Lessons Learned
“Learning by doing”(Smith, 1999). In this week’s resources I read about the way behaviorists believe students learn due to their environment and their objective to get to the right answer.
Michael Orey, the presenter of The Behaviorist Theory talked of the B.F. Skinner model of programmed instruction, which is now known of as online tutorials. Much like this instruction I read in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, that implementing the strategies of “reinforcing effort” and “homework and practice” the students are able to see progress with their work.
In chapter eight of this weeks reading Pitler spoke of the learning strategy, “reinforcing effort”. Two courses back I remember reflecting back on this learning strategy and its positive light of allowing students to pace their progress on a spreadsheet. While the teacher is still involved in encouragement, the students make an input and output spreadsheet of their own. Much like this week’s reading the authors spoke of how influential it is for students to see their growth and desired goal. Giving personal effort is the only factor in our total control (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K., 2007).
“Homework and Practice” was the strategy discussed in chapter ten of this week’s book, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. The book discussed the use of online tutorials and how children are able to learn and correct their own answers using these tools. Much like the website http://www.coolmath.com/, the students are able to practice the specific drill on their own instead of having a teacher tell them the right or wrong answers. This educational technology tool allows the students to learn on their own with minimal help from the teacher, using the strategy of “homework and practice”.
“Reinforcing effort” and “Homework and Practice” are very relative to the behaviorist learning theory. These strategies help students see that the amount of effort that is put into something shows the greatest reward. The “homework and practice” strategy allows the students to practice and drill until they reach the answer that is correct. The key is learning by doing and these two strategies allow students to change their own behavior.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with
classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Orey, M. (Photographer). (n.d.). Behaviorist learning theory.
[Print Photo]. Retrieved from
Smith, K. (1999). The behaviourist orientation to learning.
In The encyclopedia of informal education. Retrieved from
Natalie, I like the connection of having students pace their own learning and goals. When students set their own goals for themselves, they are far more likely to reach them than when we set the goals for them!
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