Behaviourism - good to begin with

Behaviourism (applying positive reinforcement) is sometimes a useful approach in my primary teaching context (children 4-13 years old), particularly in the area of behaviour management. However, behaviourism theory alone definitely does not account for much of the concept and skill learning that occurs in my classroom. When applying positive reinforcement the age of the students impacts on my decision on the type of positive reinforcement to use and the way it is given. For example, a positive behaviour exhibited by a Year 1 child can often be easily made more frequently occur through the awarding of stickers. This use of a material reward seems to be less desirable to the older students.

Routine classroom tasks can successfully be taught through a behaviourist approach to learning. This is “drill and practice” of simple processes or skills. For example positive reinforcement (praise) when 8 year olds put a margin and date on their work page at the beginning of a lesson. NOTE: In my situation this is a school wide expectation (checked by the Principal) not necessarily a priority in my opinion . Basic facts in maths also tends to be taught using this approach as there is an expectation (through explicit instruction) that there is a “warm up” at the beginning of maths lessons to enhance the automatic recall of facts in a quick and accurate fashion. I think the learning of sport specific skills (outside of a formal game situation) in HPE often occurs through a behaviouristic approach – such as the scoring of points when a skill is performed correctly.

When behaviourist theory is applied to a teaching/learning event I would expect the learning outcome to be an increase in the desired behaviour and therefore more frequently observed. It may also result in increased speed and accuracy in an action or content recall. I think it is a teacher led manipulation of behaviour.

Behaviourist theory, leading to a certain choice of pedagogy to match, may work with most individuals, much of the time (probably more so with mechanical, repetitive work), but it does not account for those learners who don’t respond to this stimulus-response task design. It also doesn’t factor in allowing the learner to understand the learner episode - they just “do it”. It doesn’t allow the learner to bring their emotions to the task. We use an online reading software package at our school called Lexia  (Prep to Year 4) that aims to produce reading proficiency. Most students respond well to it initially but they get bored after the first few years. This is why Years 5-7 no longer use the program (off task behaviour in the timetabled classes was an issue) unless they are individuals struggling with literacy acquisition. Some students “hate it”. I think this is because there is no social collaborative aspect to the lessons – students wear headphones and work alone. The teacher aid supervising the classes now awards stickers for level achievement as there is little positive reinforcement built into the online environment.

HOWEVER, my 'kids"aren't rats!