Behaviorism in Practice

Although behaviorist learning theory may be unfashionable in a time when constructivism, learning styles, and multiple intelligences share the spotlight, behaviorism remains a staple of learning practice in and out of the classroom. The recognition that one cannot live on bread alone does not, after all, imply that bread should be removed from one’s diet entirely. Behaviorism, appropriately applied, is an indispensable part of educational practice because students learn when effective learning behavior is reinforced. Certain technologies can support effective operant conditioning to reinforce student effort, homework, and practice (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).


Most teachers know that students often fail to recognize the connection between effort and performance. I have frequently heard students attributing bad grades to their teachers' personal opinions of them. Only when pressed, might they admit that the reason their teachers didn’t like them was their lack of effort in class. This faulty perception of cause and effect is often deep-seated, even comforting, as it excuses the student from taking responsibility for failure. But this misconception can be remedied, if the student is confronted with undeniable evidence of the true cause and effect relationship between effort and performance. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski (2007) recommend that students use rubrics and spreadsheet software to document their efforts in class. A rubric describing levels of effort in different categories allows students to quantify their behaviors so that they may be recorded on a spreadsheet. Students can then record their performance on assessments and use the software’s graphing functions to compare their effort with their performance. This method can be effective in many curricular areas and in interdisciplinary projects. Pitler et al. argue that through “consistent and systematic exposure to teaching strategies like this one” students can “really grasp the impact that effort can have on their achievement” (p. 159). They also recommend that students use data collection tools to examine statistical evidence of this correlation on a larger scale, so that they can generalize their understanding beyond a particular classroom situation. By allowing students to clearly see the consequences of their efforts, such a system reinforces behaviors that contribute to learning and academic success.

Homework and practice are also important learning behaviors that are often undervalued by students. Again, the positive consequences of effort expended on homework and practice can be so remote that they are not immediately evident to learners. Some educational technologies, including “word processing applications, spreadsheet applications, multimedia, web resources, and communication software,” can provide the sort of programmed instruction that makes effective use of behaviorist learning theory (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009; Pitler et al., 2007, p. 189). For example, Pilter et al. (2009) point out that Microsoft Word offers students immediate feedback on their writing, amounting to a reward for students who are keeping score, with a Flesch-Kincaid grade level rating feature, and can assist them with immediately improving their “score” by offering a thesaurus feature (p. 190). This is perfectly in keeping with Skinner’s programmed instruction model (Laureate, 2009; Smith, 1999).

Pilter, et al. (2009) also describe constructivist learning projects, such as PowerPoint games, that provide immediate intrinsic rewards for their creators’ and users’ success at applying curricular knowledge and skills. Here we see that there can be synergy, rather than conflict, between behaviorism and other learning theories.

The authors recommend a number of sites that provide behaviorism-based and other learning applications:

• EDDIE Awards: www.computedgazette.com/page3.html

• BESSIE Awards: www.computedgazette.com/page11.html

• Technology & Learning’s Awards of Excellence/Readers’ Choice Awards: http://www.technlearning.com/  

• eSchoolNews Readers’ Choice Awards: www.eschoolnews.com/resources/surveys/editorial/rca/

• CodIE Awards: www.siia.net/codies  

• Discovery Education’s The Parent Channel: http://school.discovery.com/parents/reviewcorner/software/

• BattleGraph: http://sarah.lodick.com/edit/powerpoint_game/battlegraph/battlegraph.ppt

• BBC Skillswise: www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise

• National Library of Virtual Manipulatives: http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html

• ExploreLearning: http://www.explorelearning.com/

• BrainPOP: http://www.brainpop.com/

• IKnowthat.com: http://www.iknowthat.com/

• Wizards & Pigs: www.cogcon.org/gamegoo/games/wiznpigs/wiznpigs.html

• Flashcard Exchange: http://www.flashcardexchange.com/

• Mousercise: www.3street.org/mouse

• Lever Tutorial: www.elizrosshubbell.com/levertutorial

• Kitchen Chemistry: http://pbskids.org/zoom/games/kitchenchemistry/virtual-start.html

• Hurricane Strike!: http://meted.ucar.edu/hurrican/strike/index.htm

• Stellarium: http://www.stellarium.org/

• Instant Projects: http://instantprojects.org/  (Pitler, et al., 2007, pp. 193- 198)

REFERENCES

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). 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.


Smith, M. K. (1999) The behaviourist orientation to learning. The Encyclopedia of Informal Education, Retrieved November 11, 2009, from www.infed.org/biblio/learning-behavourist.htm