Group+6

Behaviorism The belief that learning is a result of past experiences. **By: Leah Groh, Kellie Goforth, and Michelle Van Slyke**

Any physical act is described as a behavior, including acting, thinking, or feeling. Learning is conditioning, and there are two types.
 * Classical Conditioning:** creating automatic associations between certain stimuli in the environment and our responses. (See Ivan Pavlov)
 * For example, aside from Pavlov's dogs, and back to students, a bell works in a similar manor. When students hear a bell ring in a classroom their automatic reaction is to pack up their belongings and leave. This is a direct environmental stimuli that causes a responses that is not directly related.
 * Operant Conditioning:** making behaviors more or less likely to recur, based on consequences and/or reinforcement. (See B.F. Skinner)
 * Two key principles:
 * 1) //Reinforcement- if a behavior is followed by a desirable response, then the behavior is more likely to be repeated.//
 * 2) //Punishment- if a behavior is followed by an undesirable response, then the behavior is less likely to be repeated.//

Main Characteristics of the Behaviorist Learning Theory:

**1.** Behaviorism only focuses on observable and measurable behaviors, the activities of the mind do not matter. Behviorists are not concerned about internal processes, but external acts. Behaviorism can be can be researched scientifically because according to Ivan Pavlov all behavior is influenced by the environment.

**2.** Behviorist believe that learning can only take place once there has been a change in the actual behavior. Behaviorist teachers usually focus on teaching topics that will be used later (since learning is the result of past experiences).

**3.** Not all behaviorists believe in Skinner's radical theory, rather some believe in theoretical behaviorism. Radical behaviorism does not permit internal studies. A behaviorist who is more theoretical allows the study of internal states, but these states do not need to be mental or subjective

How does the Behaviorist movement influence the classroom?


 * -Repetition**
 * Repetition fosters the idea of drill and practice. Behaviorists believe that students learn when they preform a task over and over again. An example of this can be found in the memorization of multiplication tables.
 * -Prompt Feedback**
 * By providing prompt feedback, students can adjust their learning accordingly. Also, feedback could be considered a reward for students. If they are complemented on good work, they will be more likely to work hard again. Prompt feedback ensures that students do not lose intrest in their work either; by returning a paper in a timely fashion students will not over look comments because they are no longer relevant.
 * -Specific and Measurable Learning Objectives**
 * Robert Mager states that there are three essential elements to the specific and measurable objectives.
 * "1. //The observable act or behavior --// that is, what students will do to show that they have acquired the requisite knowledge or skill.
 * 2. //The conditions// under which the act is to occur -- that is the material and resources available to students to carry out the task, and any time constraints placed on completing the activity.
 * 3. //The criteria// that define an acceptable level of performance." (Ryan, 2008)

Strengths and Weaknesses of the Behaviorists Theory:

1. The behaviorists theory generated the use of behavioral therapy. 2. Created behavioral management techniques for children with autism. Behavioral management techniques have also been created for individuals with anti-social behaviors and anxiety disorders. 3. Behaviorism is a major part of pharmacological therapy. 4. B.F Skinner highly succeeded in the training of animals who could perform unexpected responses (i.e, pigeon). 5. Positive and negative reinforcement techniques are used by teachers to manage clasroom behavior.
 * Strengths:**

1. Sometimes, there is confusion caused about the effect of behavioral reinforcement (Graham,2010). 2. Cognitive scientists believ it to be irrelevant. 3.Neuroscientists also reject behaviorism becasue they believe the only way to understand the causes of behavior is through studying. 4. Many believe that Skinner was too restrictive in his attitude about the role of the brain controlling behavior. 5. A critic known as Naomi Chomsky stated that the way children learn language can't be explianed through behaviorism. 6. It is believed that Skinner's findings of behaviorism may not reflect science,but his own preferences
 * Weaknesses:**

Direct Instruction & Behaviorism:

Direct Instruction is rooted in behavioral theory (Lockee, Burton, Magliaro 2005)
What exactly is Direct Instruction? "Direct instruction is an instructional model that focuses on the interaction between teachers and students." (Lockee, Burton, Magliaro 2005)

Key words that relate to direct instruction: “modeling, reinforcement, feedback, and successive approximations” (Joyce, Weil, & Calhoun, 2000, p. 337)

According to Bereiter and Engelmann (1966) and Engelmann (1980), behaviorally based models (using direct instruction) include rapid questioning, frequent testing continuous interaction, and positive reinforcement are all key instructional tools that promote learning. Direct instruction and behaviorism go hand in hand. The following list is of what teachers can do when teaching using direct instruction: 1. Materials and curriculum are broken down into small steps and arrayed in what is assumed to be the prerequisite order. 2. Objectives must be stated clearly and in terms of learner outcomes or performance. 3. Learners are provided with opportunities to connect their new knowledge with what they already know. 4. Learners are given practice with each step or combination of steps. 5. Learners experience additional opportunities to practice that promote increasing responsibility and independence (guided and/or independent; in groups and/or alone). 6. Feedback is provided after each practice opportunity or set of practice opportunities.

The list above along with other various models of direct instruction have emerged from primarily behavioral traditions (Lockee, Burton, Magliaro 2005).

====Implementing Behaviorism in the Classroom: ====

My math lab targets any grade level. The teacher is in charge of choosing the lesson plan that fits the skills he or she wants the students to master. The classroom would be held in a computer lab. The teacher directs the course. The teacher does this by starting out with a clear introduction of what he or she wants the students to accomplish. In this example, the skill the teacher wants the students to learn is how to solve math problems using the transitive property. After clearly stating the objective the teacher demonstrates how to solve problems. The teacher uses a chalkboard or an overhead to make sure that all the students can see the formula a (b+c) = a x b + a x c After a step-by-step instruction the students are given a chance to practice several problems. The problems are similar and repeat and enforce the newly learned skill. When the problem is completed correctly the student confidently moves on to the next problem and a check mark appears to show the student has completed the problem. If the student gets the problem wrong, a hint is available to help guide the students to the getting the correct answer. The immidiate reinforcement helps students see the progress they are making and the areas they need help on. Teachers are always available as a resource for help.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Here is a link to the frequently asked questions on the my math lab website (including a list of what is offered to students)

[]

media type="youtube" key="CpoLxEN54ho" height="282" width="371"media type="youtube" key="I_ctJqjlrHA" height="283" width="387" Resources