ApplyingBehavioristandCognitiveApproachestoTeachingandLearning

JoshPetty
ETT501
ApplyingBehavioristandCognitiveApproachestoTeachingandLearning
NorthernIllinoisUniversity
Dr.JasonUnderwood
18September2014

ApplyingBehavioristandCognitiveApproachestoTeachingandLearning

Formylearningexperience,Ihavechosentoapproachtheskillofdribblingabasketball.
IgraduatedfromNorthernIllinoisUniversityin2010withaBachelorsdegreeinthefieldof
physicaleducation,soImgoingtoplaytomystrengths.Forthisassignment,Iamrequiredto
applythebehavioralandcognitiveperspectivetoalearningsituationofmychoosing,whichIve
chosendribblingabasketball.Withineachperspective,Imrequiredtoapproachmysituation
usingatleastthreeinstructionalstrategiesfromeachperspective.Ontopofthat,Imalso
requiredtopointoutonelimitation,asitrelatestomychosensituationaswell.
AccordingtoBurton,etal.(1996),learningcanbedefinedasachangeinbehaviordue
toexperience(p.9).Thisisaverygooddefinitionwhenlookingatitfromthebehaviorist
perspective.AccordingtoB.F.Skinner,alearnerdoesnotpassivelyabsorbknowledgefromthe
worldaroundhimbutmustplayanactiverole(Burton,1996).Bychoosingaphysical
educationrelatedtopic,IfeelthatIaminstantlyleaningtowardtheuseofthebehavioral
perspective,ratherthanthecognitiveone.Thebehavioralperspectivebelievesthatlearnerswill
learnaparticularskillbyactuallyengaginginthatskill.Itwillbetheirexperience,aswellas
trialanderror,thatwillleadtotheeventualacquisitionofthatparticularskill(Burton,1996).In
thiscase,weretalkingaboutdribblingabasketball.
Onewaywecoulduseinorderforstudentstolearnhowtodribbleabasketballisthe
observantbehaviormethod.Thisstatesthatstudentscouldlearnhowtodribbleabasketballby
observingotherscorrectlydribblingtheball(Burton,1996).Thisgoesbacktotheexperience
andtrialanderrorthatwaspreviouslymentioned.Studentscouldthentrytomimicwhatthe
expertwasdoingandaltertheiractionsbasedontheresults.ThisisnotawaythatIwould
personallyteachthisskillbutitcouldbedone.

ApplyingBehavioristandCognitiveApproachestoTeachingandLearning

Inordertolearnacomplexskill,usingthebehavioralperspective,theskillmustbe
brokendownintoaseriesofsmallerskills(Burton,1996).Inphysicaleducation,wealways
calledthesecriticalelements.ThefirstmethodIwoulduse,whenteachingsomebodyhowto
dribbleabasketballwouldbetobreakdowneachstep.AsImdemonstratingwhattodo,the
studentsshouldbemimickingmyactions,sincelearnerslearnbyactuallypracticing.Knees
shouldbebent.Thestudentshouldbeleaningforwardslightlyatthewaist.Thedribblinghand
shouldbeapproximatelywaisthigh.Thefingersshouldbespread.Theballshouldbecontacting
thepadsofthefingers,ratherthanthepalmofthehand.Theballshouldbepusheddownward
usingmovementofthewrist,nottheentirearm.Inorderforthestudenttobedribblingcorrectly,
whichisthelargetask,allsixofthosesmallertasksshouldbecompletedcorrectly.
Onceallofthesmallertaskshavebeenlearnedandcombinedtomakeupthelargerskill,
studentscouldbeobservedusingachecklist.AccordingtoBurton,etal.(1996),learningshould
beobservableandmeasurable.Thisisdonetoprovethatlearninghasinfactoccurred.Asthe
instructor,Iwouldhavetoobservedthedesiredbehaviortakingplace,andIwouldhavetomark
itonthechecklist.Thatmakesthisskillbothobservableandmeasurable.Thatishowthe
behavioralperspectivecouldbeappliedtothetaskofdribblingabasketball.
OneproblemIseewiththebehavioralmethodisthatitfocusesalittletoomuchon
doing.Whenlookingatthepsychomotordomain,thismethodworksverywell,howeverit
doesntalwayscrossoverwellintotheotherdomains.Sometimespeoplecanperformaskillor
activityandnotreallyknowwhattheyredoing,theyjustdoit.Othertimes,whentheycant
performaskillandhavenoideawhattheyreactuallydoingwrong.Iveworkedonmygolf
swingforyearsandstillcanthittheballstraight.Ivetakenlessonstotrytocorrectmyproblem

ApplyingBehavioristandCognitiveApproachestoTeachingandLearning

yetIstillhavenoideawhatImactuallydoingwrong.IfeellikethemoreIpracticemygolf
swing,themoreImreinforcingbadhabits,ratherthancorrectingthem.Thatcanbetheproblem
attimeswiththebehavioristmethodandperspective.
Anotherwayofapproachingthisproblemisusingacompletelydifferentmethodof
perspective.Thatisthecognitiveperspective.Thecognitiveperspectiveisdifferentthatthe
behavioralperspectivebecauseitfocusesonthemeaningofsomething,andthebehavioraldoes
not(Winn,1996).Thistheoryfocusesonthebuildingofinformationfromreasoningand
inference,ratherthanmeasurement,usedbythebehavioralmethod(Winn,1996).
Inordertoteachstudentshowtodribbleabasketball,usingthecognitivemethod,Id
firstfocusontheactualstepsoftheprocess.Thestepscouldbediscussedwithorwithoutan
expertdemonstration.Forthismethodthough,thestudentsshouldfocusonmemorizingthe
steps,ratherthanactuallyparticipatingandlearningbytrialanderror.Thiscouldbedoneusing
thechunkingmethod(Winn,1996).Thechunkingmethodinvolvesstoringsimilaritemsintoa
chunk,whichmakesthemeasiertorecallorremember(Winn,1996).AccordingtoWinn
(1996),ourshorttermmemoryonlyallowsustorememberroughlysevenitemsatatime(p.83).
Thesixstepspreviouslymentionedcouldbepossiblychunkedunderthethoughtprocessabout
howtodribbleabasketball.
Oncethestepshavebeenchunked,studentscouldpracticetheskillusinginteractive
mentalimagery.Thisinvolvespicturingtheindividualsteps,andperformingthemmentally.In
thistime,studentsshouldthinkabouthowtheindividualrelatenotonlytoeachotherbuttothe
processoftheentireskill(Winn,1996).

ApplyingBehavioristandCognitiveApproachestoTeachingandLearning

Thisprocesscanbetakenastepfurther,oncethebasicskillhasbeenmentallyacquired.
Studentscouldalsothinkaboutdribblingtheballinadvancedsituations.Theycouldpicture
crossingovertotheotherhand,goingbetweenthelegs,avoidingadefender,orrunningdown
thecourt.Thiswouldjustbethenextstepinmovingfrombasicdribblingandgettingclosertoa
moregamelikesituation.
Onemajorproblemthatthecognitiveperspectivehas,asitrelatestodribblinga
basketball,isthatitfocusestoomuchonthestepsoftheprocesswithoutactuallyallowingthe
studentstoperformthesteps.Whenitcomestoapsychomotorskill,suchasdribbling,kicking,
etc.,itsimportantthatstudentsgettoactuallyseetheendresultoftheirperformancesotheyget
thatimmediatefeedback.Ifsomethingdoesntturnoutthewaythatisexpected,studentsknow
immediatelythattheydidntdosomethingrightandmustadjusttheiractionsaccordingly.This
issomethingthatyoujustcannotdowhenfocusingmostlyonthementalaspectofaparticular
skill.
Whenanalyzingtheskillofdribblingabasketball,Iusedboththebehavioristand
cognitivepsychologicalperspectivesasapotentialsolution.Iidentifiedthreewaysthateach
couldbeusedandalsoidentifiedaproblemwitheach.Withmyownpersonalexperiences,I
personallypreferthebehavioristperspectivebecauseIthinkthatworksbetterwitha
psychomotorskill,suchasdribbling,butdobelievethatthecognitivemethoddoeshaveitsplace
aswell.

ApplyingBehavioristandCognitiveApproachestoTeachingandLearning

WorksCited
Burton,J.K.,Moore,D.M.,&Magliaro,S.G.(1996).Behaviorismandinstructional
technology.InD.Jonassen(Ed.),Handbookofresearchforeducationalcommunications
andtechnology,4673.
Winn,W.,&Snyder,D.(1996).Cognitiveperspectivesinpsychology.InD.Johassen(Ed.),
Handbookofresearchforeducationalcommunicationsandtechnology,112142.