Reviews an autobiographical account of Fred Keller's experiences, documenting how traditional methods of instruction failed him both as a student and as a teacher, and how this failure motivated his quest for alternative methods of instruction culminating in the development of a personalized system of instruction. (KS)

This critical review examines 10 controlled studies in which traditional operant behavioral procedures were compared with normalized interventions for teaching language to young children with autism. It concluded that normalized language training was substantially more effective than discrete-trial training and yielded more positive parental…

Currently, three theories of learning dominate classroom practice. First, B.F. Skinner's Theory of Operant Conditioning states that if behavior, including learning behavior, is reinforced, the probability of its being repeated increases strongly. Different types and schedules of reinforcement have been studied, by Skinner and others, and the…

This research paper generally relates psychology to teaching; specifically, behavior shaping to curriculum planning. Reports are cited that emphasize operant learning as a means of behavior modification. In this instance, the teacher provides a favorable learning situation and arranges environmental factors to increase or decrease the frequency of…

Paper presented at Symposium on Research and Utilization of Educational Media for Teaching the Deaf (Lincoln, Nebraska, March, 1971). (CB)

Examined were the effects of four teachers' use of a data-based behaviorally oriented planning technique on the verbal labeling performance of eight developmentally delayed children (2-5 years old). Teachers were introduced to a 10-tactic planning technique that included behaviors ranging from simply counting the number of correct and incorrect…

The study relates an attempt to prepare teachers of the mentally retarded regarding new teaching methods. Emphasis is placed on methods of learning rather than the careful diagnosis of the child's disability. Through the study, selective groups of special education master teachers (supervisory personnel with classroom experience) were trained in…

This study tests the contention that a reinforcing agent's manner of administering rewards and punishments is construed by his associates as revealing his margin of freedom, and that associates are more attentive to cues concerning a reinforcing agent's dispositional qualities, and more inclined to ingratiate themselves to him, when he employes…

A questionnaire was submitted to 192 special education teachers in the Richmond (Virginia) Public School System to obtain information on teacher's understanding of and attitudes toward behavior modification. (SB)

Describes a successful intervention procedure utilizing operant conditioning techniques that reduced the high frequency of inappropriate behavior of a retarded girl in a residential facility. Three teachers, in three different instructional settings, mildly punished each incident of hand-mouthing while concurrently teaching more functional…

The purpose of this work was to obtain further information as to the practicality of behavior modification procedures in the classroom. (Author/RK)

The new informalists in education are frequently as blind as the most conservative educators, failing to recognize the real responsibilities of teachers in a democratic society. (DM)