Behaviorism

Behaviorism

The behaviorism theory is concerned with students' learning processes. Everything a person does can be traced back to their interactions with their surroundings. Behavior is learned from one's environment, while innate or inherited elements play a little role. Pupils' feelings and actions in the classroom are influenced by behaviorism, which implies that instructors have direct control over their students' behavior. Teachers may objectively assess a student's surroundings and lifestyle in order to help them improve their performance.

Behaviorism Learning Theory

This theory is essential in school to know how to motivate best and help learners. Teachers and students exchange information based on a student's reaction to the correct stimuli. Student participation in behavior learning is limited to receiving information from instructors, which they then process according to their responses. Behaviourism teaches pupils how to behave and respond to various stimuli (Pritchard, 2017). Repeatedly reminding pupils of what an instructor expects them to perform is necessary.

Behaviourism emphasizes the significance of positive reinforcement, according to Clark (2018). Once a student realizes their responses are not functioning and are not receiving positive feedback, it is common for them to quickly discard them. Having a sticker with every A is no longer a reward for high results, hence students may perform poorly on exams if this practice is discontinued.

The behavioral learning theory is incomplete without repetition and positive rewards. For teachers, it is frequently challenging to find the perfect mix between reiterating the scenario and showing pupils why they should keep doing it (Clark, 2018).

Behavioral learning relies heavily on motivation. Students may benefit from both positive and negative feedback. However, a high test result is more likely to be remembered by the kid who receives praise for it than the learner who does not get praise for it. Even if they obtained a good grade, their brain tells them that it does not matter. As a result, the material they learn on the test has no real value to them. This student is experiencing negative reinforcement (Pritchard, 2017). On the other hand, children who get positive reinforcement perceive a clear link between their reaction to sound stimuli and their continued performance.

Criticisms of Behaviorism

Many instructors prefer behaviorism, although there are several drawbacks to this approach. Behaviorism is the most distinctive approach to studying specific skills like foreign languages and arithmetic.  Critics also believe that the theory does not cover enough ground when it comes to human development and behavior (Araiba, 2020). Nevertheless, other methods have taken behaviorism to a new level, emphasizing the need to look at various aspects.

In conclusion, if you want to become a teacher in the future, you must have the proper education and certifications to ensure your success. Understanding learning theories is also critical to preparing to teach kids in the classroom. The more you know about psychology and how pupils learn, the better you can be an educator.

References

Araiba, S. (2020). Current diversification of behaviorism. Perspectives on Behavior Science, 43(1), 157-175.

Clark, K. R. (2018). Learning theories: behaviorism. Radiologic technology, 90(2), 172-175.

Pritchard, A. (2017). Ways of learning: Learning theories for the classroom. Routledge.