Behaviorism: Alive and kicking on the web

I enjoyed testing out each of the behaviorism-based online drilling programs referenced in this week’s resources. All of these technological tools make use of practice and reinforcement. They represent the same “programmed instruction” developed by B. F. Skinner and the behaviorists in the 60s, but use contemporary technology. In total, they illustrate the wide range of capabilities offered by the web for drill and practice. WebMATH and English Grammar 101 were both very basic, but, I think, utilitarian. Their score-keeping capabilities made for quick feedback. The DC Physics site was more basic, and didn’t evaluate your responses as did the math and the grammar programs, though it supplied you with the correct answers. My favorite site, because of the graphics and the sound, was the Social Studies Tutor. It was also the most difficult to use because of the more advanced topics it tried to teach. The map skills were basic and the tutorials for these were clear. But the section on “Recognizing Bias,” for example, gave hints that were not too helpful, simply because of the complexity of the skill. The section on “Analyzing Images” was also subject to various interpretations. For practice and drill, then, I think simple programs are best. I was intrigued by Pitler’s use of the spreadsheet to show students how their achievement is directly related to their effort. Not only does it illustrate to students the importance of effort, but it also illustrates the use of the spreadsheet (if you don’t give students a template, and you have each kid make his own sheet). This is a very cheap, creative, and productive way to make an old program do a new thing.