Behaviorist Learning Theory-Week 2

According to the behaviorist learning theory students tend to acquire behavior, skills, and knowledge in response to rewards, punishments, or withheld responses associated with them. Teachers can use reinforcement as an instructional strategy to help students understand the relationship between effort and achievement. Students can compare their attitudes with their belief about learning using spreadsheet software to help keep track of their data so that they will understand that staying focus and becoming more engaged in class will improve their academic success. This is an excellent method to incorporate technology to help enhance learning. When students clearly understand the relationship of attitude to effort they are able to demonstrate proficient in any subject area. This forces student to be held more accountable for their own learning because they have to become an active participant. In my class, I have students create a spreadsheet that will keep track of all daily assignments. Students record assignment, date that assignment was given, file name for saving work , grade, and date that assignment was submitted to teacher. This is excellent method for students to keep track of their academic progress so that they will be more responsible in completing assignments. I have found the because students have to keep track of this date they tend to be more focus on assignments and better quality of work is submitted. If students do not finish assignments or receive a failing grade for any assignment, they are more likely to put more effort into the next assignment because there was a negative consequence for their action. Homework is another instructional strategy that can be used to reinforce key concepts taught in class. Students can benefit from doing homework if assignments are meaningful and if students are given immediate feedback so that misconceptions of content can be cleared. This type of practice allows the teacher to evaluate whether students understand concepts or whether students are having difficulty with mastering concepts. Students can use various software such as word processing, spreadsheet, multi-media, and communication software to assist them with learning course content. Technology allows the teacher to differentiate instructions to meet the needs of all students. Teachers should know the learner style of all of their students and provide them with a variety of strategies that will help student excel academically. There are numerous resources such as websites that students can use to reinforce knowledge and skills they have learned in class. Teachers should incorporate activities into the curriculum that are going stretch student’s learning so that they will perform to their full potential.