The Theories Of Behaviorism And Constructivism

1588 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Educational psychology chapter 1

As the beginning of my education career approaches, I have geared my thinking toward my professional practice. Throughout this course I have attempted to find useful information to apply in my future classroom. Of all of the theories we have covered, I have chosen two that I wish to utilize to the fullest extent possible. Although there are numerous theories that will apply in one way or another, I hope to make use of the theoretical perspectives of behaviorism and constructivism.
Behaviorism is the theoretical approach to learning that looks on the outside influences of an individual rather than the inside. Behaviorism reflects one’s observations and experiences of the environment along with the behaviors of others, not individual feelings and beliefs, (Ormrod, 2015). In other words, behaviorism is constructed on the basis of one’s learning through external factors that cause changes in knowledge and/or behavior. Behavioral learning is marked by conditioning of stimuli, (Ormrod, 2015). There are two types of conditioning, classical and operant. Classical conditioning occurs when one naturally responds to a stimulus. The most renowned example of this being Pavlov 's observation that dogs automatically salivate when food was presented. Pavlov decided do further examine the behavioral qualities of these dogs by produces a noise along with the presentation of the stimulus to encourage a reaction of salivation. Over time, Pavlov took the stimulus away and just rang the bell. He noted that even without the food, the bell would produce the reaction of salivation. Pavlov used this experiment to further his research and present the stimulus-response relationship in which the theory of behaviorism embodies. Operant conditioning arises ...

... middle of paper ...

... upon their own levels of understanding.
Teaching is not by any means an easy occupation. When the livelihood and knowledge of impressionable children is in your hands it can be overwhelming and scary. I hope that by utilizing the learning theories of behaviorism and constructivism in my future classroom I can see wonderful results and take charge of my career. I want to teach students that learning is exciting and can open many doors. I think that using behaviorism I can condition good behaviors in my classroom that allow for learning to reach the optimum level. That learning, I hope, will come through many experiences and collaborations that are meaningful and relevant as I apply the constructivism perspective in my lessons. I know it will not be perfect, but I hope to learn as I go and develop theoretical perspectives of my own through my professional practice.

Show More
Related

  • Discussion Board #2: Behaviorism and Tantrums

    622 Words  | 2 Pages

    Behaviorism, or learning theory is one of three “grand theories” of human development. The focus of behaviorism is observable behavior, with no reference to mental processes. As a learning theory behaviorism, assumes that learning occurs via interactions with the environment, through the process of conditioning.

    Read More

  • What Is Constructivism

    3016 Words  | 7 Pages

    If you are a parent or plan to be a parent, Do you want your child to sit in a desk all day while the teacher lectures them on information that they need to know for life or would you rather have your child learn constructively? Constructivism has been labeled as the philosophy of learning that proposes learners need to build their own understanding of new ideas (Constructivism and the Five E?s,2001). Learning something new, or attempting to understand something familiar in greater depth, is not a linear process. The purpose of this research paper is to explain the theoretical foundations of the constructivist approach to teaching and learning, and to provide concrete examples to show the effectiveness of the constructivist approach with respect to student learning.

    Read More

  • Theories of Teaching and Learning

    1940 Words  | 4 Pages

    Teaching theories are as much part of the classroom as the student and the teacher. The effect individual theories have on an environment depends how they are incorporated within the classroom in addition to the influence they have had on the curriculum construction. This essay will briefly look at how motivation theory, cognitive and social cognitive theory along with constructivism have impacted on education and the classroom.

    Read More

  • Pavlov's and Erikson's Theories

    1971 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ivan Pavlov developed a theory called classical conditioning which proposes that learning process occurs through associations between an environmental stimulus and a naturally occurring stimulus. Classical conditioning involves placing a neutral signal before a naturally occurring reflex like associating the food with the bell in Pavlov experiment. In classical conditioning, behavior is learnt by association where a stimulus that was originally neutral can become a trigger for substance use or cravings due to repeated associations between those stimuli and substance use (Pavlov, 1927).

    Read More

  • Behaviorism, Constructivism, and Cognitivism: Multiple Approaches To Learning

    2101 Words  | 5 Pages

    A. Behaviorism, constructivism and cognitivism are relatively common theories used in the classroom as ways to approach student learning. Behaviorism focuses on observable behavior, such as students answering questions correctly, or being able to follow directions to complete a task as instructed. Characteristics of a classroom that uses behaviorism might be memorization of facts, writing vocabulary words, or a token reward system to inspire the desired behavior and decrease undesired behaviors. Constructivism, as indicated by the root word “construct,” focuses on the construction of new ideas, or expanding on what is already known. Students in a classroom using constructivism as a means for learning might seem more actively engaged in the learning process; they often learn something new through applying what they already know about the content area, and exploring new matter to further their understanding. This type of classroom often uses hands on manipulatives to allow students to actually build, create, or experiment with what they are learning. A cognitivism approach to learning might be explained by the minds capacity to process information – such as how a learner might remember something, retrieve information, or store new concepts. Learning through this method often depends on how the student processes what the teacher is presenting. Classrooms using this approach might incorporate learning strategies that help students categorize and sequence information to assist with processing. Like constructivism, it can be an active style of learning.

    Read More

  • John Dewey's Instructional Constructivism In The Modern Classroom

    742 Words  | 2 Pages

    John Dewey once said, “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” You may ask why John Dewey should be given merit for anything he says. In truth, John Dewey was one of the biggest supporters of constructivism in classroom. On a basic level, constructivism is described as learning by doing. This concept, while not necessarily new, is considered progressive. Today, we will explore the history and details of this concept, analyze how constructivism effects the modern classroom, and wrap it up with some concluding remarks.

    Read More

  • Comparison Of Behavioral Learning Theories Of Carl Rogers And Abraham Maslow

    1650 Words  | 4 Pages

    Considering a range of learning theories and how they impact on decisions made about teaching supports educators in developing their own beliefs about learning. This essay briefly investigates Behavioural learning theories, constructivism and the humanistic theories of Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow. It compares and contrasts these theories in regards to locus of control and motivation. In Part B a personal learning event is reflected on, referring to constructivist approaches in the assistance given.

    Read More

  • John B. Watson's Theory On The Three Stages Of Moral Development

    1648 Words  | 4 Pages

    Behaviourist such as John B. Watson believes that our live style is influenced by our own environment, that what we are, is as a result of what we have learnt from the environment. He presumed that, our learning from the environment is through two main behaviourist processes called classical and operant conditioning. Classical conditioning includes learning by association supported by the Russian psychologist Ivan Pavlov, who associated the salivating of the dog for food to the ringing of the bell, thereby conditioning the dog in learning new behaviour (natural response and neutral stimuli).

    Read More

  • SUCCEED: An Instructional Design Model

    3367 Words  | 7 Pages

    Every year, education majors across the U.S. face a barrage of learning theories and models in their education courses. Professors waste no time in introducing them to Pavlov and his dogs, Bloom’s Taxonomy, Maslow’s Hierarchy, Piaget, Skinner, Gagne, Bruner and more (Marsh, McFadden, and Price, n.d.). From the work of these great men come such learning theories as behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism, three paradigms that have shaped our current educational system. The next generation of teachers creates countless practice lesson plans based around these theories. Unfortunately, there is a wide divide between the psychology of how humans learn and the constraints of an American classroom. The SUCCEED instructional design model attempts to marry prominent learning theory with the realities of the classroom to create a model that is both fundamentally sound and realistic.

    Read More

  • Vygotsky Constructivism Theory

    1410 Words  | 3 Pages

    Constructivism about providing children with activities that may seem difficult at first but with help or support from the teacher can be mastered and thus will allow maths is learning and skills to increase. Behaviourism believes that children are ‘blank slates’ and that behaviour is shaped through positive reinforcement ("Behaviorism - Learning Theories", 2007). Furthermore to the behaviourism theory, this theory is believed as mentioned by (Anghileri, 2006) that knowledge could be transferred from the teacher to children through a large group and by ‘drill and practice’. Anghileri, 2006 also strongly suggests that this theory has shortcomings as the theory doesn’t explain the ways in which children learn. Therefore, behaviourism theory isn’t efficient enough to teach maths let alone allow children to learn maths in a supportive manner as the constructivism theory

    Read More

  • B. F. Skinner Theory Operant Conditioning

    1388 Words  | 3 Pages

    B. F. Skinner, the most well-known American Psychologist who was the top exponent of the school of psychology that was known as behaviorism, preserved the impression that learning is an end result of change in evident behavior. The changes in behavior are determined by the way individuals reply to stimuli (events) in the environment. B.F. Skinner defined this phenomenon as operant conditioning. Operant conditioning means changing of behavior by the use of reinforcement which is given after the desired response (McLeod, 2007). This

    Read More

  • Main contributors to behaviorism

    1205 Words  | 3 Pages

    Behaviorism is a learning theory or a developmental theory that measures observable behaviors that are produced by the learner’s response to stimuli. On one end of the spectrum behaviorism is known as an attitude. At the other end, it is known as a doctrine. According to the behavioral views of human development, behaviorists argued that to focus attention on unobservable constructs, such as emotions, thoughts, or the unconscious, was an unscientific approach.(Craig & Dunn, Ex.: 2010)

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Cognitive And Behavioral Theory

    1266 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Behavior theory consists of ideas about how human actions and emotions develop, are sustained, and are extinguished through principles of learning” (Walsh, 2010). Positive and negative reinforcement is used to help manipulate the behaviors of the individual. The theory has been used to help eliminate unwanted behaviors. In addition, behavior theory has been use primarily with children, and persons with developmental disabilities. According to Walsh (2010) behavior theory evolved in the 1960s from a field of philosophy to the field of science. Ivan Pavlov discovered classical conditioning, which plays a major role in behavioral theory. Classical conditioning is the process of learning through ones surroundings, conditioned, and unconditioned stimuli and response. B. F. Skinner discovered operant conditioning the process of learning to influence the future responses to the environment (Clark, 2004). The two concepts has been used throughout the behavior theory to help assist clients with unacceptable behaviors that is occurring. The combination of the two concepts has been a very helpful aspect to the behavior theory. Both concepts offer a different approach or solution to the behavior of the client.

    Read More

  • Constructivist Theory: Teaching Theory

    1783 Words  | 4 Pages

    Among many teaching styles and learning theories, there is one that is becoming more popular, the constructivist theory. The constructivist theory focuses on the way a person learns, a constructivist believes that the person will learn better when he/she is actively engaged. The person acts or views objects and events in their environment, in the process, this person then understands and learns from the object or events(P. Johnson, 2004). When we encounter a certain experience in our life, we think back to other things that have occurred in our life and use that to tackle this experience. In a lot of cases, we are creators of our own knowledge. In a classroom, the constructivist theory encourages more hands-on assignments or real-world situations, such as, experiments in science and math real-world problem solving. A constructivist teacher constantly checks up on the student, asking them to reflect what they are learning from this activity. The teacher should be keeping track on how they approached similar situations and help them build on that. The students can actually learning how to learn in a well-planned classroom. Many people look at this learning style as a spiral, the student is constantly learning from each new experience and their ideas become more complex and develop stronger abilities to integrate this information(P. Johnson, 2004). An example of a constructivist classroom would be, the student is in science class and everyone is asking questions, although the teacher knows the answer, instead of just giving it to them, she attempts to get the students to think through their knowledge and try to come up with a logical answer. A problem with this method of learning is that people believe that it is excusing the role of...

    Read More

  • Educational Psychology

    1180 Words  | 3 Pages

    Behaviorism is the point of view where learning and behavior are described and explained in terms of stimulus-response relationships. Behaviorists agree that an individual’s behaviors is a result of their interaction with the environment. Feedback, praise and rewards are all ways people can respond to becoming conditioned. The focus is on observable events instead of events that happen in one’s head. The belief that learning has not happened unless there is an observable change in behavior. “The earliest and most Ardent of behaviourists was Watson (1931; Medcof and Roth, 1991; Hill 1997). His fundamental conclusion from many experimental observations of animal and childhood learning was that stimulus-response (S-R) connections are more likely to be established the more frequently or recently an S-R bond occurs. A child solving a number problem might have to make many unsuccessful trials before arriving at the correct solution” (Childs, 2004).

    Read More

More about The Theories Of Behaviorism And Constructivism

Open Document