Behaviorism and Instructional Design
Behaviorism, with it's emphasis on a stimulus-response sequence, was first developed late in the 19th century by Ivan Pavlov and his slobbering dogs. He noticed the dogs began to salivate when they saw the lab assistant, even when he wasn't holding their food. Pavlov realized the dogs had learned something new. They now associated food with the assistant. How did they do this? What can we find out about learning through this incidental observation? How else can we get dogs to salivate? (Hint - Ring a bell, then give meat powder, repeat. Soon the dogs will salivate at the sound of the bell alone.) Recognizing his major breakthrough in the science of thought, Pavlov dedicated the rest of his life to answering the above questions.
He coined these basic terms of his theory:
* unconditioned stimulus (food)
* unconditioned response (salivate)
* neutral stimulus (lab assistant)
* conditioned response (dog salivates at sight of assistant or sound of bell)
* classical conditioning (the stimulus-response sequence)
Ivan Pavlov's ideas were studied and expanded by later Behaviorism theorists:
J.B. Watson decided it was best to study psychology through outward, observable behaviors rather than internal, subjective thoughts because, he theorized, it is a person's external experiences that determine their behavior. When one touches a hot stove, one pulls the hand away regardless of the inner dialogue of the mind.
B.F. Skinner put mice in a box and studied their responses to positive and negative stimuli (electric shock or food). From observing how they learned, he deduced that animals, including humans, repeat an action when they get a pleasurable response to the action and decrease an action due to a negative response.
When it comes to teaching and learning, we can draw certain conclusions from behaviorism. Boasting a stringent reinforcement schedule, meaning students are presented a stimulus-response pattern over and over, behaviorism does have some implications. Borrowing a cliche from American elementary education, let's say a third grader is presented with a set of multiplication facts. The student practices over and over (problem-correct answer/ stimulus-response) and when she can do the whole set, she receives a gold star. The child has been conditioned to memorize math facts. The reward of the star encourages her to repeat the action with the next set of numbers. Our system of earning letter grades for school work is based on behaviorist theory.
Learning tasks that lend themselves well to behaviorism include:
* memorization of facts
* drill and practice activities
* direct teaching (in which the teacher models and the student repeats)
* when the goal of eLearning is to learn a new habit or change behavior
* when the classic carrot and stick approach is needed
* when giving the learner opportunities to experience successes and mistakes, use branching exercises and immersive simulations
Theory Into Practice
Many, many learning scenarios come to mind when I think of behaviorism as the primary learning theory. Penmanship lessons in the second grade, multiplication facts in the third, memorizing states and capitols, French vocabulary, the keys to identifying types of rocks, etc. etc. etc....
For purposes of this illustration, I would like to focus on my martial arts practice. With its emphasis on practice and repetition, memorization of the moves, and observable behaviors, it easily falls into the behaviorism learning theory.
When presented with a new move by the Master (stimulus), I try my best to emulate it (response). Using a target, I might practice a new kick over and over and over. The satisfying thunk into the target or the breaking of a board is positive reinforcement. If my aim is off and I scrape my foot or hit a board with the wrong part of my foot, it hurts, or I may accidentally kick my poor target holder. Receiving pain or causing it is negative reinforcement and sends me back to the practice mat. This informs my motivation.
A pro to learning via behaviorist theory in the above example would be that the physical movements are broken down into easily understandable steps and practiced until mastery is reached. It is an efficient and effective manner to learn.
A con, however, is that the "art" in martial art can tend to get forgotten. The historical context, philosophy, and artistry of the moves cannot be understood through behaviorism, as this knowledge resides in the inner workings of the mind.
Further Implications for Instructional Design/Teaching Adults
From the website What-When-How http://what-when-how.com/distance-learning/behaviorism-and-developments-in-instructional-design-and-technology-distance-learning/
Behavioral approaches to teaching generally involve the following:
1. The skills and information to be learned are broken down into small units.
2. Students’ work is checked regularly and feedback is provided as well as encouragement (reinforcement).
3. Teaching is “out of context.” Behaviorists generally believe that students can be taught best when the focus is directly on the content to be taught. Behavioral instruction often takes the material out of the context in which it will be used.
4. Instruction is direct or “teacher centered.” Teachers must direct the learning process.
5. Learning is passive.
6. Students must learn the correct response.
7. Learning requires an external reward.
8. Knowledge is a matter of remembering information.
9. Understanding is a matter of seeing existing patterns.
10. Applications require “transfer of training,” which requires “common elements” among problems.
Sources:
(M.Ed.), M. K. (2017, July 20). Behaviorism In Instructional Design For eLearning: When And How To Use. Retrieved November 04, 2017, from https://elearningindustry.com/behaviorism-in-instructional- design-for-elearning-when-and-how-to-use
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Behaviorism. (n.d.). Retrieved November 04, 2017, from http://www.funderstanding.com/theory/behaviorism/
Behaviorism and Developments in Instructional Design and Technology (DistanceLearning(n.d.).Retrieved November 04, 2017, from http://what-when-how.com/distance- learning/behaviorism-and-developments-in-instructional-design-and-technology-distance-learning/
McLeod, S. (1970, January 01). Saul McLeod. Retrieved November 04, 2017, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/pavlov.html
Mcleod, S. (2014, January 03). Simply Psychology. Retrieved November 04, 2017, from https://simplypsychology.org/
USMx: LDT100x Instructional Design and Technology: Learning Theories. (n.d.). Retrieved November 04, 2017, from https://courses.edx.org/courses/course-v1:USMx LDT100x 3T2017/course/
[Photograph]. (n.d.). Wix Free Images.
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