Behaviorism in Practice

This week our course resources focused primarily on the behaviorist learning theory.  Our assignment is to describe how the two instructional strategies, reinforcing effort, and homework and practice, correlate with the principles of the behaviorist learning theory. 

“A key element of the behaviorist learning theory is the rewarded response.  The desired response must be rewarded in order for learning to take place”  (Orey, 2001).  Students who are rewarded will continue a desired behavior or response, and those responses that are ignored or punished, will decrease.   This stimulus-response association can positively impact classroom behaviors, academics, and also reinforce study skills.  “Students can learn to operate from a belief that effort pays off even if they do not initially have this belief” (Pitler, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).

The behaviorist approach believes that, “frequent practice-and practice in varied contexts-is necessary for learning to take place.  Skills are not acquired without frequent practice”  (Smith, 1999).  Marzano claims that, “Typically, students need about 24 practice sessions with a skill in order to achieve 80-percent competency” (Pitler, 2007).  Reading this fact really made me stop and think about how often student really get that amount of exposure to material due to the race to meet the requirements of the high stakes tests.  As if the vast amount of skills we are required to teach weren’t enough, often times we also have to teach the prerequisite skills students are lacking, and now we are being told that students need 24 practice sessions or more to achieve mastery?  There simply isn’t enough time!  However, assigning purposeful homework assignments can help.  “Homework provides opportunities for students to deepen their understanding of the content and to gain proficiency with their skills”  (Pitler, 2007).  

How then does technology play into all of this?  “Technology facilitates homework and practice by providing a wealth of resources for learning outside of the classroom, making it easy for students to work on collaborative homework assignments and providing ‘drill and practice’ resources that help students refine their skills” (Pitler, 2007).  The Internet is a wealth of information providing lessons, practice or application, and even games to enhance skills.  Online lessons are especially beneficial because students can watch them over and over until they fully understand, or they can simply search to find another method that makes more sense to them. 

“Technology makes it easier for students and teachers to track the effects of effort and facilitates more immediate feedback”  (Pitler, 2007).  Much of the software or programs that are available offer immediate feedback.  This lets the child know how they are doing, which will help to keep them from practicing or perfecting doing something incorrectly.  When the animated figure pops up with an encouraging word or tip, the students will begin to gain an understanding of the desired behavior or outcome.  When they are kept from moving on to the next level because of answering incorrectly, students will want to earn access to the next level and continue to persevere.  Students and teachers have access to reports that clearly state the students’ progress.   No longer will students be able to “slide under the radar” if they are struggling in a subject, the reports will indicate this. 

There are effective software programs that strengthen mathematical skills such as ALEKS (http://www.aleks.com/)  or SuccessMaker  (http://www.pearsonschool.com/index.cfm?locator=PSZk99).  However these programs cost a significant amount of money, and many schools simply cannot afford to purchase these licenses.  In addition, to these, there are many free sites that offer great remediation or practice.  I currently use www.edmodo.com to post assignments and to have students respond to math questions online, or submit homework or game results through our Edmodo site  Some of our favorite sites for math games are:  www.mathplayground.com, www.hoodamath.com, http://www.coolmath-games.com/, www.multiplication.com, https://www.acuityathome.com/index.jsp, and many more.  

“Parental involvement in doing homework should be kept to a minimum”  (Pitler, 2007).  I agree with this statement for a number of reasons.  First of all, many of my students who would need the extra assistance with homework are the ones who are home alone the majority of the night while their parents work to earn money to pay the bills.  The second reason I agree with this statement, is because parents have been out of school for a number of years and simply may not remember how to apply a mathematical formula, or never learned the content using the same strategies their child is expected to master.  By incorporating technology into the homework, students can access online tutorials if needed; they can see sample problems and revisit the information learned in class.  Social networking can allow the students to contact the teacher or even other classmates for clarification on what an assignment was or tips to successfully complete an assignment.  Students can also practice their basic skills by playing educational games and get feedback that would be missing if they were home alone. 

Homework and reinforcement go hand in hand with the behaviorist approach.  The behaviorist approach states that students need multiple exposures to content in order to master the skills, and reinforcement provides students with feedback based on their progress to promote desired outcomes.  Carefully selected homework can provide students with the opportunities needed to practice and develop mastery of skills.  “Having students practice a skill or concept enhances their ability to reach the expected level of proficiency.  Multiple exposures to material help students deepen their understanding of content and become proficient with skills”  (Pitler, 2007).  Incorporating technology into the homework assignments or projects takes homework t o the next level by offering immediate feedback and thus reinforcing the desired outcomes or responses. 

References:

Orey, M. (Ed.).  (2001).  Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology.  Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Main_Page

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

Smith, K. (1999).  The behaviourist orientation to learning.  In The encyclopedia of informal education.  Retrieved from http://www.infed.org/biblio/learning-behaviourist.htm