THE NATIONAL TEACHERS COLLEGE

School of Advanced Studies

SED 406- THE TEACHING OF SCIENCE

Task Sheet # 2

Name of Student: Fritzie Lynn S. Bagarinao Date: July 14, 2018

Student No. :41700245 Professor: Dr. Marivic S. Basilio
_____________________________________________________________________________________

1. What is the implicit epistemology of behaviorism?

Behaviorism is defined by a set of rules for exploring and explaining complex behavior; based from
the Learning Theory (Strand, 2008). The epistemology of behavior is said to be biological based with an
environmental influence. That is that some personality traits are inherited; and some are picked up
through development. Behaviorism is a learning theory that only focuses on objectively observable
behaviors and discounts any independent activities of the mind. Behavior theorists define learning as
nothing more than the acquisition of new behavior based on environmental conditions
It has sometimes been said that “behave is what organisms do.” Behaviorism is built on this
assumption, and its goal is to promote the scientific study of behavior. The behavior, in particular, of
individual organisms. Not of social groups. Not of cultures. But of particular persons and animals.
Experiments by behaviorists identify conditioning as a universal learning process. There are two
different types of conditioning, each yielding a different behavioral pattern: Classic conditioning occurs
when a natural reflex responds to a stimulus. We are biologically “wired” so that a certain stimulus will
produce a specific response. One of the more common examples of classical conditioning in the
educational environment is in situations where students exhibit irrational fears and anxieties like fear of
failure, fear of public speaking and general school phobia.
Behavioral or operant conditioning occurs when a response to a stimulus is reinforced. Basically,
operant conditioning is a simple feedback system: If a reward or reinforcement follows the response to a
stimulus, then the response becomes more probable in the future. For example, leading behaviorist B.F.
Skinner used reinforcement techniques to teach pigeons to dance and bowl a ball in a mini-alley.
There have been many criticisms of behaviorism, including the following:

1. Behaviorism does not account for all kinds of learning, since it disregards the activities of the mind.
 2. Behaviorism does not explain some learning–such as the recognition of new language patterns by
young children–for which there is no reinforcement mechanism.
3. Research has shown that animals adapt their reinforced patterns to new information. For
instance, a rat can shift its behavior to respond to changes in the layout of a maze it had previously
mastered through reinforcements.

HOW BEHAVIORISM IMPACTS LEARNING

This theory is relatively simple to understand because it relies only on observable behavior and
describes several universal laws of behavior. Its positive and negative reinforcement techniques can be
very effective– such as in treatments for human disorders including autism, anxiety disorders and
antisocial behavior. Behaviorism is often used by teachers who reward or punish student behaviors. This
impact learning in the way it helps reinforce a positive behavior and lessen negative behavior. It is very
much applicable in the classroom since we are dealing with students raised from different families and
culture.
The good thing about this concept of learning is the fact that it acknowledges the roles played by
different factors to help develop a sound and functional thinking and reasoning that will lead to a more
shaped behavior.

2. Compare classical conditioning of Ivan Pavlov from operant conditioning of B.F. Skinner.

One of the simplest ways to remember the differences between classical and operant
conditioning is to focus on whether the behavior is involuntary or voluntary. Classical conditioning
involves associating an involuntary response and a stimulus, while operant conditioning is about
associating a voluntary behavior and a consequence
In operant conditioning, the learner is also rewarded with incentives, while classical conditioning
involves no such enticements. Also, remember that classical conditioning is passive on the part of the
learner, while operant conditioning requires the learner to actively participate and perform some type of
action in order to be rewarded or punished.
For operant conditioning to work, the subject must first display a behavior which can then be
either rewarded or punished. Classical conditioning, on the other hand, involves forming an association
with some sort of already naturally occurring event.
Today, both classical and operant conditioning are utilized for a variety of purposes by teachers,
parents, psychologists, animal trainers, and many others. In animal conditioning, a trainer might utilize
classical conditioning by repeatedly pairing the sound of a clicker with the taste of food. Eventually, the
sound of the clicker alone will begin to produce the same response that the taste of food would.In a
classroom setting, a teacher might utilize operant conditioning by offering tokens as rewards for good
behavior. Students can then turn in these tokens to receive some type of reward such as a treat or extra
play time. In each of these instances, the goal of conditioning is to produce some sort of change in
behavior.

3. Cite situations in your classroom where you applied positive reinforcements and negative
reinforcement practices and give the good and bad effects in terms of learning of students.

In behavioral psychology, a reinforcement is the introduction of a favorable condition that will make
a desired behavior more likely to happen, continue or strengthen in the future. Because the favorable
condition acts as a reward, reinforcement is a reward-based conditioning. There are positive and negative
reinforcement. They can be confusing because the technical terms used in psychology is often
misrepresented in pop culture. As technical parlance, positive refers to adding a factor while negative
refers to removing a factor. But positive and negative do not represent the quality of the factor being
added or removed. That factor can be pleasant or unpleasant. For instance, positive can be adding
something unpleasant resulting in unpleasant feelings, while negative can be removing something
unpleasant resulting in pleasant feelings So, remember that positive and negative refer to adding and
removing something, not to the quality of the added/removed factor or the resulted feelings

Examples of Positive Reinforcement

1. I had it a practice to write simple notes on the activities and journals of my students after
checking them. This is my way of giving them compliment for a job well done. This is also for
me to reassure my students that I care about them and I care about their work.
Good:
a. They give more focus on the quality of their work.
b. It enhances their creativity.

Bad:

a. The Truth is sacrificed in favor of grades. They no longer write or express their real
feeling example in their journal because they are afraid that it might be taken against
them.
b. They become overly conscious with grades.
 c. For some, it becomes their way to show off to others.

2. For group activities, I always give credit to the first group to submit with correct answers their
written output to the class.
Good
a. Students are challenged to work under time pressure and they love that.
b. Students tried to share ideas, collaborate and learn to deal with the differences in the
group.

Bad
a. Sometimes the leaders just manipulate all the work leaving no task for the other
members.
b. Conflicts in the group due to unresolved differences.
c. Laziness especially to the struggling members in the group.

Examples of Positive Reinforcement

1. Being a Grade 10 adviser, one of my major concern is to instill discipline among my students.
One way of teaching them especially to those are always late in coming to school is assigning
them to be the cleaner for the entire week.

Good:

a. Students strive not to be late.

b. Lesser number of latecomers in the class.

Bad:

a. Others don’t mind to clean the room so it is not their concern if they come to school always
late.
b. Students to what is required from them because of fear and not because that is the right thing
to do.
c. Students lose the quality to a sound judgment over situations.
 THE NATIONAL TEACHERS COLLEGE
School of Advanced Studies

SED 406- THE TEACHING OF SCIENCE

Task Sheet # 3

Name of Student: Fritzie Lynn S. Bagarinao Date: July 14, 2018

Student No. :41700245 Professor: Dr. Marivic S. Basilio

1. Compare and contrast the theories and concepts of Lev Vygoyski and Jean Piaget in relation to
cognitivism.
Piaget's Theory Piaget focused on cognitive development in children and adolescents
Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development described and explained the changes in logical
thinking of children and adolescents. Piaget proposed that children proceed through four stages
based on maturation and experience. Piaget's theory is guided by assumptions of how learners
interact with their environment and how they integrate new knowledge and information into
existing knowledge. Briefly, he proposed that: children are active learners who construct
knowledge from their environments they learn through assimilation and accommodation, and
complex cognitive development occurs through equilibration the interaction with physical and
social environments is key for cognitive development occurs in stages.
Vygotsky's Theory
Lev Vygotsky's theory of cognitive development, referred to as his cultural-historical
theory, focused on the role of culture and social interactions. Vygotsky maintained that speech is
a major psychological tool in the child's development of thinking. As children age and develop,
their basic speech becomes more complex.
Vygotksy's theory is guided by six major assumptions:
a. children develop through informal and formal conversations with adults
b. the first few years of life are critical for development, as this is where thought and language
become increasingly independent
c. complex mental activities begin as basic social activities
d. children can perform more difficult tasks with the help of a more advanced individual
e. tasks that are challenging promote cognitive development growth
 f. play is important and allows children to stretch themselves cognitively

The main difference between Piaget and Vygotsky is that Piaget believed that children go
through a set of stages of cognitive development and on the other hand Vygotsky believed
that cognitive development is continual. They both focus on child development. Piaget
believed that children went through specific stages. While in the case of Vygotsky, he believed
that learning occurs along a spectrum. He coined the term of proximal development to
describe the sweet spot between what the child has already know and what he does not know
yet. The middle ground, the ZPD, is where the child can learn with assistance.

2. How to become a cognitivist teacher? Cite at least 3 situations in teaching where cognitivist is
applied.

I can be a cognitivist teacher by employing different teaching strategies that help ensure
learning in the classroom. As a science teacher this is of prime importance since this allow teacher
to offer activities that will provide students a change to explore the world around them

a. Reflection: EXIT PASS

Use a variation of the one minute paper. At the end of class, ask students to
write down what they learned, what was confusing and what steps they will
take to solve that confusion. This shouldn't be used in every class, but on a
weekly basis and/or with some kind of follow up (perhaps presenting on what
they found confusing and how they solved it) might be helpful.
b. Schematic diagrams, maps, visualization, association, mnemonics, using clues
in reading comprehension, underlining key words, scanning and self-testing
and monitoring.
c. Interactive Games and Simulation Games
d. Walk with Nature