Behavior Systems Family and Teaching and Learning Activities

Teaching is one of the most difficult jobs, because teachers do not just teach subjects, they teach people, who have different personalities, learning styles, and interests. The behavior systems family of teaching models can help a teacher create an effective learning environment through mastery learning, direct instruction, simulating.The behavior systems family of teaching models focuses on the behaviorist theories of Skinner, com/b-f-skinner-and-albert-bandura/">Bandura, and others. Their theories showed that behavior can be conditioned or created. Teachers can use these theories to cultivate productive and successful classrooms.Mastery learning takes place when material is broken down into small sections that are easy to understand. According to Weil and Calhoun (2008), at the end of each unit, a test is administered to see if the students understood that section. Those who did can move on to the next phase, and those who did not can spend more time on the current section until t hey have. Direct instruction means that the activities and lessons are teacher directed. The students are in a less participatory role, often taking notes or listening to the teacher lecture.Students are given direct instruction for tasks and time to work independently. It is most helpful for teachers to use praise during this time to illicit good behavior and focused study. Simulation is when students role play real life situations in order to gain understanding. Tasks that are realistically complex can seem less so in a classroom setting. According to Mafune (n. d. ), students assume roles of people in various situations, and they are able to understand their motivation and actions. They can simulate a courtroom trial, and focus on specific parts of testimony, or the jurors.The behavioral systems family of teaching models can aid teachers a great deal. Teachers can use behavior theory to achieve their desired results through mastery learning, direct instruction, and simulations. R eferences Mafune, P. Teaching and learning models. A reflection on the work of Bruce Joyce, Bev Showers, Marsha Weil and Others. Retrieved May 22, 2009 from http://hagar. up. ac. za /catts/learner/patriciam/B3a. htm Joyce, B. , Weil, M. , & Calhoun, E. (2008) Models of teaching. (8th ed. ) Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.