Behaviorist Learning Theory, Instructional Strategies, and Technology Tools

Behaviorism, instructional strategies, and technology tools can work together to create environments and experiences to improve and enhance learning.

Before discussing the relationship between behaviorism, instructional strategies, and technology tools, we must establish an understanding of the three. Behaviorism is the practice that suggests that learning and unlearning can take place through a system of rewards and punishments, an ideal that has been effectively adopted in education (Orey, 2010). Instructional strategies are simply the various techniques that an educator may use to create an effective learning environment. Finally, there are technology tools; these are the programs and items educators use to add variety and improve and enhance student learning (Laureate Education Inc., 2015). These tools can include but are not limited to blogs, Google Sites, Slides and Docs, EdPuzzle, Classroom Dojo, Kahoot! and Quizziz, to name a few.

With behaviorism, students are motivated to do or act out a specific behavior if a worthwhile reward is involved; this includes learning (Pitler et al., 2012). The reality is that students today have always lived in a world of technology. When we connect between their world and the learning experience and environment, they are more motivated to engage. Technology in the classroom, therefore, becomes the reward and a part of the instructional strategy. The Technology Proficiencies encourage educators to use technology to support content and skill development (Laureate Education Inc., 2016). Strategies can include reinforcing effort and providing recognition (Pitler, 2016). They also indicate that for reinforcement and praise to enhance motivation, goals must be achievable to experience success.

Strategies and technology tools work together because technology tools can become the positive reinforcement needed to help motivate students to positively and effectively participate in learning.

Currently, I am using various technology tools to enhance learning and encourage positive behaviors in the classroom. In my all-boys learning support class, I use digital stickers in Schoology to reward positive behaviors. Because they can see them and access them in school or at home, they are motivated to use positive behaviors to earn more. Another tool that I use is google sites to present all of the week’s content so that students can review and discuss as many times as they need, which empowers them as leaders in their learning experience. Additionally, we use Quizziz quite often for pretests, review, and post-testing. They enjoy the competition and work hard to earn scores that are higher than their peers. As a result, the boys have been more willing to review their notes and discuss topics with their classmates. The developed motivation has empowered the boys to actively achieve and demonstrate learning competency, supported by ISTE Student Standard 1.1(ISTE, 2016). In this class, the students are eager to use various tools to create artifacts of their learning. As an educator, I am a designer of activities and learning environments that accommodate their abilities and needs and facilitate their education by providing support through technology as prescribed by the ISTE Standards for Educators (n.d.)

An example of this was one student choosing to create a digital storyboard to explain the impact of Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage on the world’s perception of his Mali Empire. Another student decided to make a Google Slide, and another created a digital poster. The ISTE Student Standards (2016) note that students should be knowledge constructors and creative communicators of their learning which has been evident in my students’ actions and behaviors.

In Module 2, I noted that I would likely use GH or Genius Hour with my students in the future. The desired behaviors that I would like to see my students display from using GH are an increased interest in questioning, researching, and creating, all attributes of the 21^st Century Skills, according to Stauffer (2020).   To achieve this, I intend to use the behaviorist strategy of rewarding positive behaviors through recognition. Ng’andu et al. (2013) discuss the benefits and contributions of behaviorism in the classroom. Reinforcing appropriate behaviors should encourage students to be on task and engage in the activities provided (Ng’andu et al., 2013). Students enjoy praise and are likely to repeat an action or behavior to acquire more of it. As students become more motivated to research topics they are interested in and can share with the class, the more they are rewarded, motivating them to do more, increasing their 21^st-century skills.

Hoose (n.d.) notes that it is important to ensure that students have mastered prerequisite skills when using behaviorism in the classroom. Also, the educator has provided frequent opportunities for correct student responses, use of prompting to ensure proper responses, and immediate reinforcement of those responses. I plan to ensure that my students know how to research and provide opportunities to show that they can question and create evidence of their learning when sharing their findings from Genius Hour.

            Behaviorism has had a tremendous impact on teaching and learning in education for both students and teachers alike.

 

 

References

Flippen, C. H. (n.d.). Behaviorism - Educational Technology & Learning Theories. Educational Technology & Learning Theories. Retrieved November 27, 2021, from https://edtechtheory.weebly.com/behaviorism.html

Hoose, N. A.-V. (n.d.). Behaviorism in the Classroom | Educational Psychology. Lumen Learning – Simple Book Production. Retrieved November 28, 2021, from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/edpsy/chapter/behaviorism-in-the-classroom/

 International Society for Technology in Education. (n.d.). ISTE Standards: Educators | ISTE. We Are ISTE | ISTE. Retrieved November 28, 2021, from https://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards-for-teachers

 Laureate Education, Inc. . (2015). RWRCOEL Technology Proficiencies. Walden University. https://class.content.laureate.net/2565b7a77954cee53d16c82a78cc0726.pdf  

Ng’andu, K., Hambulo, F., Haambokoma, N., & Tomaida, M. (2013). THE CONTRIBUTION OF BEHAVIOURISM THEORY TO EDUCATION. Zambia Journal of Education, Volume 4, 58–74. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341313372_The_Contribution_of_Behavioral_Theories_of_Learning_to_Education

Orey, M. (2010). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. http://textbookequity.org/Textbooks/Orey_Emergin_Perspectives_Learning.pdf

 Pitler, H., Hubbell, E. R., & Kuhn, M. (2012). Using Technology With Classroom Instruction That Works (2nd ed.).

 Stauffer, B. (2020). What Are 21st Century Skills? Digital Curriculum for CTE & Elective Teachers | AES. https://www.aeseducation.com/blog/what-are-21st-century-skills