Behaviorism

In a Behaviorist classroom instruction would begin with clearly stated objectives and expectations.
Instruction is teacher-directed and teacher-centered; the teacher knows all the answers. The
content of instruction has a narrow focus with an emphasis on right or wrong answers. The
teacher would begin by teaching basic skills and slowly progress to higher-level skills. Students
would be expected to work individually while listening to lectures, doing drill and practice
activities, and completing tests.
The behavioral emphasis on breaking down complex tasks, such as learning to read, into subskills
that are taught separately is very common in American schools today. In the elementary school
classroom, for example, students may spend many lessons on phonics skills such as consonant
clusters, vowel digraphs, and diphthongs. Other literacy skills such as appropriate uses of the
comma may also be taught in separate lessons, often by whole class lectures followed by
individual drill activities.
Knowledge is a matter of remembering information.
Understanding is a matter of seeing existing patterns.
Behaviorists developed the audiolingual method, which uses imitation, repetition and
reinforcement to teach an L2. Behaviorists promote memorization of dialogues and pattern
drills in grammar teaching as well as the immideiate correction of errors (so as not to let
bad habits form).