Behaviorism in Practice

Students sometimes believe that they cannot be successful before they even try to be successful in the classroom. One instructional strategy discussed in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works was making charts of how a student's effort is reflected in his success in the classroom. This correlates with the principles of behaviorist learning theory in that a student can see that improving his effort in the class will improve his grade. This is a positive reinforcement that will encourage the student to increase their effort in class. Reinforcing effort helps the student better understand the relationship between effort and achievement. This is the theory behind behaviorist learning. Using data collection tools such as Excel adds technology to help the student be able to analyze the data.
Homework is one way students practice what they learn and typically a student needs approximately 24 practice sessions to achieve 80% competency. Positive reinforcement quickly will help the students' practice sessions be more successful. Using word processing programs for writing assignments can help a student get positive feedback immediately on grammar concepts. This positive reinforcement will produce learning stimuli need to make the student successful. Practicing what is learned with technology and getting quick feedback is using the behaviorist positive reinforcement method to provide the stimuli for learning.