WEEK 2: Behaviorism, Education and Technology

EVERYONE: Initial Post   
   *Do drill and practice, remediation, and traditional tutorial programs have a place in today’s classroom?
-I feel that drill and practice, remediation and traditional tutorial programs do have a place in today's classroom. If you think about sports, athletes are put through drill and practice to perform on game day. Remediation to specifically target desired skills that need addressing. Traditional tutorial are like sports clinic. So, does all of this transfer into the classroom. Well according to B.F. Skinner  operant conditioning is the method of reinforcing the desired behavior. I as a teacher do this on a daily basis. I try to reinforce good behaviors in my class by giving stars, stamps, happy faces, prizes, stickers,...etc. Students do respond to it. Traditional ways of teaching using drill and practice have in fact worked because I am a product of it. All those many flash cards, memorization of facts, and recalling information. My thoughts, though are that it should not be the primary way of teaching. I think that a lot of seasoned teachers are from the age of drill and practice who have difficulty deviating from traditional practices they are so accustomed to. I feel that our schools run drill and practice methods especially with testing being the drive and focus for determining the effectiveness of our schools. So in my estimations in order for schools to exceed the testing expectations it must go beyond just drill and practice and incorporate the a balance use of the right hemisphere of the brain. To balance the drill and practice with fun and creative is to allow students to enjoy learning instead of dreading it or to lack in structure.
    *Are there instructional situations when behaviorist technology applications are appropriate and effective?
-Yes, I do believe there are instructional situations when behaviorist technology applications are appropriate and effective. Some examples are:
1. interactive flashcards.
2. modeling how students can utilize online math games.
3. Power Points with trivia questions that have smiley faces for the correct answer.
4. Using computer time as a reward.
5. Online tutorials to demonstrate step by step instructions.
    *Given what we know about the evolving understanding of how people learn, is there still a place or behaviorist learning theory in today’s classroom and instructional technology? If so, how is it best incorporated? If not, why not?
-All of my responses up to this questions supports that idea that given what is known about the evolving understanding of how people learn the behaviorist learning theory is still applicable in today's classrooms and instructional technology. The relevancy of the behaviorist learning theory in today's classrooms and instructional technology is how well we teachers infuse the old school with the new school. The idea of if it is not broken then don't fix it can be viewed as outdated. In today's world what was new can go old real fast. So in an ever changing world I feel it is important to remember and to hold to traditions that work but to also stay abreast on what is new and try to make connections with the old and the new.

-Kawehi Kammerer