Behavioral Learning Theory

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Behavioral Learning Theory
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Assumptions of Behaviorism

• All species of animals learn in similar (equal
  ways with the same guiding principles
• To understand learning processes, focus on
  stimulus and responses
• Internal process should be excluded from the
  study of learning.
• Learning is evidenced by a behavior change

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Assumptions of Behaviorism (cont.)

• Organisms are blank slates at birth
• Learning is a result of environmental events

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Two main types of Learning

• Classical conditioning addresses learning of
  involuntary responses. For example when the
  sound of a bell alone stimulates saliva flow in
  dogs.
• Operant conditioning addresses learning of
  voluntary responses.

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Comparisons
Classical conditioning Operant conditioning
Two stimuli, UCS and CS, are paired A response (R) is followed by a reinforcing stimulus (S)
Involuntary behavior elicited by a stimulus Voluntary behavior emitted by an organism
CS CR R S OR S-R-S
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Your turn!

• With a partner, list two examples of operant
  conditioning that you have used or that you see
  regularly in your classroom or school.
• Try to think of a behavioral example and an
  instructional or academic example.

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A-B-C Model

• Behavior is sandwiched between
• Antecedants (a stimulus that comes before the
  behavior)
• Consequences (a stimulus that comes after a
  behavior)

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Consequences

• Reinforcement
• Punishment

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Reinforcement

• Positive reinforcer Rewards or something
  desireable is received after a behavior occurs
• Negative reinforcer Escapes or something
  undesirable is avoided after a behavior occurs

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Punishment

• Presentation punishment An undesirable stimulus
  is received after a behavior occurs
• Removal punishment A desireable is lost or
  removed after a behavior occurs

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Your turn

• With a partner, list consequences (reinforcers
  and punishers) that you OR your school uses on a
  regular basis to produce the behavior you desire
  in your students.
• Which ones are effective? Why or why not?

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Antecedents

• A prompt of cue that comes before a behavior that
  results in the correct behavior being elicited.

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Your turn!

• Alone, answer the following questions
• What antecedents do you use on a daily basis to
  get the behavior you wish from your students?
• Are the antecedents effective?

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Like it or Not---From the behaviorist
perspective,

• the teacher MUST be active in getting the
  behavior they wish from their students.
• if the teacher is not actively involved, they
  will not regularly see the behavior they wish or
  be certain the behavior was learned.
• if a student does not learn (demonstrate the
  behavior) then the teacher did not teach it.

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Application of Behaviorism to Instruction

• Teaching that is behaviorist in nature is often
  referred to as
• Direct teaching
• Explicit teaching
• Expository teaching
• Teacher-led instruction

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Behaviorism (cont.)

• What areas of Blooms Taxonomy might behaviorism
  address?
• Knowledge, Comprehension, Application,
  Analysis, Synthesis, or Evaluation?

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Phases in a Behaviorist Lesson

• Orientation overview, explains why, etc.

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Phases (cont.)

• Presentation explain how to, steps, demonstrate
  how to.
• Presented in very small steps with mastery of
  each step the goal
• Numerous examples with teacher demonstrating
  correct responses
• When difficulty is encountered, additional
  explanations and examples given.
• Constant evaluation of ALL students
  understanding.

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Phases (cont.)

• Practice phase
• Structured practice whole class led through
  each step of the problem with teacher leading and
  checking for everyones understanding.
• Guided practice students work on a few examples
  alone at their desks. Teacher circulates and
  monitors, providing corrective feedback and
  reinforcement
• Independent practice students given a few
  examples just like what had been learned to
  practice alone. Feedback is not necessarily
  immediate (i.e. next day).

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Guidelines for Practice

• From a behavioral perspective, students should
  only practice what they already know how to do.
• Provide short but intense practice sessions (no
  more than 30-40 minutes for middle/high school)
• Monitor carefully and provide corrective feedback
  and reinforcement
• Incorrect responses which are not corrected
  become part of the learners behavior and impede
  progress toward subsequent learning

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Guidelines for Practice (cont.)

• Do not engage students in independent practice
  until have 85 success in guided practice
• Space structured practice close together with
  guided and independent sessions gradually further
  and further apart.

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Your turn

• In small groups, describe a lesson in which you
  have used the behaviorist approach (just one
  lesson for the entire group). What do you know
  now that would have made the lesson better and
  improved the likelihood that students would have
  learned better. How would you change that lesson?