Friday, January 15, 2010

Behaviorist Learning in the Classroom

I feel that many of the instructional strategies used in classrooms today are based on the behaviorist theory of learning, especially the strategies that incorporate technology. The use of technology allows students to have immediate and frequent feedback when practicing and learning. Dr. Orey discusses in his video segment that students today are using online tutorials that help them to reinforce what is being taught and practice their skills. These tutorials and other online programs that allow students to practice what they are learning seem to have been created from the behaviorist theory. If students get a problem correct, there is often praise and encouragement.

Another strategy that corresponds to the behaviorist learning theory is having students map their progress and see the correlation between effort and results. Instead of constantly telling students that by doing their homework and classwork they will get better grades does not work well for most students. However, if the students chart their effort and progress they may see that by putting more effort into their work, their grades will be higher. This is a much more effective reinforcer than a teacher standing in front of the class and lecturing to the students why studying and doing homework is important.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program four. Behaviorist Learning Theory [Motion picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore: Author.

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

4 comments:

  1. Amber,

    Conveying the message to students that effort effects achievement is very difficult. They do not understand this concept until they are older and truly appreciate the importance of studying and preparing for tests and quizzes. Older children begin to see that they need good grades in order to participate in extra-curricular activities, such as school sports. Eventually, they will realize that these grades that they work so hard for, will then be evaluated for college entries. However, when your a 4th grader, this isn't a concept that you can comprehend by just using words. I feel like a broken record when telling my students that the more they prepare for their tests, the better they will perform. "A powerful way to convince students that effort is truly tied ot achievement is to show them data" (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K., 2007, p. 161). Instead of being that broken record, I am now going to begin having the students track their effort using a rubric and compare it to their test results. Hopefully, after several trials, students will begin to realize that there is a correlation between effort and success.

    Meghan

    Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

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  2. I think that my thoughts on this topic and your are very similar. I like using technology as a means of providing multiple examples quickly, and I like using educational online games to allow my students to get feedback quickly. I also like the fact that the students can be rewarded by doing the problems correctly as they would be rewarded if they played their own games on their Playstation or Xbox. I think the mapping of success is very important too for the same reasons. If the students are able to see their success, they are less likely to delude themselves. If we tell them, some disregard the words. To most seeing is believing, and their own data is hard to ignore.

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  3. Instant feedback is important to both teacher and student. The computer can be an incredible resource for pinpointing the needs of students. It is can also be a great tool for differentiating instruction which also goes along with behaviorism: "Create systematic desieng to address student's needs; individualize instructional events. (Lever-Duffy, J. & McDonald, J. page 19).

    Lever-Duffy, J. & McDonald, J. (2008). Theoretical Foundations (Laureate Education, Inc.,custom ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1: Theoretical Foundations, pp. 2–35.

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  4. I agree that it is very difficult to simply tell students that effort is important because many times they need to see it in action before they will believe it. This is where the spreadsheets come in. If students can map their progress and make correlations, it will be much more successful than a teacher's word. The great thing about this is that it van be modified to be used with any grade level.

    I also agree with the statements about instant feedback being important. It is great that both teachers and students can receive such immediate feedback by using technology.

    Thanks for your insights!
    Amber

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