Behaviorism is only concerned with observable and
measurable aspects of human behavior, changed as that result of a
stimulus-response association made by the learner (Orey, 2010). As teachers, we
try to promote the behaviors we feel exhibit the learning of new content. One
of the ways behavior theory has been married with classroom instruction is
through programmed instruction whereby in the pre-technology days students were
given a book, and the response of the student lead them through the book
turning to pages determined the student ’s correct or incorrect answers
(Laureate, 2015a). I, remember using such a book in my seventh-grade language
arts class! I highlight this instructional strategy because it demonstrates how
it has morphed itself into a technological delivery system that is pervasive
today, and that is the online tutorial (Laureate, 2015a). Online tutorials
breakup content into smaller units of study followed by questions to test your
understanding and depending on feedback from you, it may direct you to the next
module if you show mastery or to new exposure to the same information.
Another strategy has been through contracts that the
teacher makes with her their student to affect change in a student’s behavior
(Orey, 2010). Again, this something I have used for many years as a teacher and
is probably what most teachers associate with behaviorism. Typically it
required collaboration between the student and the teacher, a pencil and a
piece of paper. Technology today allows for a much more robust contract where
students can plot their feedback about their mood, behavior, and effort; all of
which correlates with achievement. Spreadsheets give students a chance to
actively participate in understanding how effort impacts achievement (Pitler,
Hubbell & Kuhn, 2012). By promoting
the active use of spreadsheet data collection, it supports the ISTE standard of
empowering the learner because students take an active role in choosing,
achieving and demonstrating their mastery of learning goals (ISTE 2016).
Another method that strategies and the technology
tools work together to support student learning is through the use of
multimedia whereby student work can be posted online thereby giving them
exposure to a broader audience (Pitler, Hubbell & Kuhn, 2012). Thirdly,
communication and collaboration software, i.e., video conferencing, audio
recordings would give me a valuable way to champion the successes of my
students. For example, I plan in the future to use what I have learned about
podcasting to share sincere praise, recognized as positive reinforcement by
behaviorist (Pitler, Hubbell & Kuhn, 2012). By doing so, I am demonstrating
that I am a facilitator which according to ISTE means that I am proving that I
am using technology to support student achievement (ISTE, 2016). All these examples of strategies and tech tools
work together to reinforce that behavior indictive for learning of new content
by offering both positive and negative reinforcers.
Of the sources researched in this module, two have
the potential for integration into my classroom.
I teach SAT prep and Discovery
Educations, WebMATH would be an excellent resource to help students brush up on
concepts they were exposed (Discovery Education, 2016). This website clearly
would be in my student's interest, authentically because they are interested in
getting some exposure to math problems that will show up on the SAT (Moorhead,
2014). One of the most important ways to gain points on the SAT is
understanding your content weakness. This website will help them gain
understanding. Also, by asking them to create a spreadsheet to collect data
about how much they practiced, I can hopefully help them see the correlation
between their total effort score and their quiz scores (Pitler, Hubbell &
Kuhn, 2012). Howard Pitzer showcased on his twitter feed and interesting article
about how math teachers are now asking their students to try to work together
to solve math problems collectively (Twitter, 2019). I like this idea and will try ti I have
selected a lesson on designing a webpage for my Hour of Code example. One way I
can support the application of behaviorist learning theory is through positive
reinforcement by showcasing their webpage design online for others to see and
comment. I may even offer negative
reinforcement by allowing them a chance to collect a free homework pass upon
completion of the Hour of Code.
References
Discovery
Education. (2016). WebMATH: K-8 practice math problems. Retrieved from http://www.webmath.com/k8drill.html
International
Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2016). Standards for educators. Retrieved
March 30, 2019, from https://www.iste.org/standards/for-educators
International
Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2016). Standards for students. Retrieved
March 30, 2019, from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards/for-students-2016.
Laureate
Education (Porducer). (2015a). Behaviorist learning theory [Video file].
Batlimore, MD: Author.
Moorhead,
L. (2014, September 3). There’s no app for good teaching. Retrieved from http://ideas.ted.com/theres-no-app-for-good-teaching/
Orey, M.
(Ed.) (2010). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology.
Retrieved from http://textbookequity.org/Textbooks/Orey_Emergin_Perspectives_Learning.pdf
Pitler,
H., Hubbell, E. R., & Kuhn, M. (2012). Using technology with classroom
instruction that works (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Twitter.
February 217, 2019. Howard Gardner. Retrieved March 30, 2019 from https://twitter.com/hpitzer.
