Behaviorism in Practice

Drill and practice can be a good thing for student learning if it is positively reinforced. Playing games on the computer to enhance student performance is a great way to keep them engaged in learning. I feel it is important for my first grade to understand the connection between effort and success. At the first grade level it is a bit difficult to plot and show the success related to effort because I feel my class is eager to do well because they want attention. Homework for my students is a way to practice the skills taught that day. It is another opportunity to practice their skills for proficiency.

There is a place for behaviorist learning theory in today’s classroom and instructional technology. Skinner’s model of operant conditioning where desired behaviors were rewarded and undesired behaviors were punished describes some of my classroom management strategies. With my class we develop class rules and procedures. When their behavior is unacceptable the consequences occur immediately after the behavior. In Pavlov’s theory, the positive behavior is reinforced with incentives. One incentive that I use for my first grade is a sticker chart. I give them stickers for following school and class rules. When it is filled with about 30 stickers they can trade it for a prize and get a new chart. Giving away our school mammoth tickets is a good way to help my first grade exhibit acceptable behavior and buy prizes. Another successful positive reinforcer is the moving of their name cards on the stop light. They are motivated to move up and down the light because at the end of the day the color they land on is recorded on the behavior communication calendar. This is our parent/family connection. This is only successful if the positive behaviors are consistently rewarded with positive praise and the negative behaviors are given consequences every time.

Drill and practice, remediation, and traditional tutorial programs have a place in today’s classroom. For math we practice addition and subtraction facts. In our computer lab my students play math games with addition and subtraction facts and are rewarded to go to the next level. Sometimes there are the prompts that say “good job”, “you are correct”, and “wonderful”. When they are incorrect they are given a pleasant response and can continue to try until they get the correct response. The students are encouraged to keep trying because they are not stopped or embarrassed about being incorrect. They are always excited about going to the lab for practice. We also collect data on when they master their addition and math facts. We encourage them to show them that as long as they are trying and not giving up they will do better on the next test (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).This has been a great motivator and has given my students some well needed self esteem. I feel my students can also be challenged by going to the next level. They may start in the first grade level and as they progress they will be doing more difficult problems for enrichment.

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.
Posting for Walden University; EDUC 6711 Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology.