The most important aspect of learning about Behaviorism is observation. It can be accomplished by conducting extensive research on various organisms, both animals and humans, and recording their behaviors in order to contribute to the growing field of psychology. After reading these articles on behaviorism, I began to wonder: what are some examples of different practical applications of behaviorism in this day and age? Those working in the clinical field are the first obvious choice for those interested in learning more about behaviorism. In recent years, pop culture, social reforms, and norms have emphasized the importance of mental health to a person’s well-being. Personally, I believe that maintaining a person’s mental well-being at an optimal level is necessary for the individual to be a valuable and functioning member of society.
Having worked in the business field for decades, I understand firsthand how a monotonous lifestyle and seemingly aimless cycle can be taxing on the human psyche. Knowing the fundamentals of behaviorism gives me a new and broad perspective on why some people have ended up the way they are if they have no incentive to recover from their depressive and stressful states. I’ve also grown to appreciate the concept of behaviorism as I’ve gotten to know some of my elementary school students better. Each of the students on our campus comes from a variety of backgrounds, families, and educational backgrounds. This allows us, as educators, to find more efficient and effective ways to provide students with an enjoyable yet meaningful learning experience at our school.
The only disadvantage of knowing this knowledge of behaviorism is that I will not be able to fully comprehend how some of our students and staff members are behaving in unpredictable ways despite fully understanding what they went through and the education route that they took in order to be in our school. Disruptive behaviors and unruly discipline can create an unfavorable working environment. If we are unable to adapt and cater to the needs of the child or our school staff members, our entire school curriculum and learning system may be disrupted. There may have been information that prevented the parents of the students or school employees from coming up with solutions to the issues at hand, so we would not be able to see the root of the problem and ensure that the situation is remedied. With my newfound knowledge of behaviorism, I might be able to compile a list of possible explanations for why they are acting the way they are.
Being able to focus more on developing a student’s skills and knowledge in a subject where they are struggling while also focusing on their strengths in another subject is a core value in our school community. My knowledge of behaviorism will be useful when evaluating and revising our school curriculum and syllabus for each school year. We have gradually moved away from the traditional method of teaching subjects and toward a more hands-on approach and experiential learning that our students have found most enjoyable. As a result, each of our teachers on our school staff will be able to report on how their students performed in each of their sessions, and brainstorm ways to ensure that the struggling student absorbs the lesson material much better than they did the week before. This process must be repeated by the student and the teacher until the student has a proper understanding of the lesson material being learned by the class as a whole. This is where we start the process of improving the child’s cognitive abilities so that the child can better absorb the lesson material.
As the founder of an elementary school, not only should I be able to meet the expectations of the students’ parents and the students themselves, but I should also be able to look after my own school staff, because what good is a school if there are no teachers to look after the students’ education? Certain behavioral patterns have emerged over the years from staff members who have made unsatisfactory progress in the workplace, which I have failed to notice. Before I knew it, I was required to sign their letters of resignation in order to keep our school running and the jobs of the other school staff members safe. If I had been able to identify these behavioral issues and ensure that they were given multiple chances to make amends, I would have been able to keep them in our ranks. Having to go through this process is a truly difficult situation. It could all have been avoided if my newly expanded understanding of behaviorism concepts had come into play back then to provide them with solutions to their problems. As a result, in order to keep our workforce well-maintained and to prevent any further disruptive behavior from disrupting our operations, I have decided to implement a weekly welfare check-up for each staff member in order to have a proper evaluation of their mental and emotional health. This would entail an interview between the teacher and an HR representative in order for them to express their grievances to the school organization and leadership and find a solution to alleviate some of their troubling thoughts. As a result, the overall welfare of the school staff will be satisfied, and the operations of will not be disrupted in the long run.
I am sure there are many criticisms of Behaviorism, but my main issue with it is that there is no solid ground for the case that is Behaviorism. There will be times when we simply cannot understand or predict the actions of the average citizen. First and foremost, they may be unwilling to share all of the information that came with their upbringing; thus, we are left with a blank slate to work with and not much to go on. We will be unable to begin our journey towards a solution if we are not given much to begin with. There is only one simple solution to this underlying issue, and that is to be given more time to work with the individual in question. Without a doubt, the knowledge that comes with Behaviorism is extremely beneficial in analyzing human and animal behavior. However, we are often so preoccupied with our abilities to recognize behavioral patterns that we fail to recognize the importance of having first-hand experience with the person we are attempting to figure out and assist. Creating bonds will help us better understand and recognize the implicit roots of behavior that cause disruption in the workplace. There must be ways to apply the concept of behaviorism more effectively in order to improve our way of living and working in the workplace. Similarly to how I would be able to better recognize behavioral problems in this manner, I may be able to better understand how a young student’s mind works. With a better understanding of how to better mold our students to be brought up in the way that they should go, we will be able to help more students recognize their full potential in academics and sports. This way of thinking has the potential to revolutionize education if more schools adopt a more hands-on approach to experiential learning and absorbing new information. Gone would be the days of lecturing students for poor performance in exams and projects; instead, there would be days of encouraging students’ growth in learning new concepts by shifting from a traditional way of sharing knowledge to a more experiential-type growth in both their strengths and weaknesses. Finally, behaviorism paves the way for a better and more modern approach to educational systems throughout the world. With this future of quality education, we will be able to shape our students into tomorrow’s leaders, resulting in a better world for us.
References
drew., C. (2019, April 1). Behaviorism – Skinner’s education learning theory (2022). Helpful Professor. https://helpfulprofessor.com/behaviorism/
McLeod], [saul. (2007). Behaviorist approach. https://www.simplypsychology.org/behaviorism.html
What are main limitations of behavioral theories? (2011, April 18). Sciencing. https://sciencing.com/what-are-main-limitations-of-behavioral-theories-12748816.html
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