The Behavioral School of Thought (TEACHING AND LEARNING)

BEHAVIORISM

School of thought focused on observable behavior.

BEHAVIOR

shaped by external/environmental stimuli

Contiguity, Classical Conditioning, Operant Conditioning, Social Learning.

Major concepts of behaviorism

CONTIGUITY

A Simple stimulus–response (S-R) pairings.

Example: Lightning → Thunder; Columbus → 1492.

Educational illustration: Vocabulary/matching facts through S-R connections.

CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

New stimulus paired with original stimulus to evoke same response.

Pavlov’s Dogs: Bell/assistant → Salivation.

Classroom example: Homework given at end of class → packing bags (like bell).

Teaching implication: Vary timing of assignments to avoid unintended associations.

OPERANT CONDITIONING

Learning through reinforcement (rewards/consequences).

Rewarded behavior → repeated; unrewarded → reduced.

Example: Jason’s essay praised & displayed → motivated to write more.

Teaching implication: Use praise, feedback, and recognition strategically.

SOCIAL LEARNING

Learning by watching others (Bandura, 1986).

Four processes: Attention → Retention → Reproduction → Reinforcement.

Examples: Children imitating superheroes (Batman cape play).

Students modeling peers who are praised.

Teaching implication: Teachers must model desired behaviors (enthusiasm,

respect).

Attention

Retention

Reproduction

Reinforcement

The four process of social learning

OBSERVATIONAL LEARNING

other Term of social learning

1. Direct Instruction (DI)

2. Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI)

3. Mastery Learning

4. Precision Teaching (PT)

5. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)

Behavioral Approaches to Teaching

DIRECT INSTRUCTION (DI)

 Features: Small steps, many examples, frequent questions, corrective feedback.

 Programmed instruction: Step-by-step, self-paced, reinforcement at each stage.

COMPUTER-ASSISTED INSTRUCTION (CAI)

 Drill & practice software; follows S-R-reinforcement pattern.

 Can also support cognitive and creative tasks.

 Example: Story-making and illustrating programs.

MASTERY LEARNING

 All students expected to reach criterion (e.g., 80%).

 Cycle: Instruction → Test 1 → Enrichment or Corrective Instruction → Test 2.

 Goal: Immediate help for slow learners; enrichment for fast learners.

PRECISION TEACHING

 Emphasis on fluency and practice (“practice makes perfect”).

 Daily one-minute drills; progress charting by learners.

 Reported gains: 2 years of growth in 1 year.

APPLIED-BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS (ABA)

 Systematic use of operant conditioning in clinical/educational settings.

 Steps: Identify behavior → Baseline data → Intervention (reinforcement) → Monitor change.

 Classroom example: Encouraging Jane to expand her writing through guided praise

and reinforcement.