Behaviourism Case #1

Behaviourism on Station 12?

Congratulations Earthling!

As one of Earth’s top teacher candidates, you have been selected to take a tour of Station 12, one of the
most advanced elementary schools on Mars! As your friendly Martian tour guide, I’ll be showing you
how our education system has advanced to be one of the best in the galaxy! In honesty, our progress is
all thanks to you, and your fellow Earth-dwellers. You see, about 50 years ago, we received a time
capsule from Earth containing tons of interesting information, sounds, and images! In addition to
learning about Justin Bieber, apparently one of Earth’s greatest poets, we learned all about Behaviorism
and the perils of dehumanizing our young learners through rewards and punishments. Anyways, that’s
enough jibber-jabber, where are my Martian-manners! Let’s go check out Station 12 and you can see for
yourself!

As you enter Station 12, you immediately notice the absence of any shiny trophy cases that commonly
adorn the lobbies of schools on Earth. You think to yourself: “I guess Martians truly don’t offer rewards
for certain behaviours, at least in terms of athletics.” Noticing your curiosity, your friendly Martian turns
to you and says, “We don’t use any objective forms of rewards or punishments in our classrooms! We
understand that if a student receives a reward or punishment for their behaviour, they may not develop
intrinsic motivation for learning.”

As you continue to walk through the hallways of Station 12, you get glimpses of different classroom
environments and teaching practices. Interestingly, you don’t notice any signs of grades, stars, or points
systems being used in the classrooms. On the surface, the students also seem to be completely engaged
and intrinsically motivated.

As you round the next corner, your tour guide invites you into a classroom where students are just
about to return from recess and continue working on their independent research projects. As the
students enter the classroom on time, the teacher is giving them a big, gleaming smile. After the
students are settled, you begin walking around the classroom and learning about their projects. You
discover that one student is learning about Earth and another about the gravity on the Moon. The
students are at different stages of their projects and some are still deciding on their topics. You overhear
one student inform the teacher that they have decided to study the constellations closest to Mars. As an
avid astronomer, the teacher excitedly says, “I think that is a wonderful choice!” Just then, a student
enters the classroom 10 minutes late from recess. The teacher lets out a quick “hmm” and shows the
slightest suggestion of a frown. Your Martian tour guide turns to you and says, “Did you see that!? No
detention for arriving late to the classroom!” Before you can respond, you notice another student
beginning to get distracted from their work. You watch as the teacher walks over to a student sitting
beside them and, with a warm smile, says, “Great job! I’m so happy you are working hard today and
staying focused. I am so proud!” Interestingly, you notice the distracted student begin working again.
Another student approaches the teacher and says, “I’ve decided to change my topic to the gravitational
pull of the Moon!” Hearing this, the teacher says, “That's a clever idea!” and offers them a quick wink
and a warm smile as the student bounces away, seemingly happy with the interaction. Just as you’re
about to leave the classroom, you watch as another student explains to the teacher that they have
decided to research Emily Carr and the emotions her paintings surface in both humans and Martians.
Just as you exit the classroom, you watch the teacher scrunch their noise ever so slightly and say, “Oh.
Okay. That’s a good choice,” before immediately moving their attention to another student.

As you leave the school, your Martian tour guide turns to you and says, “So!? What do you think? Pretty
impressive, eh? We learned from the time capsule and don’t use any forms of rewards or punishments!”
Before you can respond, you are awoken by one of your friends. You’re in EPSE 308 and it’s your turn to
discuss your perspectives on Behaviourism. Good luck, Earth-dweller!

Reflection Questions:

1. In the classrooms on Station 12, you were informed that there were no objective forms of rewards
or punishments for students' behaviour. Did you notice any subtle (maybe even unconscious) forms
of behaviourism? Identify the examples and label (e.g. +/- reinforcement, +/- punishment, etc.)

2. As a teacher candidate, you may be motivated to cultivate a classroom environment that fits your
needs and values as a teacher. In this case study, the teacher did this by encouraging students to
attend class on time, stay engaged in their work, and pick topics that they themselves deemed
worthy. Are these subtle forms of behaviourism more or less harmful, compared to more tangible
and objective rewards and punishments? Explain your reasoning.

3. As a future teacher, how might you become more aware of your subconscious values and goals for
your classroom? How will you manage them in your classroom?

4. What do you see as the pros and cons of behaviourism?