Behaviorism in Practice
As a Master’s student at Walden University I am required to study the impact of technology in the classroom and investigate whether or not “Reinforcing Effort” and the use of “Homework and Practice,” is somehow correlated to instructional strategies and behaviorism.
My research (which includes course readings and DVD presentations) have led ne to the following assumptions. As teachers, we have incorporated many different media devises into our daily lesson plan, and although we have dressed “Reinforcing Effort,” and “Homework and Practice,” into fancy new clothes (Multimedia technology, data collection tools, web resources etc), we are still using the basic idea of the behaviorist learning theory. Let us examine what it means to reinforce effort and how and why homework and practice is used.
Pitler advocates that the reason for reinforcing effort is to broaden the students understanding of effort and achievement
As teachers, we tend to utilize drill and practice as we teach however, the methods we use today incorporates the use of technology, but how this is used will determine the emotional experiences of our students affecting how they learn. By the use of various multimedia devise, the student is able to learn through a semblance of drill and practice receiving immediate feedback which will guide the student in identifying those learning behaviors that are desirable and eliminating that which is not
In conclusion, I would have to say that for those of us who did not advocate for the behaviorist theory but are all excited about the use of technology in the classroom. Well, you are still achieving the objectives of the behaviorist theory. You are reinforcing good learning behavior and eliminating bad ones, just using a method that might be more appealing to the student and in some instances more enjoyable.
What are your opinions on this? after all teaching is learning and learning is what teaching is all about. I could be wrong in my assumptions and would benefit from your insights in the matter, or it may be as I continue to study further I will find that I was wrong, but I am always willing to adjust my views when faced with new concrete evidence.
References
Orey, M. (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching and technology.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using Technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA:ASCD.
Posts
So far, looking at the blogs, there seems to be no lack of the use of behaviorist theories in the classroom. Drill and practice are fundamental to education. So are reward and punishment. Operant conditioning and Skinner's "programmed instruction" have, as you so aptly put it, simply gotten a new face through the use of technology. The use of technology for programmed instruction has its advantages. Rewards are automatically dispursed by the computer, and lessons can be self-paced. But technology's use for programmed instruction is limited. If you try to teach higher-level skills, the online applications become harder to use and learn from. For example, the math site posted in the Week 2 resources provided quick feedback for drill. It was easy to use, and you could learn from it by trial and error. The geography site, however, was much harder to learn from. The basics of map-reading were pretty clear to me, but when I sampled the higher-order skills like spotting bias in writing samples, I found that the program couldn't give very good hints when I chose a word or words according to a prompt. In short, online behaviorist tutoring is probably limited to the very basics.
ReplyDeleteOf course, these sorts of online drills don't take advantage of what the Web 2.0 has to offer in terms of collaboration. This is a whole other use of technology that has less to do with operant conditioning (and isn't the subject of this comment). One thing that can be said about Web 2.0 with regard to operant conditioning is that there are a lot more drill and practice programs available online now then there ever were before. And for school districts this could mean a savings - there is less need to buy software for school networks.
Tim
ReplyDeleteYour observations are very insightful. I agree with you that although the use of technology has had some effect in advancing the learners ability to master what is taught, it does fall short when higher learning skills are required.Like you I have experienced this in certain math lesson.
I agree it has its advantages, but it does lack the necessary collaborative interaction that is necessary for student entering the 21st century work world. But like everything that is introduced into society, technology can be used in many ways to energize and foster a desire to learn in students. It is knowing how, when and were to implement it, that will increase its effectiveness.
Lorna,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you in that even if you think you are not supporting behaviorist learning, many times you still are using it in some way in the classroom. I think behaviorism has been viewed negatively but when you really take a look at the positive aspect of it, it can be highly effective. Technology can make drills that used to be considered boring and make them fun and interactive. It is all about the approach.
Lorna,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog post on behaviorism. It seems as though many of us agree that behaviorism is still appropriate in the classroom to some extent. It is so important for students to understand the relationship between their efforts and achievement. Teachers need to take the time to help students to understand it! When students understand that relationship, I believe it motivates them to take a personal responsibility for their learning!
Sarah Horner
Lorna,
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job on the post. It was great to read your opinions on behaviorism. I agree that behaviorism has a place in the classroom as long as it is being used as a positive experience and not as a remediation tool that the students despise. Students have to enjoy the element of learning that technolgy brings into the classroom and in order to do this we have to incorperate it as a positive fun learning tool.
Trisha
Lorna, I enjoyed reading your blog. You have some very good points about uing technology in the classroom for drill and practice. I feel that if children can get excited to practice any skill than why not use the resources that are available for them. I believe it is about how we integrate technology into the classroom and approach it with our students. I want to use it as a tool to show them what is available for them at home too, not just in the classroom. If they are enjoying practicing it in the classroom imagine what they can choose to practice at home.
ReplyDeleteJoy
Amanda, Sarah, Trisha and Joy thanks for your thought and kind comments.
ReplyDeleteIt is great to see that educators from different states can get together and agree that we all need to find ways to encourage and stimulate our students to practice what we teach.
I can see that we are all in agreement on the fact that behaviorism is still being practiced in most classrooms, and that it is still a necessary component in education.
Lorna