Compare Two Theories Of Learning Education Essay

This essay is traveling to be discoursing two different theories of larning within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The two theories that are traveling to be compared are the theory of Operant Conditioning which was conducted by Skinner and the second was the Social Learning Theory which was conducted by Bandura. The first theory that will be discussed is Operant Conditioning.

B F Skinner was a behaviorist who studied kids ‘s behavior and from this he developed the theory of Operant Conditioning. Skinner developed the thought of Operant Conditioning the work of Edward Thorndike. One definition of Operant Conditioning is: “ behavior that is followed by pleasant effects tend to be repeated and therefore learned. Behaviour that is followed by unpleasant effects tends non to be repeated and therefore non learned. ” ( Alberto and Troutman, 2006 ; pg. 12 ) . Operant Conditioning consists of two different types of support. The first type of support is positive support. Positive support is a manner of reenforcing a coveted behavior in kids through positive feedback or wagess. For illustration, in footings of acquisition, a practician may praise a kid for giving the correct reply to a inquiry. There are two different types of positive support. These are positive reinforcing stimuluss and negative reinforcing stimuluss. Positive reinforcing stimuluss are when a positive result is used as a wages. So for illustration, if a kid is acting a spine will be given to them at the terminal of the twenty-four hours. Negative reinforcing stimuluss are when something negative is taken off when the kid does something good. So for illustration, if a kid has non behaved and have been told that they are traveling to be losing some of their drama and the kid does something good subsequently on the kid will hold their drama returned. The 2nd type of support is negative support. This is besides known as penalty. Negative support can be explained by the remotion of a negative stimulation to increase the likeliness of the kid moving in the coveted manner. For illustration, if two kids are systematically speaking to each other negative support would affect dividing the two kids so that they can non speak to each other. There are two different types of negative support. These are negative penalty and positive penalty. Negative penalty is where something positive the kid has been given is taken off from them after bad behavior. If the school uses a chart system such as a rainbow chart to demo kids ‘s behavior and a kid has behaved throughout the twenty-four hours and had their name put on the rainbow, if they so misbehave they will be moved lower down the chart towards the cloud. Positive penalty is where the kid is misconducting and they have a negative response for it. An illustration of this is where the kid a child gets scolded for hapless behavior. Another illustration of this is where a kid stones on their and are told off for it. If they do it once more and fall off of the chair and hurt themselves they will larn non to make it once more. Children within the Early Years Foundation Stage are still larning the difference between what is right and what is incorrect. Operant Conditioning Theory is relevant to kids of this age group due to the fact that the cardinal construct of this theory is reward and penalty. If kids are rewarded for good behavior and punished for bad behavior systematically, they are more likely to larn the right manner to act.

Skinner ‘s Operant Conditioning Theory can clearly be seen within my scene. Throughout my puting each of the categories use Operant Conditioning a batch with the kids. In my peculiar schoolroom, the instructor uses a system known as the rainbow system. The kids ‘s names start off on the Sun at the beginning of the twenty-four hours and if they behave truly good and work truly difficult so there name will be moved up to the rainbow and if they continue to work hard so their names move up to the pot of gold. At the terminal of the twenty-four hours if there are kids whose names are still on the pot of gold so they receive a spine. However, if the kids are being riotous, they are given a warning by the instructor and if they carry on so their names and moved down to the cloudy sky image and so if they still carry on their names will be moved down to the rain cloud. I feel that Operant Conditioning theory is relevant in my scene as it is used systematically throughout the school. First, it is non merely in the EYFS it is used, it is besides used in all of the other categories through a virtue system. The virtue system is really good as if the kids get adequate virtues throughout the twelvemonth and their clip in the school they receive a wages. Besides, on Sports Day, they school is split into six different groups and if the virtues each kid gets throughout the twelvemonth for their group is added to the sum they receive on Sports Day and the group that wins is given the House Cup. Another ground why I feel that Operant Conditioning is relevant in my scene is due to the fact that it is consistent throughout the whole school. It is non merely used in the schoolroom, they besides use it in assemblies. For illustration, throughout the assemblies the practicians walk around and detect the kids and those that are acting throughout the whole of the assembly will have virtue points to manus to their instructor. However, there are some failings in the ways in which this system in used within my scene. For illustration, although it is a good thought, I feel that non all of the kids are recognised for their good behavior. Although I understand that it may be hard for the practicians to recognize all of the kids that are acting good, some of the kids may experience that they are non noticed for acting suitably.

The 2nd theory in which is traveling to be discussed within this essay is Albert Bandura ‘s Social Learning Theory. Albert Bandura is a behavioristic theoretician. Social Learning Theory is based chiefly on Behaviourism and Cognitive Theory. The chief thoughts behind the Social Learning Theory are patterning and observation. An illustration of Social Learning Theory within a school scene is when a kid is misconducting and another kid who is really familiar with kid imitates their behavior. Social Learning Theory is relevant to the Early Years Foundation Stage due to the fact that the cardinal construct of this peculiar theory is fake and patterning. Children of this degree and age tend to copy others in footings of how they behave. They besides tend to copy those that are function theoretical accounts to them.

Bandura ‘s Social Learning Theory is besides apparent within my arrangement. Throughout the school the instructors act as good function theoretical accounts for the kids and they try to acquire kids to retroflex good behavior. For illustration in my arrangement the instructors try to acquire the kids to retroflex good behaviors that they see within the schoolroom scene. So if a kid is non sitting softly and another kid is the instructor is likely to notice on the kid ‘s good behavior. Then the instructor will state the kid misconducting that should move how the other kid is moving. The theory is besides apparent within my arrangement through the practicians themselves. For illustration, kids tend to copy the ways in which their instructors behave, so the practicians within my puting behave in ways in which they want the kids to act so that the kids will retroflex good behavior. I feel that this theory is besides relevant in my arrangement. There are some strengths and weaknesses to this theory being used in the EYFS. First of all the strengths of utilizing this theory in my arrangement are that if a kid is acting good in the schoolroom, other kids around them are more likely to copy this behavior. However, a failing of this theory being used within my arrangement is that kids who are non behaving and are non addressed by the practician are besides likely to hold that behavior imitated by other kids in the category which could take to many of the kids acting in this manner.

Operant Conditioning and Social Learning Theory are different in many different ways. First of all ; in Operant Conditioning the chief focal point is on honoring good behavior and penalizing bad behavior, but in Social Learning Theory the chief focal point is on kids retroflexing behaviors that they have observed and witnessed from their function theoretical accounts. Another manner in which operant conditioning and societal acquisition theory differ from each other is in footings of when kids learn. First of all, in operant conditioning, kids learn how to act from what they have experienced antecedently, whereas with societal larning theory, kids learn from each experience when they imitate a behavior from the practician or their schoolmates.

Both of these theories are besides similar in many different ways. First of wholly, both of the theories focus on kids detecting behavior and behaving in a manner that they have learnt is the appropriate manner. So for illustration in operant conditioning the kids observe other kids around them acting to acquire wagess or they themselves have behaved in order to acquire wagess and they have learnt that to acquire the wages they need to act the same manner in which they did earlier. In societal acquisition theory the kids observe other people around them acting in a peculiar manner and they imitate this behavior, particularly if it is person they consider a function theoretical account or it is person who they are really good friends with.

To reason, both of these theories are really utile to utilize in a schoolroom puting when working with younger kids. However, from my experience I feel that Bandura ‘s Social Learning Theory, may non be the best theory to utilize when working with the EYFS due to the fact that the kids are really immature and make non rather understand the construct of good and bad behavior and they do be given to copy the behavior of those around them that they are friends with. Overall, I do experience that although there are restrictions when utilizing Social Learning Theory both Operant Conditioning and Social Learning Theory do work good together in helping practicians in educating the kids within the EYFS.