According to Skinner, ‘things we call pleasant have an energising effect on our behaviour’ so humans and animals repeat

pleasurable acts and avoid unpleasant ones

Discuss the practical implications of behaviourism on learning and

classroom management

Alia, Shafinaz, ST, Hui Ying, Hvey Jci

Behaviourism

• Explanations of learning that focus on external events as the cause of changes in observable behaviours.

Behavioral change occurs

• Students work for things that bring them positive feelings and approval from people they admire.

• They change behaviors to satisfy the desires they have learned to value

• Start to develop habitual behaviors from those that are repeated often (Parkay & Hass, 2000)

Developing a routine

• When a teacher reinforces an action constantly, the students are engaged in a routine.

• Thus, it enables the teacher to have a smooth flow in conducting her lessons.

Behaviours can be learned, unlearned, relearned

• Knowing this point, teachers are more aware that desirable behaviour can be strengthen and undesirable behaviour can be unlearned

• Thus, the teachers are wiser in deciding whether to reinforce or impose a suitable punishment.

Engaging students in class

• Increase in student participation during lessons as there is a positive and nurturing environment of them.

• Students are more motivated to learn in a lesson.

EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATION

• Among the methods used by behaviorists to promote desired behavior include

- Contracts- Punishment- Reinforcement- Extinction

• Contracts- A set of simple rules that are imposed in order

to curb undesired behavior and promote targeted behavior.

- E.g. Allen is not doing his homework. Hence the teacher works closely with parents, waits until he finishes his homework before he goes back and orders Allen to sit at the front row in class.

• Reinforcement - There are two types of consequences :

Positive and negative- Positive reinforcement is given to encourage

desired behaviour, whereas negative reinforcement deals with removing an action that students might find unpleasant.

• Extinction- Is aimed to decrease the probability of a

particular behaviour.- Might contradict with previously given

stimulus.- The previous stimulus is either modified or

withdrawn.

• Punishment- Is considered as a strong stimulus.- Is effective in quickly eliminating of undesired

behaviour.- There are positive and negative punishments.

• Positive punishment : Something is added to overcome a problem.

• Negative punishment : Something is removed to overcome a problem.