Some people say that behaviorism has no place in schools. In fact, Dr. Orey goes so far as to say that psychiatrists and psychologists would say this (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). Of course, that would be to ignore the power of the theory in the day in and day out operation of schools. Many schools rely on this school of thought to manage their discipline programs and prepare for state tests. In addition, operant conditioning is a hallmark of the Positive Behavioral Support model that so many schools have adopted. But it is easy to see how behaviorism would be effective in managing student behavior. So what then is all the hullabaloo about when it comes to behaviorism in schools? Well, behaviorism doesn't translate well into higher level learning. Does that mean that it doesn't have a place in the classroom? The answer, in m
y mind, is a resounding yes and no.
Like anything, behaviorism when used intentionally and for specific purposes can be very effective at providing students with a way to understand some foundational concepts. When used as a way to reinforce a skill such as identification, this strategy can be effective. Take, for instance, the use of programs like Study Island for test preparation. When focusing on identification of sentence parts, a relatively low level skill, the model of immediate reinforcement can increase test scores and help students to work on memorization of factual information. This is also true for tracking effort on assignments as is presented by Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski (2007). The concept of behaviorism can also be easily applied to mathematical problems where consistent practice of a skill is beneficial when there is immediate feedback on the work of the student (Pitler et al., 2007).
In fact, the whole concept of grades as reinforcements of behavior is a tradition in education. Even when grades are substituted for proficiency levels, the idea is the same. When students spreadsheets of scores so that they can see their progress over time, they are really engaging in the concepts presented in behaviorism. The student's behavior is affected by outside factors. This is also true for the breakdown of specific skills and behavioral objectives that show up in classrooms as preparation for standardized testing. Standardized testing relies on this kind of model because authentic, product based assessments are individualized and not easily molded into a behaviorism model in the way that simple identification, knowledge level questions, and descriptions do. Smith (2000) describes this process in terms of looking at curriculum as a product.
One of the biggest pitfalls of behaviorism is that it can be used as the end all be all approach to education. When this happens, as it is happening in many schools who focus simply on standardized test preparation, students are not engaged in the kinds of meaningful interactions with content or technology that could make their learning experiences truly life changing (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). There is a place for behaviorism in the classroom and it can be used with effectiveness especially in online learning
environments with tutorials, but it must be used intentionally and with a clear purpose in order to provide a high quality learning experience for the students and the teachers. To say that behaviorism should be removed from the toolbox of educators is like saying that a metric wrench is useless for cars; what would be more appropriate would be to specify the cars that a metric wrench could be used on effectively. Just because the wrench is old it does not mean that it shouldn't be used. In some circumstances this strategy can be effective in the same way that a wrench could; it just depends on the knowledge and skill of the user.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program four. Behaviorist Learning Theory [Motion picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Smith, M. K. (1996, 2000) 'Curriculum theory and practice'the encyclopaedia of informal education, www.infed.org/biblio/b-curric.htm.
Sometimes I think we have gotten away from teaching and learning, in favor of testing. We teach to the test. I do not belive that the remediation programs are the be all and end all in education, however, they are wonderful when it comes to individual instruction. I teach at a PBS school, and I cannot imagine a behavior management plan that does not include behaviorism.
ReplyDeleteI like your analogy, don't throw out the metric wrench just specify it's use.
Sean-
ReplyDeleteYour analogy is dead on. It is so easy to take that wrench and beat your kids on the head with it (focusing your instruction only at a state exam.) As I look around my school I see so many colleagues tripped up by this specific point. If a teacher is providing meaningful instruction, as well as, reinforcing skills that have been learned students will have the skills necessary to be successful on any test. In fact, they will possess the skills necessary to be successful in the rapidly changing world that we live in.
I enjoyed reading your post. I agree with you. Behaviorism has its purpose in school. I also agree that it limits creativity. It seems very cut and dry.
ReplyDeleteI also liked how you related it to standardized tests. Unless we change the ultimate way of assessment in our country, behaviorism will continue to play a big role in the learning process. It is funny how we preach trying to think at a higher level, yet we test at a lower level.