New theories of learning are leading to very different approaches to the design of curriculum, teaching, and assessment. Theorist B.F. Skinner adopted and developed the scientific philosophy known as radical behaviourism. He distinguished two kinds of behaviour; respondent behaviour which is elicited by a known stimulus and operant behaviour which is not elicited by a known stimulus but is simply emitted by an organism. Skinner believed that the best way to understand behaviour is to look at the causes of an action and its consequences. Operant Conditioning deals with intentional actions that have an …show more content…
Many of these students have impairments in the psychomotor, visual or auditory domain. Therefore, teachers should encourage students to verbalize what they have learned, construct models, draw pictures, and provide illustrations and pictures of what is to be learned.
Gifted and talented students are another group of students that often need special educational opportunities. Some students have the potential to excel at extraordinary levels in particular areas. Education programs for the gifted and talented “must deal with their subject matter profoundly” (Bill, 1989). These students should be given activities that will hold their interest and challenge their intellect. Teachers need to identify gifted students and provide them with adequate academic and social challenges.
All teachers have multiple responsibilities for meeting the educational needs of all students in their classes, including both students who are disabled and nondisabled. By understanding how students learn to behave, teaches can design and use activities that lead to desirable social and academic behavior. The classroom environment dramatically