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Skinner

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Operant Conditioning - B.F. Skinner B.F. Skinner is one of the best-known theorist and researcher in psychology. He argued that learning is a result of lived experiences that cause permanent change. The key to Skinner is that those experiences are observable. Building on the findings and theories of John B. Watson and Ivan Pavlov, Skinner’s findings and beliefs form the basis of behaviorism, a branch in psychology arguing that learning occurs through interaction with environmental stimuli. Today theories of behaviorism specifically Skinner’s theories, are used to teach children with language, social, and learning deficits the skills they need to survive and thrive in the mainstream world. The basis for Skinner’s approach to behaviorism is operant conditioning which argues that learning occurs in reaction to a consequence. For example, if a person eats an apple and loses a tooth, then that person learns not to eat apples with loose teeth. This is a rather basic example, but i...
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Vygotsky

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Social Development Theory - Lev Vygotsky In terms of popularity, Lev Vygotsky is one of the most utilized psychologist in the educational field. Stressing the importance of social learning, Vygotsky advocates a cognitive perspective that learning precedes development. According to Vygotsky’s Social Development Theory , the social interactions and experiences of an individual guides his/her development. Cognitive processes and thinking are therefore a product of socialization and one’s social behavior. One important byproduct of this is what Vygotsky termed private speech - children’s silent inner speech that guides their actions and thoughts. This inner speech is initially the incorporation of others’ speech, which children use to help themselves solve problems. Teachers often incorporate this in their teaching when they use the “I do, we do, you do” modelling instructional strategy. While this strategy is primarily used for teaching academic content, it is also a powerful tool ...
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Shaping

Most students need reinforcement along the way. When you guide students toward goals by reinforcing the many steps that lead to success, you are using a technique called shaping. The term shaping is used in behavioral learning theories to refer to the teaching of new skills or behaviors by reinforcing learners for approaching the desired final behavior (Alberto & Troutman, 2013; Scheuermann & Hall, 2016). For example, in teaching children to tie their shoelaces, we would not simply show them how it is done and then wait to reinforce them until they do the whole job themselves. Rather, we would first reinforce them for tying the first knot, then for making the loops, and so on, until they can do the entire task. In this way we would be shaping the children’s behavior by reinforcing all those steps that lead toward the final goal. Shaping is an important tool in classroom instruction. Let’s say we want students to be able to write paragraphs with a topic sentence, three suppor...
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Fixed Ratio

One common schedule of reinforcement is the fixed-ratio (FR) schedule, in which a reinforcer is given after a fixed number of behaviors. For example, you might say, “As soon as you finish 10 problems, you may go outside.” Regardless of the amount of time it takes, students are reinforced as soon as they finish 10 problems. This is an example of an FR10 schedule (10 behaviors for one reinforcer). One common form of fixed-ratio schedule gives reinforcement for each behavior. This is called continuous reinforcement (CRF), or FR1. Putting money in a soda machine is (usually) an example of continuous reinforcement because one behavior (inserting money) results in one reinforcer (a soda). Giving correct answers in class is also usually continuously reinforced. The student gives a good answer, and you say, “Right! Good answer!” Slavin, Robert E.. Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice (Page 108). Pearson Education. Kindle Edition.       ...
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Bandura

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Bandura’s Modeling and Observational Learning: “Modeling” and “vicarious learning” are two factors that Bandura believed directly affected the way humans learn. Modeling is learning through the copying of someone else’s behavior, while vicarious learning occurs when one learns through someone else’s success and failures. Bandura’s findings primarily focused on these two forms of observational learning, and his results concluded that there are 4 phases the learner goes through when observing a model. The first phase is the “attentional phase”, which occurs when the learner is paying attention to the model. This includes the model getting the attention of whomever they are presenting to. The second stage is the “retention phase”, which is the point where the model starts the demonstration and models the desired behavior. The third stage is called the “reproduction stage”. The “reproduction stage” is the allotted time where the learner is given a chance to try for themselves ...
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Meichenbaum

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Meichenbaum’s Model of Self-Regulated Learning: Meichenbaum believed that students were capable of learning how to self-regulate their behaviors. This self-regulated learning is also referred to as “cognitive behavior modification” (Slavin, pg. 114). By following the five-step strategy/procedure Meichenbaum created, teachers should be able to see improvement in student’s ability to self-instruct. The idea is to use these strategies to reduce disruptive behavior in the classroom and help the student develop independence and awareness in his or her behavioral actions. Ultimately, students who self-regulate their behaviors effectively can transfer these skills into academic fields as well, such as tracking their own academic achievements and progress. Meichenbaum’s steps for self-instruction are listed below: “1. An adult model performs a task while talking to self out loud (cognitive modeling). 2. The child performs the same task under the direction of the mod...
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