Behaviorism

Philosophy has, to some degree an opinion when it comes to numerous aspects of life
such as science, religion, education and morality. Some arguments support the other, while some
are the contrary of another. But despite the many contradictions that we’ve encountered, what
really matters is how you think about those issues which is much more valuable because what
you think of an argument is what shapes your beliefs and principles.

According to the book “The Teaching Profession”, Philosophy is the window and
compass of a teacher in her teaching profession. It becomes his/her opening to every opportunity
so he/she could identify every existence of learners and make it a guide in imparting his/her
knowledge towards the students and that a good educator is capable of adapting changes through
times and does the thing that is relevant to the development of a person.

I am reflecting on our readings and class discussions on behaviorism and I found out
through the reading material and discussions that this learning theory is definitely used in
classrooms every day. Behavioral learning theories explain how we learn and focus on changes
in behavior (Slavin, 2012). Ivan Pavlov developed the process of classical conditioning (Slavin,
2012). Classical conditioning is defined as “the process of repeatedly associating a previously
neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus in order to evoke a conditioned response”
(Slavin, 2012). Ivan Pavlov’s idea of classical conditioning can be altered to fit into a classroom
if you get your students into a habit they tend to know what to expect. A lot of times, when
students know what to expect, they tend to relax. On the other hand, if you break the routine it
can cause confusion.

B.F. Skinner is most commonly associated with operant conditioning. Operant

conditioning uses pleasant and unpleasant consequences to control behavior (Slavin, 2012).
Operant conditioning is a useful theory of learning because it deals with positive and negative
reinforcement along with reward and punishment. Skinner’s work focuses on the correlation
between behavior and the resulting consequences and it also helped shape school discipline and
curriculum in schools across the country. It is good to use Skinner’s learning theory while
dealing with the behavior of the students inside the classroom.
 As a teacher, it is our job to understand why students behave as they do. We must have a
behavioral plan in order to identify target behaviors of our students and what is maintaining the
behavior. If you can get a child’s behavior under control, then they are in a place to learn.
Reinforcement should serve as a motivational tool. It is a fundamental concept of Operant
Conditioning, whose major objective is to increase the rate of certain undesired behavior from
occurring again. Reinforces can be positive or negative which can strengthen the behavior of
students. Using positive reinforcement such as verbal praise, grades and stars is encouraged in
the education field (Slavin, 2012). In order to determine which reinforcer works best with your
students you must be knowledgeable about them. A good example of behaviorism is when the
teacher rewards the student with a treat at the end of the week for showing good behavior
throughout the week. The same concept is used with punishments. The teacher can take away
certain privileges if the student misbehaves. When thinking about reinforcement, always
remember that the end result is to try to increase the behavior, whereas punishment procedures
are used to decrease behavior.

Teachers need to understand that every student is unique and that they vary on their
thoughts, choices and behavior. Teachers need to know what function a students’ behavior serves
and what maintains their behavior. In many instances, the behavior allows students to obtain
something they want or avoid something they do not want. This can have a major impact on the
classroom climate. The learning of every child depends on the teacher’s way of giving emphasis
to the learning environment. No matter how much content knowledge a teacher has they will be
unable to effectively teach without classroom management skills.

As a teacher, I believe wholeheartedly that people learn in different ways and maybe in
different times and maybe one of the things that I will do after reflecting on this reading is to
think and observe each of my students’ behaviors and how to handle these kinds of behavior.
When I was still a student, if the teacher sees a student that is being disruptive, it is easy for them
to just send the students out of the class or bring them to the guidance counselor’s office or
giving them some other punishments. For the majority of the students being sent out is a negative
reinforcement for their behavior. Although we teacher have different ways on giving punishment
to our students, allowing students to escape from class is providing negative reinforcement for
their behavior. This reading provided support for my belief that discipline should be dealt in a
timely manner. The closer the consequences are to the behavior the more effective it is (Slavin,
2012).

I am happy to learn more about the importance of the teacher’s role in modeling desired
behaviors. Teachers are possessors of knowledge and it is our responsibility to impart facts and
desired behaviors to our students and as a teacher we do not have to be standing in front of the
class to positively or negatively reinforce students’ behavior and attitudes. Here, behavior is
learned and there is eventually repetition of every meaningful connection. One is also motivated
to learn through reinforcement.

I think that the behavioral theory can be very useful in teaching and it is also a great way
to keep order in the classroom. I can use reinforcements to encourage students to do their best
work and to encourage improvement. I will try to avoid punishment, unless necessary. I will
clearly explain my expectations and have clear, printed out and verbally explained, directions to
assignments. I will always be positive and let my students know that they can do it, and can do it
well.

While behaviorism is not as dominant today as it was during the middle of the 20 th
century, it still remains as an important factor in psychology and philosophy. Outside of it,
parents, teachers and many others make use of basic behavioral to help teach new behaviors to
their children, students and others and to discourage the unwanted ones.
 METRO-DAGUPAN COLLEGES
Serafica Street, Mangaldan, Pangasinan
INSTITUTE OF GRADUATE STUDIES

Behaviorism:
A Reflection Paper
GS 609: Philosophical Foundations

Prepared by:
Patricia L. Meneses
MPA – MAPEH

Maria Rizza Fernandine R. de Asis, LPT

Professor

May, 2017