to travel a lot with a critter - even when their cages are fun and full of toys. <3

      Thanks again!

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