Learning occurs in many different ways. Over the years, researchers have developed behavioral and social learning theories. Pavlov, Skinner, and Bandura are key researchers of learning theories.
Ivan Pavlov's research resulted in classical conditioning, a behavioral learning theory. In his work, Pavlov discovered that "a neutral stimulus that at first prompts no response becomes paired with an unconditioned stimulus and gains the power of that stimulus to cause a response" (Slavin, 2015, p.102). He found that subjects could be conditioned for a certain behavior.
B. F. Skinner, a researcher who focused on the relationship between behaviors and consequences, developed the theory of operant conditioning. Skinner's work revealed that both pleasant and unpleasant consequences changed behaviors (Slavin, 2015, p.101). When a consequence is enjoyed and prompts increasing the frequency of the behavior, it is said to be a reinforcer. Any consequence that is undesirable and decreases the occurrence of the behavior is called a punisher.
Behavior learning theorists believe that consequences should occur immediately following an action; a connection should be made between the behavior and the consequence (Slavin, 2015, p.107-108). They also agree that all efforts should first be made to praise good decisions before issuing a consequence. In addition, shaping is a process in which researchers believe subjects can be guided step by step to success; instead of expecting the end product to be exhibited right away, a person is praised along the way, acknowledging each milestone.
Albert Bandura's work with social learning theory supports observational learning. His work suggests that people learn a great deal from modeling and vicarious learning. He believes that when a person mimics an observed behavior, he/she expects the observed outcome. Bandura's observational learning theory includes four phases: attentional, retention, reproduction, and motivational (Slavin, 2015, p.114).
Reflection
Over the last few days, I have paid closer attention to my words and actions regarding behaviors, both at school and at home. Reading about the various behavioral and social learning theories served as a great reminder. Children need to have good examples to follow, and they need ample guidance on desired expectations.
Just as the age-old saying goes, "monkey see, monkey do." I agree with the work of Bandura; children will mimic the behavior they see modeled. Whether a behavior is seen at home, on television, or on the playground, students will likely repeat what they see and hear. For example, if a pop culture cartoon character consistently calls others a jerk, a child who watches the show will likely begin calling people a jerk. It is vital that I model the behaviors I want my students and daughters to imitate. If I expect my students to walk silently on the right side of the hall, I should walk silently on the right side of the hall. If I expect my daughters to use good table manners at dinner, I should exhibit good table manners at the dinner table.
According to Skinner's operant conditioning theory, I should reinforce any behaviors I expect students to exhibit (Slavin, 2015, p.104). Some students are intrinsically motivated, but many of my students are extrinsically motivated; I offer incentives for positive choices. The most eye-opening material I read involved reinforcers and punishers, specifically positive and negative reinforcers. I was amazed by the content regarding students talking out in class. I feel certain that in most cases I have acknowledged a student for speaking out at an inappropriate time, reprimanding and correcting the behavior. By doing so, I have been reinforcing the behavior; even though I am not giving a pleasant response to the behavior, my interaction serves as a negative reinforcer. Instead, I should ignore the students who are not following directions and publicly praise those students who are choosing obedience.
Even before this class began, I was already in conversation with some of my colleagues about routines and procedures. At the beginning of each school year, I feel that I have been jumping too quickly into curriculum, sacrificing the appropriate time needed for habits to form with routines and procedures. One of my goals for the 2017-2018 school year is to structure my first week around behaviors rather than content. Then, along the way, I plan to carve out time for practice. Using the work of Skinner and Bandura as a foundation, hopefully I will instill behaviors that promote a better learning environment.
References
Slavin, R. E. (2015). Educational psychology: Theory and practice (11th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.
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