Behaviorism in Practice: Application 1

When it comes to applying behaviorist methods in the classroom, I believe that teachers must be very careful. According to Dr. Orey (2001), there are both positive and negative aspects to behaviorism, especially when technology is involved. When choosing which methods to use, I believe that teachers must keep in mind that the most effective aspect of behaviorism is reinforcement, which can be very powerful, as Dr. Orey points out (2001). Educational technology can help make reinforcement methods even more powerful, as they allow students to spend more time “increasing their conceptual understanding of skills or processes” through a variety of different software, applications, and web resources, among other things (Pitler, et al., 2007, p. 196).

For example, in this week’s course text, the authors described the use of web resources as a method of reinforcing classroom ideas both in and out of the classroom, as homework. The most important aspect of homework is that it is designed to be done outside of class. When a child needs at least twenty-four practice sessions with a skill before it is mastered, teachers must utilize the time children spend outside of school to reach that goal (Pitler, et al., 2007). Educational online games can provide this practice with skills, and are “appealing” to students while providing “immediate feedback” to the student and monitoring adults (Pitler, et al. 2007, p. 195). Even with my young kindergarten students, this form of reinforcement is easily attainable. When reinforcing classroom information is this easy, this engaging and exciting for students, and this simple for teachers and parents to monitor, technology becomes an amazing tool in helping increase the likelihood that students will achieve and continue to achieve academic success. This increase in the likelihood of a desired behavior is, of course, an idea central to behaviorism.

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

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