Behaviorism by Taylor Renee Welch

Instructional Design- Behaviorism

trwelch1 — 2020-06-04 16:12:51 UTC

I found this website that explains behaviorism, the founders of behaviorism, and the positives/negatives associated with this learning theory. I thought it was important to note the website stated that although there are faults with this theory, there is a time and place when it can be very effective. -Taylor

PBIS in School

schoepke1 — 2020-06-04 18:29:24 UTC

When I read about behaviorism, I immediately thought of PBIS, a positive behavior system we use at school. PBIS is very much based on the ideas of behaviorism. Here is a website that not only shares the ideas of PBIS but shares its connections to this theory.
~Sara

A Case Against Behaviorism in Schools

schoepke1 — 2020-06-04 18:35:00 UTC

This article defended why using ideas of behaviorism in school may be counter-productive. The biggest point it brings up is that much research supports that people are more successfully driven by intrinsic motivators than extrinsic, yet schools tend to be heavily driven by extrinsic motivators...data, grades, incentives, etc. Another interesting piece to think about.

~Sara

Behaviorism in Classrooms

schoepke1 — 2020-06-04 18:42:22 UTC

This article was more pro-bahaviorism in the classroom and gave a good overview of how we see evidence of this in schools. This article states "Behaviorism in the classroom revolves around observable behaviors that can be measured. This includes actions, not thoughts or feelings." I feel that it is important to manage observable behaviors that are measurable but I think that thoughts and feelings need to also be considered.

~Sara

Class Dojo tool supports behaviorist theory and more

schoepke1 — 2020-06-04 18:53:55 UTC

This article discusses a popular classroom management app that support not only the ideas of behaviorism but also has now expanded its support to ideas of growth mindset and the work of Carol Dweck and character development.

~Sara

Reasons to reject Class Dojo

schoepke1 — 2020-06-04 18:57:42 UTC

This blog post is in contrast to the previous article I posted about supporting Class Dojo. I always like to see both sides of the argument so that I can create my own thinking about an idea or tool. This provided an interesting contrast.

~Sara

The Office and Behaviorism

trwelch1 — 2020-06-05 15:07:22 UTC

I am a big fan of The Office and just had to post this for an example of Behaviorism. It highlights the importance of repetition and reinforcement with this learning theory...plus its a good laugh! :) -Taylor

Punishments and Rewards in Education

trwelch1 — 2020-06-05 15:45:14 UTC

This article comes along with a video testing the idea of rewards vs punishments. In the video, he explains that giving a punishment (negative feedback to performance) had no effect on the next performance, while it was thought that it would increase performance. Then, the article explains the importance of praising the behavior, not the person which results in a growth mindset as opposed to a fixed mindset. -Taylor

roseam2 — 2020-06-05 21:56:42 UTC

What Would it Take to Turn Back the Wave of Behaviorism in American Education?

In this blog article, three main education researchers are discussed. Their works challenge us to think about how we use the reward/punishment system especially with those who are most oppressed in our systems. Is it merely to gain control and develop superficialities? Or is it apart of the whole to further motivate not by the "material consequence of our actions, but more fully by the inherent enjoyment and meaning that those actions bring us...and meeting needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness?" I found it challenged me to think fully about what our goal, outcomes and objectives really are each and every lesson and interaction.

Abby Rose

Technology Will Save Us (Right?)

ande2737 — 2020-06-06 11:16:10 UTC

If you can get past the clickbait title, this is a good (albeit brief) warning about the intersection of behaviorism and technology that seems to have gone mostly unheeded (it was published in 2017.) - Jason

Developmental Designs Works

ande2737 — 2020-06-06 11:23:15 UTC

I've never had significant problems with classroom management. But learning about DD has made me an even more effective nurturer and teacher (and yes, I put nurturing children ahead of teaching them; if a child doesn't think you care about them, they will make the conscious decision to >not< learn from you. I've seen it happen.) I was lucky to learn DD from a colleague who is brave enough to tell his audiences what a truly bad, even harmful, teacher he was before embracing DD. - Jason

Why Throw and Burn Things?

ande2737 — 2020-06-06 11:57:51 UTC

Abstract: Behaviorism can be very effective, if your goal is to terrorize and create fear in marginalized communities. Warning: May have long-term, unintended consequences when the subjects reach a breaking point.

Amber Ruffin is a national treasure. Props to Seth Myers for giving her a platform. - Jason

How Will I Apply Behaviorist Philosophy in the Classroom?

2020-06-07 00:47:58 UTC

This is a short and straightforward article explaining situations in which behaviorist learning theory may be used in classroom settings. It primarily focuses with the four types of reinforcement/punishment (mostly focusing on the reinforcement side, rather than strict punishment). The author explains how some techniques may be more useful than others.
Overall, it seems primarily geared towards teachers of younger students, though I suppose the techniques could also be used for older students with some success.
-Samantha

Dimensions of Person-Centered Classroom Management

2020-06-07 00:54:30 UTC

This is a short scholarly article that explores alternatives to behaviorism as a disciplinary technique. Though more tangentially related to behaviorism, this article demonstrates some of the shortcomings of traditional disciplinary techniques in classrooms, many of which are aligned to reinforcement and punishment and teacher-directed. The authors, instead, advocate for person-centered classrooms which result in greater academic achievement.
This was an interesting consideration of the downsides of behaviorism as the go-to disciplinary style in education.
-Samantha

Behaviorism from UGA's Emerging Perspectives on Learning, Teaching and Technology

2020-06-07 01:04:08 UTC

This page is a Wikipedia-like article on behaviorism by Melissa Standridge at the University of Georgia. The article explores the origins of behavioral theory as well as their uses in educational settings. It is in depth without being overwhelming and its familiar format similar to Wikipedia pages makes it very accessible for students and educators alike.
-Samantha

Observations From an Old Librarian

ande2737 — 2020-06-07 12:08:22 UTC

Because our group’s collective contributions to the padlet so far seem to establish a good baseline understanding of behaviorism, this post is simply some personal observations from my career.

While I have embraced the idea that the ‘Leave it to Beaver’ model of education (desks in a line, students answering questions as a chorus,) is outdated, and not-even-close to being culturally responsive, I have never entirely abandoned behaviorism. The reason? I’ve seen it employed effectively and repeatedly by several different teachers during my career. Both of the cases I mention here involve schools where roughly 66% of students were on free and reduced lunch, and 66% of sixth graders came to the school reading below grade level. Student body makeup was about 40% white, 25% African-American, and 25% Latinx. One school had about 8% Asian, the other did not. Many of my students at both suffered trauma. Colleagues D and J each had rooms with desks in rows 80% of the time. D’s was a math class, J’s a language arts class. Over the course of four years collaborating with D and two with J, I saw their students thrive. They taught with compassion, but also with high demands. As with most things, behaviorism has flaws, but also potential if one is willing to be flexible, and adapt parts of the theory, while jettisoning troublesome aspects. - Jason

The Problem with Behaviorism

roseam2 — 2020-06-07 15:48:23 UTC

Here is an article that thoroughly defends the problem with behaviorism. "In this document I will provide the history of positive behavior intervention and supports, the approach chosen by the national technical assistance center (PBIS.org), and the harm and contribution that approach is making to the disproportionate discipline rates for children with disabilities."
-Abby Rose

Why Behaviorism...

roseam2 — 2020-06-07 15:54:30 UTC

This article shares visuals and graphics of pros and cons of behaviorism in certain contexts etc. I found it helpful.
Abby Rose