Behaviorism in Practice

Behaviorism in the Classroom

     Behaviorism is a theory of learning based upon the idea that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning. This occurs when there is an interaction with the environment. The goal of teachers is to create students who experience success in our classroom and become prepared to become productive citizens in society. However, with every goal comes challenges and our students face those daily. I believe the number one challenge our students face is the ability to retain information. In order for student to be able to comprehend the content we present we must allow students time for reinforcement. Two strategies in this week’s resources that have been used as enrichment strategies are “Reinforcing Effort” and “Homework and Practice.”

     “Research shows that the level of belief in self-efficacy plays a strong role in motivation for learning and achievement. The instructional strategy of reinforcing effort enhances students’ understanding of the relationship between effort and achievement by addressing their attitudes and beliefs about learning” (Pitler, Hubbel, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 155). As we know students do not always grasp the understanding of particular concepts when we first introduce them. Students have to practice and be given time for reinforcement in order for it to be cemented into their memory. One way this can be done is through the use of technology. Students need to be able to see how their effort is turning into successful achievement of the content we want them to master. Students need to have meaning to what we want them to master and they need to know why it is important. By providing tools such as spreadsheets, gives students a visual aid on their performance. When students see their own growth, they are more willing to put forth more effort which in turn leads students to wanting to do more.

     Once students leave our classroom each day, they need to be able to practice and apply what they have learned outside of school. The most common reinforcement strategy is homework and practice. “As an extension of the classroom, homework provides opportunities for students to deepen their understanding of the content and to gain proficiency with their skills” (Pitler, Hubbel, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 187). There are numerous ways we can integrate technology into our homework and practice for students. In my classroom, I have used spreadsheets to help students in math. They have been a wonderful teaching tool for decimals, percents, ratios, data collection, mean, median, mode, and graphs. I have also used reinforcement sites such as http://www.vmathlive.com/, http://compasslearningodyssey.com/, and http://www.studyisland.com/ to show students how they have progressed. I have never thought of using Microsoft Word as a practice strategy, but after reading this week’s resources I believe it will be beneficial to them.

     Integrating technology is an effective way to enrich our curriculum. Technology is a large part of our students’ everyday life. If we want students to be motivated to learn and grow then we need to incorporate what students find interesting and engaging to them. Reinforcing what we want students to learn is critical if we want students to maximize learning. So, it is crucial to find as many avenues as we possibly can to do it in a way where students are inspired to become lifelong learners.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010 [Webcast]. Behaviorist Learning Theory. Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

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