Behaviorism in Practice

Teachers often need to perform duties that are outside of the written job description. Every child is unique, and in turn requires individualized attention and instruction. Teachers need to determine how to most efficiently get the information across to the students so they can process, internalize, and eventually pass on the information. Behaviorism is defined as a way to learn through the reinforcement of positive behaviors and the ignoring or punishment of unwanted behaviors (Smith, 1999). Teachers must be prepared to employ both strategies in the best interest of all students. Although I personally feel that it is best to reinforce positive behaviors most of the time, there are occasions where punishment or ignoring is necessary.

I personally find myself using positive reinforcement more frequently. My school has been self-sustaining a school-wide behavioral program for the past 6 years. The program was created at The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and is called Positive Behavioral Support In Schools or P.B.S.I.S. The program required extensive research on the school community, environment, building, and current behavior management systems. The program offers students a chance to get “caught” doing good deeds throughout the school day for a chance to earn a ticket. The tickets are then put into a raffle or drawing where the students can then win a bigger weekly prize. Again tickets are combined into a larger pool where monthly and yearly prizes are drawn. Students are very receptive to the program and always looking to earn tickets. The program also uses other behavioral plans to address the children who seem to have the most trouble following rules. Sometimes it can result in punishment. Whether it is to internalize information that is academic or social, methods such as drill and practice, remediation and small group direct instruction definitely have a place in education. Being that I am a teacher of students with disabilities, these strategies are used in my classroom daily. Although the goal is to eventually remove the scaffolding, some students will require these strategies for the rest of their lives. The district also requires that objectives are posted for each lesson, therefore making it clear to the students what the expectations are.

Although some students have difficulty with academics, they can achieve points and positive reinforcement through effort. Reinforcing Effort is a way of helping children understand the relationship between effort and achievement (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). Students who are not always accurate with academics can still feel successful. My school has installed Promethean Boards in each classroom, which allows me to post student effort and classroom behavioral charts on the board. I usually have a teacher vs. students tally on the board and printed up individual plans on student desks if necessary.

Instructional technology definitely has a place in today’s classroom. Almost every career path today involves the use of technology in some capacity. Our job as educators is to expose children to real life situations and prepare them for the real world. This can be done through homework and practice, which gives students a chance to review and apply what they have learned (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). The Internet gives teachers and students endless possibilities on how to apply and enhance what they learned. It also offers repetition, and serves as a reward because the children love to use technology. 

As an educator, it is very important to understand the needs of our students. The Behaviorist Learning Theory allows teachers the opportunity to establish routines that have rewards and consequences for students. In addition, the strategies that are implemented in the classroom are equally important. Recognizing how strategies and learning theories are interconnected will enhance the learning within the classroom environment.

References

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

Smith, K. (1999). The behaviourist orientation to learning. In The encyclopedia of informal education. Retrieved from http://www.infed.org/biblio/learning-behavourist.htm