Behaviourism DTLLS: Learning and its Assessment

Conditioning Classical conditioning, identified by Pavlov

Classical conditioning Ivan Pavlov Experiments with dogs Dogs salivate at arrival of food; this is a natural response Food preceded by ringing a bell Ultimately, dogs salivate at ringing of a bell; this is an artificial response

What does this tell us? By pairing a natural response with an artificial response, the two become associated. The response is therefore conditioned

How could this be linked to education: can you give an example of classical conditioning in the teaching/learning context?

What about some people’s negative experiences of school affecting their mindset in a post-compulsory education context

Operant conditioning - Skinner If a response is to be repeated, there needs to be some kind of reinforcement In operant conditioning, responses are strengthened or weakened by the consequences or reactions to the behaviour

Thorndike Experimented with kittens trying to access food which is placed outside its cage Identified the ‘law of effect’ which states that behaviour leading to pleasant consequences is likely to be repeated

Reinforcement Think of something you have done for no reward at all Chances are, you can’t!

Positive reinforcement Positive reinforcement is the acquisition of something a person wants The proper use of positive reinforcement will increase the likelihood of the rewarded behaviour happening again in the future

What types of positive reinforcement do you use?

Neo-behaviourists Of course, this type of theory was quite restrictive Gagne and Skinner broadened the theory to include a human perspective and this was termed neo-behaviourism

So, what is behaviourism? Learning from the behaviourist point of view is the increased probability of a behaviour which has taken place in the past re-ocurring due to reinforcement The happenings that occur before a behaviour are known as the stimuli; they prod the behaviour to occur. That behaviour is then strengthened or weakened (reinforced) by the consequences that follow

Key points about behaviourism Actions followed by good outcomes are likely to recur, and actions followed by bad outcomes are less likely to recur (Skinner 1953)

How to apply behaviourism Discuss the examples on the handout and decide whether you could apply any of them to your own teaching. It may help to work with people who teach in a similar area to you.

Key features of behaviourist theory for the classroom Knowledge is finite Goals prescribed Motivation is extrinsic Stimulus required in order to learn Dependency on teacher Teacher-centred Learners are passive Surface learning approach Focus is on completion of a task

Key points for the learning environment Routines can be made clear Routines and learning should be reinforced Rewards are an incentive Punishments are also effective Rote learning can be helpful