Behavioral theory

in teaching
Rochelle D. Tan
SDOQC
 Behaviorism

Behaviorism or the behavioral learning theory is a popular concept that

focuses on how students learn. Behaviorism focuses on the idea that all
behaviors are learned through interaction with the environment.
 In the classroom, the behavioral learning theory is key in

understanding how to motivate and help students. Information is

transferred from teachers to learners from a response to the right

stimulus.
 Positive reinforcement is key in the behavioral learning theory.

Without positive reinforcement, students will quickly abandon their

responses because they don’t appear to be working.

Motivation plays an important role in behavioral learning. Positive and

negative reinforcement can be motivators for students. For example, a

student who receives praise for a good test score is much more likely to

learn the answers effectively than a student who receives no praise for a

good test score.

 Behaviorist teaching
.
strategies
Teachers can implement behavioral learning strategy techniques in their
classroom in many ways, including:

Drills.
Question and answer.
Guided practice.
Regular review.
Positive reinforcement.
 How can you apply this?

Teacher leads the class through a topic

Students listen silently
Teacher then sets a task based on the information
Students complete the task and await feedback
The teacher gives feedback, then sets the next task
With each round of feedback, the student is being conditioned to learn the
material.
 Behaviorism criticisms.
• Many critics argue that behaviorism is a one-dimensional approach to understanding
human behavior and that behavioral theories do not account for free will and
internal influences such as moods, thoughts and feelings.

• Behaviorism does not account for other types of learning, especially learning that
occurs without the use of reinforcement and punishment.

• People and animals are able to adapt their behavior when new information is
introduced, even if a previous behavior pattern has been established through
reinforcement.
Thank you!