Behaviourist Model In School

Part 1 – Introduction

For this written assignment, I am assuming the role of a mother of a grade seven boy, who is experiencing difficulty in school. The school follows the principles of a behaviourist model and I am outraged. I believe that the model used is the cause of my son’s – and others’ – difficulty in the school. I have had enough with my son’s difficulty and I feel it is my right as a parent to stand up to when I feel that my child is being taught incorrectly. I am organizing a meeting for the fellow parents, where I will have a presentation on the shortcomings of the behaviourist model. I will also introduce the constructivist model and its positives in using this model in school systems.

The Presentation

Welcome everyone and thank you form coming. I have created this presentation together because I am seeking a change in how the school is teaching its students. There are numerous grade seven students, my son included, who are unhappy and unmotivated with the material they are learning. I have discussed this worry with a few parents and we are seeking a change. After researching the type of education model our school is currently using, I have discovered that it is a behaviourist model. This model is likely the source that is failing many of our children. What is behaviourism, you may ask.

Behaviourism

Theorists such as Watson and Skinner developed behaviourism, a learning theory. This type of theory is more focused on the end result than the steps leading to it. It focuses on changes in behaviour that result from stimulus-response interactions made by the learner. The stimulus can be rewards and punishments, which will convey a behavioural response. The model is interested in standardized and observable outcomes ...

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...hat to create a model that will work for everyone. I believe that the constructivist model accommodates in understanding individual learning styles.

The behaviourist model provides order and organization, which judging people like. In addition, the model creates classrooms that are structured and there is a routine. Teachers try to maintain their classroom in a routine fashion because they may see that as being less chaotic and more ordered. There may be some good from having a well-structured class, which consists of routine. I may have not seen the positive in using this type of model.

Conclusion

There seems to be pros and cons to both types of models. It depends on the situation or course when to use one model over the other. I feel that it is up to the teacher to evaluate which model is more appropriate for their class and possible they can combine theories.