NSW HSC Online Professional Development Node
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Behaviourism
B. F. Skinner’s text, The Technology of Learning (1968), was immensely influential and his classroom management and instructional techniques based on behaviourist principles are still widely used today. Skinner developed the theory of ‘operant conditioning’, the idea that we behave the way we do because this kind of behaviour has had certain consequences in the past. Skinner’s reinforcement principles are the basis of many drill and practice exercises – that is, students receive praise or a positive image when they get the correct answer.
Behaviourists focus on behaviour and the external environment’s influence on it. They believe that learning can be measured by observable behaviours that are influenced by antecedents and reinforcements. Teachers shape a student’s behaviour by gradually and carefully adjusting contingencies to encourage them to behave in ways that are progressively closer to a goal. A behaviour will be repeated depending upon the consequences that follow it. Learning is seen as nothing more than the acquisition of new behaviour, which can thus be evaluated through the examination of this same behaviour.
An example using ICT in teaching and learning could be an online “gap fill” tutorial in a foreign language: students have to enter a word or phrase to complete the sentence (behaviour) and they receive an immediate response from the computer telling them if they were right or wrong (consequence). If they are incorrect the students will receive a hint or direction to the content where they can review the task. When they have consistently completed the exercise correctly they will be said to have learned and achieved the goal of the lesson.
These sorts of tutorials can be very useful in learning vocabulary or verb conjugations in language classes. A constructivist approach could be added to these sorts of exercises by not only asking for a demonstration of knowledge of verb structures but by also asking students to indicate an understanding of why those verb structures are appropriate in a given phrase.
An advantage of these types of tutorials is that they allow students of varying ability to work on exercises in their own time and at their own pace – this way all students can achieve a similar level of competence and the teacher’s time is spent on teaching more complex knowledge and skills or focussing on students with particular needs.
The exercises can be more motivating than a simple exercise book as they may contain visual (still and moving images) and audio aids and are pleasing to look at and interact with. The variety of written, visual and verbal clues can aid students with different learning styles.
Further reading:
Behaviourism as a learning theory 
Operant conditioning and Behaviorism: an historical outline
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