Behaviorism: Practical Applications

Climb into any circle of educators and you will see that the term behaviorism is not in vogue.   However, as I have discussed in my post “Behaviorism: Dead or Alive?” the term may not be popular, but the learning theory itself is very much a part of our every day classrooms.  I would now like to expand on that epiphany by looking into two “techniques” that we can use in our classes that take advantage of the piles of data that people like Watson and Skinner became so fond of.  I will be discussing each from the approach of technology integration (the point of the whole blog)!

The first, titled “Reinforcing Effort” by Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski (2007), aims to enhance: “Students’ understanding of the relationship between effort and achievement by addressing their attitudes and beliefs about learning” (p. 155).  According to Pitler et al. (2007), this strategy for learning assumes that effort is not important to every student but they can be taught that effort pays off.  The idea is to show students how effort affects them by having them collect and compare how their effort and its associated achievement compare.  Before looking any further into this strategy we can see the backbone of behaviorism appear.  In it, we are going to ask students to chart their effort and compare it to their results (stimulus) in order to solicit a change in their effort (response).  In other words, we hope to reinforce the behavior of applying effort to what they are doing in our classes.

 Pitler et al. (2007) offer two technology methods to achieve this.  The first is by means of a classic spreadsheet analysis.  Students would essentially score themselves each week based on criteria predetermined in a rubric.  They would score themselves in categories such as participation, attention, homework, studying, and grade (Pitler et al., 2007, pp. 158-159).  The advantage of using a digital spreadsheet (for example: Excel) is that it is very easy to add, average, and graph data.  It always amazes students when they stop looking at numbers and start looking at graphs.  Having students input their data digitally also allows teachers to compile all of the students data together.  As Pitler et al. (2007) put it: “When students see that others have faced many of the same difficulties they face and have overcome these obstacles and achieved goals with strong effort and good attitude, they too can see the connection between effort achievement” (p. 161).  Though it may not look like it, this is a practical application of classic operant conditioning.  Reinforce the good behavior by showing students the positive effects of their effort. 

In some ways, the teaching of effort seems like it fits more into the realms of elementary education.  However, I can see the practical applications at the secondary level as well.  I have worked with several students on behavioral contracts much like those described by Standridge (2002).  However, these contracts are taken one step further as they not only use the data as a motivator but also have rewards for certain scores.  These types of data are submitted by the teachers rather than the students, but the idea still stands.  At the secondary levels there is much more room for understanding and growth, even if the curriculum itself does not lend itself towards teaching effort outright.

The second learning strategy we will look at is aptly titled by Pitler et al. (2007) as “Homework and Practice.”  As you can probably guess, this strategy deals largely with homework and other ways of practicing and applying the concepts learned in class.  The benefits of homework are not new knowledge.  The question is how behaviorism plays a role in its successful completion (note that this is different than simple “completion”).  Too often in our classrooms, homework is seen as “busy work.”  It often goes ungraded by the teacher, or at least not in a timely manner.  However, Pitler and his colleagues caution us about homework stating that: “Because it is easy for errors to slip in when students are practicing, teachers should give feedback as quickly as possible – ideally, early in the practice sessions, before students internalize erroneous processes” (p. 188).  As students practice with the content we have taught them, they are reinforcing skill sets.  If they continue to do something wrong, the theory of behaviorism says that they will continue doing it until there is no longer reinforcement or there is a negative response (ex: wrong answer, or no answer).  The key word for educators has to be “Feedback.”  It is through feedback, be it positive or negative, that we are able to adjust the track of behavior.  The earlier we can provide this feedback, the more likely students will attain the correct responses and patterns in the future.

Technology is giving teachers (and peers) more and more opportunities to provide feedback to students early and quickly.  The most obvious pieces of tech is a word processor.  The new versions of these, such as Microsoft Word, allow educators or peers to insert comments and make changes.  In this way we can direct the behavior of a student by providing reinforcements (both positive and negative).  Online tutorials are also becoming more and more popular.  As Orey (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011) explains, these tutorials provide instant feedback to guide behavior.  The best of these tutorials provide instant remediation for incorrect answers.  Pitler et al. (2007) discuss how students, or teachers, can provide similar experiences by creating PowerPoint games using action buttons and hyperlinks.  Even better are the ever advancing abilities to work collaboratively online through programs like Wikis.  Through these, students can instantly modify and provide feedback to a peer.  Teachers can monitor changes and redirect (reinforce) groups who need guidance.  There are many more ways technology can be used to support homework and practice, and this list is only going to continue to grow.  I also hope you have seen several examples of how behaviorism plays a key part in modern education.

Resources:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Behaviorist learning theory [DVD]. Bridging Learning Theory Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore, MD: Author. 

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. 

Standridge, M.. (2002). Behaviorism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved March 7, 2012 from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/