Behaviorism
Behaviorism
We are all behaviorists by nature (...) [It] is deeply rooted in human subconscious. (...) Instinctively, it’s part of our actions and reactions
M. KeramidaBehaviorism explains learning as a repertoire of behavioral responses to specific, external stimuli.
"Pleasant experiences cause human learners to make the desired connections between specific stimuli and the appropriate responses. Likewise, human learners tend to avoid responses that are associated with punishment or unpleasant consequences," explains the Berkeley Graduate Division's GSI Teaching & Resource Center.
Hence, for learners to acquire the desired repertoire of behavioral responses, they need to be exposed to consequent and repetitive positive and negative reinforcements that modify and condition their behavior until the desired response is understood and then becomes knowledge, a learned behavior.
Hence, Keramida, M. (2015) says "Learning is considered to take place when learners manage to reach these expected outcomes designed to meet the learning objectives." Therefore, she continues, the aim of a behavioristic-oriented instructional design for learning must be "to provide learners with the appropriate stimuli, that is with opportunities [such as questions] that help them demonstrate that they are able to express desired behaviors that prove that learning has actually taken place" and receive a reward in return, such as a good grade.
Since behaviorist methods rely on observable behavior, their assessments consist usually of exams, skill and drill exercises, Q&A frameworks, guided practice, reviews, games, and other techniques with measurable results.
Behaviorists use positive reinforcements, such as verbal praise, good grades, and prizes. In this regard, Keramida, M. (2015) stresses the importance of giving feedback throughout the entire learning process, not only at the end of the course: "Depending on the type of reaction received, learners expressed behavior may be reinforced or weakened. In behavioristic terms, although nobody wants to call it like this today, feedback is the simplest form of conditioning [to achieve the desired learning outcome]."
On the other hand, low grades and constructive criticism would function as negative reinforcements that would teach learners to avoid undesired responses. Punishments might be more suitable for other issues of class and student management, rather than for curriculum content.
Since it has an evidential focus, a behaviorist teaching methodology is most successful in areas where there is a “correct” response and "objective" knowledge:
teaching memorized material, such as facts
shaping skill performance, as in standardized procedures
On the other hand, "their efficacy in teaching comprehension, composition, and analytical abilities is questionable," sustains the Berkeley Graduate Division's GSI Teaching & Resource Center. Keramida, M. (2015) agrees: "Behaviorism may not be the appropriate approach for activities that require the user to develop higher-order skills, such decision-making or problem-solving through analysis, synthesis or evaluation of the information presented."
In the opinion of McLeod, S. (2018), there are further problems with this teaching method: "Reinforcement tells you what to do, punishment only tells you what not to do (...) [it] does not necessarily guide toward desired behavior."
Besides, he argues that punished behavior is not forgotten, just suppressed. Hence, it returns when punishment is no longer present and it can create "fear that can generalize to undesirable behavior."
Furthermore, since behavioral methods emphasize the control of learning by the instructor, Ballard, K. (2006) considers that it devaluates pupil initiation and its importance in an educational setting. "Interactions between learners and teachers usually are more complex than those involved in behavioral instruction," continues.
Finally, McLeod, S. (2018) points out a deeper issue: "[Bahaviorism] fails to take into account the role of inherited and cognitive factors in learning, and thus is an incomplete explanation of the learning process."
Graham, G. (2017) agrees: "The brain is no mere passive memory bank of behavior/environment interactions. it is also an active interpretation machine or semantic engine (...) Our behavior and behavioral capacities often surpass the limitations of individual reinforcement (...) Behavior without cognition is blind."
Fortunately, "Today, we know that a behavioristic perspective of certain activities in instructional design does not mean that other approaches may not be used simultaneously", Keramida, M. (2015) argues.
Hence, rather than following a single approach for the entire learning experience, the author advises to "select the most appropriate for each one of the learning objectives to be covered. Overall, the result in most cases is a mixed approach that combines the best of behaviorism, cognitivism and constructivism, that meets the needs of each learning objective to be mastered and offers the audience the best possible learning experience."