It's About Learning

Outside the field of behaviorism, Chomsky’s paper is considered to be a classic, and is cited as final evidence of the inadequacy of behaviorism as a general framework for animal behavior and human affairs (Virués-Ortega, 2006 p. 243).

As you will see in the Noam Chomsky Behaviorism video and read in the articles linked below even though behaviorism has been shown to be inadequate it not only persists to this day it still dominates educational practice. Most recently we have seen a resurgence of behaviorism in the form of personalized learning, or “competency-based education,” which Diane Ravitch (2018) argues are are both euphemisms for computer adaptive instruction.

Norm Freiesn (2018) argues that educations primary purpose has always been to help children to gradually become free and responsible adults who will contribute to everyday life in our civil society. The reliance on computer algorithms to control the education process moves it away from its essence as a human activity. Ironically the label of “personalized learning” is used even though computer-aided instruction depersonalizes and reduces the process of learning to that of matching curricular competency with workforce placement. Personalized learning is really about the meaningful connections that are made with teachers, peers, and the significant learning experiences that are made possible by giving learners choice, ownership, and voice through authentic learning opportunities.

The following warning from Paul Emerich (2018) a former Silicon Valley personalized learning expert emphasizes the human dimension of genuine personalized learning:

We must walk away from this hyper-individualized brand of personalized learning. We must walk away from its reductionism, assuming that education is simply an arrangement of individualized playlist cards or isolated experiences. We must run from the idea that technology is necessary to make the classroom a more personal and humanized place, because what personalizes the classroom is not fancy technology and big data: truly knowing children is what personalizes and humanizes a modern classroom.

References

Chomsky N. Review of B. F. Skinner, Verbal Behavior. Language. 1959;35:26–58. Retrieved from https://chomsky.info/1967____/

Chomsky N. Review of B.F. Skinner’s Beyond Freedom and Dignity. The New York Review of Books. 1971 Dec 30;17:18–24. Retrieved from http://www.nybooks.com/articles/1971/12/30/the-case-against-bf-skinner/

Emerich, P. (2018, January 16). Why I left Silicon Valley, edTech, and “personalized” learning [Blog]. Retrieved June 22, 2018, from https://paulemerich.com/2018/01/15/why-i-left-silicon-valley-edtech-and-personalized-learning/

Friesen, N. (2018). Personalized learning technology and the new behaviorism: Beyond freedom and dignity. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/36112036/Personalized_Learning_Technology_and_the_New_Behaviorism_Beyond_Freedom_and_Dignity.docx

Ravitch, D. (2017, December 29). 5 risks posed by the increasing misuse of technology in schools [Blog]. Retrieved June 22, 2018, from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-12-29-5-risks-posed-by-the-increasing-misuse-of-technology-in-schools

Skinner, F.B. (1965).Science and Human Behavior. New York: The Free Press.

Skinner, B.F. (1971). Beyond Freedom and Dignity. New York: Bantam/Vintage

Virués-Ortega, J. (2006). The Case Against B. F. Skinner 45 years Later: An Encounter with N. Chomsky. The Behavior Analyst, 29(2), 243–251. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/223960274_The_Case_Against_B_F_Skinner_45_years_Later_An_Encounter_with_N_Chomsky

Watters, A. (2017, December 23). Education technology and the new behaviorism. Retrieved June 22, 2018, from http://hackeducation.com/2017/12/23/top-ed-tech-trends-social-emotional-learning