says that the consequences of an action (whether it
is rewarded or punished) affect whether the action
is repeated or changed. This allows the formation of
new behaviours.
Programmed learning
(Skinner) (frames and
feedback)
e.g. Skinner Box
classical conditioning
involves the association of a certain stimulus to
a certain response. Pavlov's dogs are a famous
example of classical conditioning.
unconditioned stimulus
unconditioned response
neutral stimulus
conditioned stimulus
conditioned response
Positives
useful applications to schools, aeasy to implement
and easy for students and teachers to understand.
scientific method of analyzing behaviors, emphasizing
the use of objective measuring techniques and
measurable outcomes. Should be able to applied to large
numbers of children in an unbiased way.
Negatives
Theories found from animal experiments are hard
to applied on humans.
Behaviourist theories ignore other approaches such as the
cognitive approach. It just a partial explanation.
Some behaviourist strategies create ethical issues
such as protection from harm.
a deterministic theory, which creates a slightly depressing view
of humans as creatures that simply mechanistically respond to
stimuli, as well as raising ethical questions of consent.
humanistic applications
co-operative learning
debatable whether this is due to the techniques
themselves or just the fact that the techniques
require a lot of panning and organization.
very effective in an organised fashion
the open classroom
reduce student stress as the
atmosphere will be more relaxed.
difficult to tell the
difference between
order and chaos.
more creative
tend to lead lower
academic achievement
in standard tests.
e.g. Summerhill School
Encourages creativity and
independence. A large number
of students find artistic careers.
Exam results tend to be worse
than those of more traditional
schools.
Strengths
free will
treat students like
individuals
holistic approach
qualitative data
Weakness
highly dependent on the
skill of teacher
unscientific approach
time consuming and difficult
hard to produce
multiple lessons
Cognitive applications
thought processes
Piaget
Advantages
helpful if the
teacher offer
guidance
less deterministic
had useful applicatiolns
problem-based learning
Disadvantages
difficult balance between reduced
teacher involvement and no teacher
involvement
children may do with errors or
misconceptions that are not being
corrected.
some very abstract or theoretical
concepts may not suitable for discovery
learning.