Application of learning theories to

education

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Behavioral approach to learning

Classical Operant
conditioning conditioning
Classical conditioning

• Classical conditioning is a type of learning in

which an organism learns to connect, or
associate, stimuli so that a neutral stimulus (such
as the sight of a person) becomes
associated with a meaningful stimulus (such as
food) and acquires the capacity to elicit a similar
response.
Operant conditioning
• Operant conditioning (also called instrumental conditioning )
is a form of learning in which the consequences of behavior
produce changes in the probability that the behavior will
occur. Operant conditioning is at the heart of B. F.
Skinner’s (1938) behavioral view. Consequences—rewards
and punishments—are contingent on
the organism’s behavior.
Reinforcement
and Punishment

• reinforcement (reward) A
consequence that increases the
probability that a behavior will occur.

• punishment A consequence that

decreases the probability that a
behavior will occur.
Schedules of
reinforcement
Educational Implications or Significance of
Operant Conditioning:
2. Eliminating
1. Successive
negative behavior
approximation
through extinction

4. Behaviour
3. Reinforcement
modification

5. Basis for
programmed
instruction
 (ii)
The (i) Timing of Consistenc
punishment y of
effectiveness punishment
of
punishment
(iv)
as a (iii)
Adaptation
Intensity of
reinforcement punishment
to
punishment
The following principles of behavior
modification help a teacher to a great extent
(ii) Recording the
(i) Identifying the
frequency of
target behavior
target behavior

(iii) Identifying the (iv) Identifying the

antecedents of consequences of
mis-behavior the behavior

(vi) Formulating
(v) Specifying the
and trying out the
goal behavior
hypothesis
Applied behavior analysis
• Applied behavior analysis is important and beneficial for all students.
ABA strategies can be used to help all youth learn new skills and
improve their quality of life. ABA is becoming more common as a
service being provided to children with autism spectrum disorder
within many communities. However, one difficulty for children of
school-age is that many of them attend public schools where their
ABA practitioners are not able to help them to generalize skills and
improve their behaviors in that setting.
Behavior strategies for classroom
Social-Cognitive
Learning Theory
• The social-cognitive theory is a theoretical perspective in
which learning by observing others is the focus of study.
Social-cognitive theory is grounded by several basic
assumptions.

• One is that people can learn by observing others. Learners

can acquire new behaviors and knowledge by simply
observing a model. A model is a person who demonstrates
behavior for someone else. In our Electric Slide example,
the observer watched the models perform the dance in
order to learn it.
 Banduras theory

• Bandura is famous for his studies of children observing adults who acted
aggressively toward a doll. After the children viewed this behavior, they
were given dolls to play with.

• He also studied “symbolic” models, where characters (fiction/non-fiction)

in movies, television programs, online media, and books could lead to
learning. This means that students could learn from watching a movie or
television program, listening to any number of online media sources
(e.g., podcasts), or from reading a book. They envisioned how the
characters reacted and how they felt, etc. This, in turn, taught them how
to react and feel in similar life situations.
 Attention Retention

Observation + 4
Necessary Steps
= Learning Reproduction Motivation
What are the implications for Social
Learning Theory on teachers and student
learning?
• Certainly, this theory can be used to teach positive behaviors to students.
Teachers can use positive role models to increase desired behaviors and
thus change the culture of a school.

• Other classroom strategies such as encouraging children and building self-

efficacy are rooted in social learning theory. For example, if a teacher is
positive with their students and they encourage them, this positive energy
and verbal encouragement, in turn, helps build self-efficacy, the belief in
one’s abilities to succeed in various situations.
Continue
• Furthermore, Bandura states that learning every single thing from personal
experience is hard and could be potentially dangerous. He claims that much of a
person’s life is rooted in social experiences, thus observing others is naturally
advantageous to gaining knowledge and skills.

• In conclusion, observation plays a very powerful role in learning. It not only

helps teach students but helps them to successfully understand, retain, and
apply their learning to their lives so they can learn and achieve even more. For
this, we thank Albert Bandura for his Social Learning Theory contribution.
Reference links
• https://educationaltechnology.net/social-learning-theory-albert-
bandura/
• www.simplypsychology.org
• www.appliedbehavioranalysisedu.org
• https://positivepsychology.com/classical-conditioning-classroom-
examples/
• https://classroom.synonym.com/use-operant-conditioning-
classroom-7860675.html
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