Skinner’s operant conditioning theory is of great importance in teaching-learning situations. A few situations have been discussed in detail as under—
1. Conditioning Study Behaviour:
For Professor Skinner,
“Teaching is the arrangement of contingencies of reinforcement which expedite learning. He is convinced that operant conditioning, so effectual when applied to animal, training promises equal success when used in schools.”
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Furthermore, he thinks that the most effective control of human learning requires instrumental aid. He thinks that, when teachers have taught successfully, they always have arranged effective contingencies of reinforcement, but they are more likely to do this if they understand what it is that they are doing.
Hence, if we want that student should learn something at his own, the teachers should reinforce such behaviour of students who come well prepared in the class, sit in the library and acts actively in school programmers through a variety of incentives such as prize, medal, praise, smile, affectionate pating on the back or even by giving higher marks in the examination.
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2. Conditioning and Class-room Behaviour:
In order to change the behaviour of the pupils in the class room and to bring desired change in their behaviours, conditioning is of immense importance. If a child’s experiences in a certain classroom, while studying a certain subject with a particular teacher are predominantly unpleasant the unpleasantness becomes conditioned to the teacher, the subject and the classroom.
If this is repeated, the child will develop a dislike for the subject as well as for the teacher. Hence, to check all these, suitable behavioural contingencies may be used and atmosphere of recognition, acceptance, affection and esteem may help the child in approaching the teacher and the subject with good will.
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For instance, if a student is not serious in his studies, the teacher can control his behaviour by using negative reinforcement such as showing his negligence for the student by cristicising him in front of the whole class. On the other hand, a student who is serious in his studies should be provided positive incentives such as prize, medal, praise, smile etc. An interesting example is quoted here.
A student was having a transistor in classroom. The teacher neglected him totally and he was induged in talking with other good students for a long time. The teacher even did not look once to the naughty boy. After a long time the naughty boy asked in the middle of conversation, Sir, till now you are receiving assignments, I will also submit you. Thus, the important behaviours are conditioned.
3. Managing Problem Behaviours:
Generally, students perform a variety of behaviours that seems undesired and problematic form social conduct point of view. Hence, to utter them a great success may be achieved through the process of operant conditioning. Operant conditioning has established as an important behaviour therapy technique in the recent years. It use in schools in shaping student’s behaviour is going on increasing day by day. In this regard Albert Bandura’s views are of great significance.
But, one has to admit here that instead of making use of negative contingencies, such as punishment a teacher must make use of positive contingencies such as praise, appropriate encouragement for better learning prospects. Behaviour of the students is generally dominated by aversion (escape) stimulation. And, hence, they somehow want to run away from the dull and dreary classes.
4. Dealing with Anxities through Conditioning:
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Students develop many fears, anxities, prejudices, attitudes as well as perceptual meanings through conditioning. When we see that a train or a car stops whenever there is red light, we interpret the red light as a sign to stop. In war-time, when a siren is blown in a particular way, we interpret is as a signal for air raid. A child, who has received a painful injection from a doctor, may develop an aversion to or fear of any doctor. Such example causes anxiety in the human being.
Anxiety is a generalised fear responce. To break such habits or fears, conditioning may be helpful. For this, the subject should be kept repeatedly in the situation that causes fear in him and he may be treated by controlling fear producing response. The technique is known as de-sensitization. In this technique firstly, we provide a very weak form of conditioned stimulus then gradually the strength of stimulus is increased.
5. Conditioning Group Behaviour:
Conditioning is not useful only to make an individual learn something but it is equally important to make the entire group learn something and also in breaking out their undesired and unsocial behaviours. Generally, the complete behaviour of the entire group is changed on the basis of those reinforcements which form the basis of common expectations of students with their teachers.
For instance, if most of the students feel that putting questions to their teachers or telling a lie with them will make their teachers annoyed, then in such circumstances they learn to keep mum in the class and become conditioned by the teacher’s authority. On the other hand, if their common expectation rests in the view that by asking questions to their teachers or taking active participation in class discussions will make the teacher feel happy, then in such conditions pupil-teacher interaction will increase remarkably and will help in making teaching-learning process more effective.
6. Conditioning and Cognitive Processes:
Feed back or knowledge of progress is an another form of reinforcement. The concept may be utilized in controlling the cognitive behaviours of the students. The concept demands such favourable conditions to be created for the students so that he may respond correctly and actively. Also, he must be kept well informed regarding his progress, as it will act as a source of motivation for him to reach his goal. Programmed Instruction and Teaching Machines are based on the same principle.
As regard knowledge of progress is concerned we feel that too great a lapse of time exists between behaviour and its reinforcement. A boy who stands first in the class in the month of March or emerges as the all- around best Athlete even earlier in the month of January is rewarded in the month of December in the ceremonial annual prize distribution of the school.
Hence, in order to make effective use of operant conditioning principle the technique of programmed instruction is best suited. Programmed instruction is a system of teaching and learning within which pre-established subject matter is broken down into small, discrete steps and carefully organized into logical sequence in which it can be learned readily by the students. Each step builds deliberately upon the preceding one.
The learner can progress through the sequence of steps at his own rate and he is reinforced immediately after each step. Reinforcement (positive) comes when the response is correct. The pupil does not go ahead if his response is not correct. The technique is of great significance in the teaching of arithmetic, spelling, science etc. Hence, the need of a ‘teaching-machine’, which is the main instrument in carrying on programmed instruction, is must.
7. Shaping Complex Behaviour:
To control such complex behaviour which exists in the form of a chain of small behaviour, the extended form of conditioning, known as shaping technique, is employed. In this technique the smallest behaviour of an individual at the very initial stage is controlled. Then, gradually the next order of chain of behaviour is controlled or conditioned on behalf of different contingencies. In schools, the technique is widely accepted for its use to control students’ behaviour.
Skinner recognizes the first ‘task of teachers to he to shape proper response, to get children to pronounce and write responses properly. But, he sees their principal task as bringing proper behaviour under many sorts of stimulus control.
“Teaching spelling is mainly a process of shaping complex form of behaviour. In other subjects, for example, arithmetic, response must be brought under the control of appropriate stimuli.”
To achieve this task, Skinner recommends the use of programmed learning.