EDUC 311: FACILITATING LEARNER-

CENTERED TEACHING

MODULE 7

PART III. BEHAVIORAL LEARNING THEORIES

As future teacher, it is imperative that you get familiar with different learning theories and recognize that
there are different methods and thoughts about how people learn. As you may have already observed, there are
students or some students in class who are difficult to manage and hard to work with. Such behaviors are usually
hard to control by the teacher. It needs extra work to get those students pay attention to the lesson and stop
distracting others. To help you go through this and make you familiar with behavioral theories, this module had
been prepared for you.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the week the student must have:
1. Analyzed learning theories under behaviorism
2. Discussed the different phenomena of learning under behaviorism
3. Cite applications of behaviorism theories to teaching

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Activity 1

Get a detailed lesson plan in your field of specialization and capture the instances where
Thorndike’s laws of learning are reflected or applied. Use the grid below.

In the Lesson Plan Thorndike’s Laws of Learning Implications

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 CONTENT

LESSON 3: Skinner’s Operant Conditioning

One of the most popular behavioral theorists of all time is B.F. (Burrhus Frederic) Skinner (1904-1990).
He postulated the operant conditioning. Classical conditioning refers to the association of stimuli whereas operant
conditioning actively involves the subject’s participation. The subject operant conditioning has a choice to
respond. In other words, operant conditioning is the type of learning whereby learning occurs as a consequence
of the learner’s behavior.
B.F. Skinner made this conclusion after experimenting on animals through his Skinner’s box device that
modified the animals’ behavior. In his experiment, he put a rat in a cox with a lever, a bowl and a closed chamber.

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If the lever was pushed, the chamber opened and dispensed food. Unconscious about this mechanism, the rat
accidentally pushed the lever, and the food was dispensed. The rat learned that continuously pushing the lever
could open the food dispenser to the bowl. Skinner termed the food in such experiment as rewards.

REINFORCEMENT
Skinner’s operant conditioning is dichotomized into reinforcement and punishment. Each category is
also divided into positive or negative. Reinforcement is defined as something that strengthens behavior or is
sometimes called as the response strengthener (Schultz, 2006). Positive reinforcement is defined as the
addition of a pleasant stimulus. This is exactly what is illustrated in the Skinner’s box. The dispensed food became
a positive reinforcement that caused the rat to continually push the lever (behavior).
Positive reinforcement has many classroom applications. Preschool teachers stamp three big stars on
the hands of their pupils who may have behaved throughout the class, achieved the highest score, or become
friendly within the academic time. To maximize the use of the positive reinforcement, however teachers should
make it clear to their students why they are stamping them three stars and what the three big stars mean. In that
way, the pupils will be motivated to repeat their pleasant behavior and can eventually gain the reward – the stamp.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Activity 1

Get a detailed lesson plan in your field of specialization and capture the instances where
Thorndike’s laws of learning are reflected or applied. Use the grid below.

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 In the Lesson Plan Thorndike’s Laws of Learning Implications

Activity 2
1. In what ways do the theories of Pavlov and Thorndike become similar and different?
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2. If you were to critique the Laws of Learning postulated by Thorndike, what may be its weakness/es?
Defend your answer.
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3. Do you think the laws of learning can be applied to all ages and subject areas? Why are why not?
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