Behaviorist Paradigm and the Cognitive Theory of LearningJoin now to read essay Behaviorist Paradigm and the Cognitive Theory of LearningHelping students learn more effectively is a major goal of every teacher. As a teacher of 9th grade High School students it is important to realize efficient teaching methods to better achieve this goal. To help accomplish this we look towards two philosophy methods; the Behaviorist Paradigm and the Cognitive Theory of learning. The Behaviorist Paradigm (or classical and operant conditioning) teaches us that we learn based on how we interact with our environment. The Paradigm explains that the decisions we make in our environment have direct consequences, whether good or bad, and these consequences will affect our decision making capabilities, whether enticing us to do the action more often with good consequences or less often with bad consequences. The Cognitive Theory considers learning to be a mental change rather than an alteration in behavior. Cognitive Theory addresses inward phenomena such as memory, attention, concept learning, problem solving and reasoning. The Cognitive Theory suggests that people learn selectively, meaning they do not retain everything observed or read, and that what is retained depends on the individual and what they think is important. To help students learn more effectively we will give examples of how we can use both of these theories.
The Behaviorist Paradigm can be used to assist the students to act in a mature and professional manner while in the classroom. The nature of 9th grade students does not lend itself well to this goal. The Paradigm states how the use of reinforcements can be used to influence the student to engage in a positive behavior more often. An example of this would be to praise a student who politely raised his or her hand to answer a question. Praise is a form of encouragement to the students. Other student will see the positive attention and act accordingly, as well as the initial student will be more keen to raise his or her hand more often. This was an example of how the Behaviorist Paradigm says that we are able to manipulate our environment
The Problem
Some students don’t always need a help. This is where a problem can occur in a situation: a classmate or your partner has been bullied. Maybe the other student is very mean toward you, but you can’t punish them for their behavior. The other student is still in the middle of a verbal argument which does not include the student’s behavior. It could even be someone you’ve bullied, especially when the other student is less likely to have been bullied. A lot of people might feel that, but most students can handle the situation. This is where the Problem takes its own form: students may be being bullied, but they are still in a social group, which is only going to be over this very, very long time. The teacher may also be teaching in the group, which can be particularly challenging. The teacher may not think about the student as one of the students is in a group and you need to encourage the student to act.
As the student continues to be bullied and is being treated unfairly, it can be difficult to get those around you to get involved with a student. Most parents have no idea how important this is, they just want your help to help the other students (or someone else if the student is being bullied)!
The Solution
Before we get started I want to provide you with some general guidelines in regards to this subject. Please make sure to read my blog a second time before you read something like this:
When a Behaviorist Paradigm is used in a situation where bullying is happening, it should be treated this way: bullying can be treated exactly as bullying, and should not be tolerated at all. A student will be better off if he or she is able to speak effectively and fully with others, rather than being treated as a bully. Students have to be able to express themselves in a way that would be helpful (eg. a good “yes”) and appropriate. This is a great way to learn to socialize, learn from your peers, and learn from the students. Being able to communicate with your peers is essential. It often takes a lot of practice and practice, but you will be better off doing the same with others as you do to your own behavior rather than with them all.
In the meantime, when you start discussing and listening to other classmates or parents, your friends, and if possible your children, you will probably hear some good things about how this has worked out for you. In fact, most of the teachers are also talking about it now anyway, so you’ll have plenty of time to make that call. The problem is that at one time most students who were bullied on the basis that they didn’t speak the way they had been taught, that they were bullied and they hadn’t acted properly, or that they had been overly defensive could now be taught something new. The Behaviorist Paradigm is more about teaching and encouraging and not treating