Behaviorism in the Classroom

er. Much of what teachers do in the class room can be traced back to a developmental theory and or philosophy. As education evolves and the needs of people and society change so do educational trends. However there are basic beliefs or preferences to teaching which have helped develop best practices, one of these developmental theories is the constructivists and Vygotsky’s socio-cultural perspective

In teaching practice, constructivists, emphasize the learner's role in the education process the more active the role, the better. It also focuses the student’s attention on pursuing questions or problems that occur to them, rather than on answers supplied by a teacher or expert text, teacher attention on the creation of learning environments is rich in "construction materials," rather than in creating good information delivery systems. Finally, constructivists tactic emphasizes activity-based or project-based learning.

Some of the main contributors to this developmental theory are Jean Piaget and John Dewey. Piaget’s research has had a profound affect on our understanding of child development. His main contributions have resulted in extensive application to teaching practice and curriculum design in elementary education. Some examples of Piaget’s recommendations in the classroom are, “with children in the sensorimotor stage, teachers should try to provide a rich and stimulating environment with ample objects to play with. On the other hand, with children in the concrete operational stage, learning activities should involve problems of classification, ordering, location, conservation using concrete objects.” Another contributor to the constructivist theory is John Dewey who insisted that education was based in experience and that educational institutions should therefore honor and build on students' experience. Piaget, also a constructivist, insisted that children even young children are quite sophisticated and active thinkers and to theorists. Vygotsky