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Jason Michel
EPSY 302 Educational Psychology
11/12/15
Behaviorism in Education
teacher and student in the classroom. This relationship is defined by how a students behavior
changes as a result of their environment. Instructors can use this to their advantage if they know
what factors affect the motivation and behavior of the learner . This is most prevalent through the
Classical conditioning was made known by the work of Ivan Pavlov, a Russian
physiologist. He studied the digestive habits of dogs, and showed how a stimulus can elicit
natural or conditioned responses. Classical conditioning deals with our natural responses to the
stimuli in our environment. An experience with a person, place, or object can allow a natural
response to become conditioned. How a student views a classroom environment has a large
impact on their ability to learn. A child that associates bad experiences with school will most
likely have a negative opinion towards school in general. Educators need to understand what
situations will influence their students, both positively and negatively. If you create a good
setting for the learners, they can be more confident in their abilities, and be engaged more
effectively in the process. For example, if a student has a dislike for the English teacher, the
students learning capabilities will be diminished in that subject. The learner will associate
English with the negative presence of that teacher. This could be for a number of reasons, such
as poor grades, amount of homework, difficulty in the class, or even just the instructors
BEHAVIORISM IN EDUCATION 2
personality. It is important for educators to realize that just as no two instructors are alike, neither
are any two students. Each child experiences school in a different manner, and in turn will have
Operant conditioning is on the opposite end of the spectrum . The most widely known
name in this area of research is B.F. Skinner. He proposed that learning is voluntary, and
changes in behavior are a product of that learning (Ormrod, 2012). In this situation, a person can
control whether or not reinforcement occurs based on their behavior . A teacher, especially in
elementary education, seeks to shape a childs actions in the classroom . This is accomplished
through reinforcement, both positively and negatively. With young students, a positive
reinforcement might include extra recess time or being first in the lunch line for doing well on an
assignment. Positive reinforcement for high school students could differ greatly. They might
respond better to social reinforcers, like group activities or being allowed to share opinions in the
classroom.
The main driving force behind operant conditioning is motivation. A child must be
encouraged through reinforcement to modify poor behavior or repeat good behavior . These
motivators can occur extrinsically or intrinsically (Ormrod, 2012). High school students tend to
have more intrinsic motivation; an internal desire to fit in and do well in school. This could end
up turning negative, however, if those desired outcomes arent being reached . The child could
develop low self-esteem or a negative viewpoint of school, as is the case with classical
conditioning. Extrinsic motivation is in the form of rewards or approval for achieving a desired
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outcome. Elementary students will work more diligently on their math problems if they are given
control the timing and frequency of reinforcement in order to elicit a target behavior (Schedules
of Reinforcement, 2015). A continuous reinforcement schedule rewards the learner every time
occasionally and may be unpredictable. When a teacher decides one day that the students who
answer questions in social studies class get to skip a few homework problems, that instructor is
demonstrating intermittent reinforcement. The students will be more eager to answer questions
in the future because of the possibility of having less homework. Intermittent reinforcement is
typically more effective in the classroom setting than continuous reinforcement. If students are
always rewarded for a behavior, the reward may come to be expected without achieving the
Punishment can also be a very effective tool in the classroom environment. Presentation
them from their current behavior. In a high school classroom, a teacher may give a pop quiz if
students are being loud and disruptive. For elementary learners, this may in the form of verbal
reprimand. On the flip side, removal punishment seeks to take away a favorable stimulus to
discourage the behavior from repeating. This could be something like losing 5 minutes of recess
There are drawbacks when it comes to punishment, however. The effects are usually not
lasting, so the behaviors must constantly be reinforced . This is usually the case with students
who are talkative in class, and have to consistently be reminded to be quiet during instruction
time. When using punishment, you might not always get the desired response . If a child feels
threatened or embarrassed by a penalty handed down, they may lash out against the teacher . This
could include violence or verbal abuse, both of which can be dangerous behaviors (Punishment
Techniques, 2015). It depends mostly upon the child and the particular situation.
To use punishment effectively in school, there are several areas that must be addressed .
The punishment has to be severe enough to prevent the behavior from occurring again . This also
means that teachers cant just threaten to reprimand the next time it happens. Students will
always try to push their boundaries if they believe they can . The instructor must make it known
why the learner was punished and explain why that behavior isnt appropriate in the classroom .
It may also be more effective after punishing a student to try to demonstrate the desired
behavior. Students under the age of 10 may not realize their behavior is inappropriate if they are
doing something that is allowed at home or outside of school. Its the teachers responsibility to
Behaviorist methods in general are most effective in areas like math, where there is a
precise correct response. If students are learning formulas and functions, the best way to
remember is to memorize. This is where conditioning and reinforcement comes into play. If
correctly memorizing a formula is reinforced, the student will most likely retain that information .
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These are sometimes called skill and drill exercises (Behaviorism, 2015). It is designed to be
a question (stimulus) and answer (response) framework. The questions gradually increase in
difficulty, and the material is ideally referred back to regularly. The continual review helps to
prevent extinction of the conditioning, or loss of the association between stimulus and response
over time. This happens because learners will continue modifying their behavior until some form
Behaviorism has a very important role in education. How students interact with their
environment and adapt their behavior impacts their ability to learn . Students think and behave
the way they do as a result of their previous actions and reinforcement. A teachers role is to
discover what motivates a student to want to learn, and use that to help the learner achieve their
References