Activity 2.3: Videos on Behaviorism in Theory and Practice

In this article, Skinner lays out the problems that he finds with the education system, and then offers simple solutions to the problems.  First, Skinner’s first problem is that of all of the suggestions people make to improve education, none actually involve the improvement of teaching.  He also makes the comment that teachers are not being taught to teach in effective way.  He suggests several things, including using time more effectively, being clear about what is to be taught, teaching first things first, programming the subject matter, and most importantly, stopping the current trend of making all students advance at the same rate.  If those things can happen, Skinner proposes, then students can learn twice as much in the same time and with the same effort.

1.     I think Skinner would still be ashamed of education today.  One of his solutions was, “Stop making all students advance at essentially the same rate” (Skinner, p. 951).  This is still happening.  All students are expected to be on the same reading level, and are expected to be making the same progress as their peers, which sets them up to fail if they are not, as they fall behind, and lose confidence, and fall more behind, or, alternately, they are held back and get bored.  Skinner also made a comment about people lacking the thirst for education; I believe this is also still happening, but is worse in some senses.

2.  Skinner would like School of One, as it allows students to learn at their own pace, at an individual level.  He would also like the use of technology, which frees up the teachers’ time to actually do their job and teach kids who want to learn.

3.  Skinner’s ratio of habit to free will would not even include free will, as in the video he says that free will is fiction.  Skinner would think his daily actions are 100% habit.