As an Elementary Education major, I remember being troubled initially about the use of behaviorist strategies in the classroom as they often felt so trite and contrived, and sometimes even controlling. Later, as I taught educational psychology, I found many of my students had similar concerns, especially with the tendency in behaviorism to compare humans to other animals. Despite all of this, I couldn't deny that behaviorist strategies do work. In fact, they continue to work on me as an adult.
Then one day it dawned on me. The mechanism that drives behaviorism is feedback.
As humans, we are in many ways feedback-starved creatures. In our heart of hearts, we long for feedback about everything we do, from what we wear to how we interact with others. It is this very tendency that has gotten many a loving husband into hot water by answering the question, "Does this dress make me look fat?"
This is also the reason certain activities are so addicting. Video games give instant feedback about our every move. It's absolutely fascinating to watch our actions immediately impact the environment in front of us. This may be why it can be tempting to remain indefinitely in a fictional world, because the constant feedback lets you know exactly where you stand.
The most common way behaviorist strategies are usually applied in the classroom is through the use of reinforcement and punishment, which in essence are just two types of feedback. Perhaps the best way to implement behaviorist principles in the classroom would be to improve feedback mechanisms in all aspects, not just those surrounding behavior. What if students could receive constant and consistent feedback about every aspect of their performance? Would school become as addicting as video games? Possibly not, but this question has given me a lot to think about and invited me to imagine the possibilities of what schools could become.
Then one day it dawned on me. The mechanism that drives behaviorism is feedback.
As humans, we are in many ways feedback-starved creatures. In our heart of hearts, we long for feedback about everything we do, from what we wear to how we interact with others. It is this very tendency that has gotten many a loving husband into hot water by answering the question, "Does this dress make me look fat?"
This is also the reason certain activities are so addicting. Video games give instant feedback about our every move. It's absolutely fascinating to watch our actions immediately impact the environment in front of us. This may be why it can be tempting to remain indefinitely in a fictional world, because the constant feedback lets you know exactly where you stand.
The most common way behaviorist strategies are usually applied in the classroom is through the use of reinforcement and punishment, which in essence are just two types of feedback. Perhaps the best way to implement behaviorist principles in the classroom would be to improve feedback mechanisms in all aspects, not just those surrounding behavior. What if students could receive constant and consistent feedback about every aspect of their performance? Would school become as addicting as video games? Possibly not, but this question has given me a lot to think about and invited me to imagine the possibilities of what schools could become.
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