Behaviorism is a learning theory that focuses on observed behavior that can be measured objectively. It discounts that influence of the role of the person as an individual, and states that new behavior can be conditioned through pairing the desired new behavior with what was previously neutral stimuli. Operant conditioning is one of two main strategies behaviorists use to obtain the desired behavior. It is based on positive and negative reinforcement of the desired behavior. The reinforcement happens after the desired behavior occurs in order to increase or decrease the desired behavior.

What might this look like if the desired behavior is increased attendance?

A review of the literature show that there is a correlation between school attendance and academic achievement; one way to increase student attendance is to increase student engagement. (Lee, 2014). Using the behaviorism model, then the desired behavior is increased student attendance. The positive reinforcement used to achieve increased attendance is an engaging classroom. The reason for the desired behavior is academic success.

Bender (2017) quotes Zepke & Leach’s definition of student engagement: “students’ cognitive investment in, active participation with, and emotional commitment to learning a particular content (p 2). Phillip Schlechty goes further by breaking down engagement into categories or levels.

Popular teaching strategies that are suggested for increasing student engagement include:

• Differentiated Instruction
• Flipped classroom
• Problem-based learning (sometimes considered the same as project-based learning, but project-based learning has a wider scope).
• Gamification
• Role-play

I have used all of the above strategies in the classroom. The flipped classroom is the one that I have used the least from the list. When teaching adults who come to class at night after a long day at work who also may have family and/or personal issues on their mind, an engaging classroom is key for maintaining attendance. You can’t expose someone to new learning if s/he isn’t there. Some students may have the time and will to learn outside of the classroom but my observations as an instructor and administrator show that if formal assessments are part of the curriculum, a student who is repeatedly absent may miss or not understand key information that s/he needs for a passing grade on an assessment.

REFERENCES

Bender, W.N. (2017). 20 strategies for increasing student engagement. Learning Sciences International.

Lee, J.S. (2014). The relationship between student engagement and academic performance: Is it a myth or reality? The Journal of Educational Research, 107(3), 177–185. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2013.807491

Spencer, J. (2017, December 4). [Video]. Phillip Schlechty's Levels of Engagement. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=256hluHbp2o