Pedagogical Approaches
Behaviourism
Also Known As Behaviorism
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The pedagogical approach that focuses on observable behaviour and the power of repetition, cues and reinforcement, linked to Pavlov and Skinner, most effective for building secure habits, accurate recall and strong attention when learners encounter new content.
Facts
Central QuestionWhat observable change in behaviour has learning produced, and how do reinforcement, cues and repetition produce it? 1 Most Effective ForSkill-building and competency-based instruction that relies on frequent, varied practice and clear, measurable behavioural objectives. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Held Differently
Revises rather than rejects reinforcement-based accounts of learning by adding observation, modeling and self-efficacy as cognitive mediators.
Developed By
Includes
Additional Source WikipediaOperant conditioning, lead section In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. infed, the encyclopedia of pedagogy and informal education
The behaviourist orientation to learning pageQuote, The behaviourist orientation to learning page
Observable behaviour rather than internal thought processes are the focus of study. In particular, learning is manifested by a change in behaviour.
1. infed, the encyclopedia of pedagogy and informal education
The behaviourist orientation to learning page, principles of learningQuote, The behaviourist orientation to learning page, principles of learning
Frequent practice – and practice in varied contexts – is necessary for learning to take place. Skills are not acquired without frequent practice.
Structural Learning, Pedagogy Explained
Structural LearningPedagogy Explained, Five Pedagogical Approaches Explained, BehaviourismQuote, Pedagogy Explained, Five Pedagogical Approaches Explained, Behaviourism
focuses on observable behaviour and the power of repetition, cues and reinforcement
Structural Learning, Pedagogy Explained
Structural LearningOpen Questions: Does Direct Instruction or Discovery Learning Work Better for Novice Learners?, Pedagogy Explained, classroom guide, direct instruction side of the debateView the Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Operant Conditioning, Operant conditioning, lead sectionQuote, Includes: Operant Conditioning, Operant conditioning, lead section
In the 20th century, operant conditioning was studied by behavioral psychologists, who believed that much of mind and behaviour is explained through environmental conditioning.
InstructionalDesign.org
Includes: Operant Conditioning, Operant Conditioning page, behaviourist schoolQuote, Includes: Operant Conditioning, Operant Conditioning page, behaviourist school
The distinctive characteristic of operant conditioning relative to previous forms of behaviorism is that the organism can emit responses instead of only eliciting response due to an external stimulus.
Open Questions (1 open question)
Does Direct Instruction or Discovery Learning Work Better for Novice Learners?
Researchers disagree on how much guidance novice learners need. One line of research holds that minimally guided discovery approaches are less effective for novices than explicit teaching with worked examples, citing cognitive-load evidence; another finds well-designed guided inquiry can still be beneficial, arguing scaffolding quality and task design matter more than the direct-instruction-versus-discovery label itself.
What would resolve this Comparative studies that isolate the amount and quality of instructional scaffolding, rather than only labelling a method direct instruction or discovery learning, would show whether the disagreement is about guidance itself or about how well each approach is implemented.
Educational psychology and instructional designStructural Learning, Pedagogy Explained
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