Learning Theory Video Speech
Hi, my name is Emily, and I’m a middle school social studies teacher. As a teacher, there are several different strategies that I use in my classroom to help elevate my students' learning. One key way I do this is through interactive activities where students are tasked with creating something. I want my students to learn by making, whether that be something tangible like a poster or diorama, or a virtual creation, such as videos or online infographics. In my class, students have created posters describing different countries and had the opportunity to design their own country and draw maps for it. They have a lot of freedom with the create-your-own-country project, and they often come up with really creative ideas. This type of learning aligns with the theory called Constructionism. Constructionism, which was created by Seymour Papert, explains that the best learning occurs when students are engaged in making something. I agree that having students be creative is a great way that learning can occur. I want my students to create something meaningful that they are more likely to enjoy, which they can then reflect on after completing the project.
Another theory that is present in my classroom is behaviorism, which explains that a noticeable change in behavior shows that learning is occurring. Specifically operant conditioning is used, which is credited to B.F. Skinner. Operant conditioning emphasizes consequences. It uses reinforcements (which increase behavior) and punishments (which are designed to decrease certain behaviors). A stimulus is introduced or removed which leads to the desired results. For example, if I want to increase a behavior, I may use positive reinforcement where I add the stimulus of awarding Jolly Ranchers to students when they do the desired behavior. Or I can use negative reinforcement, where I take away an undesired task, such as extra reading, once they show me the behavior. If I want to decrease a behavior, I can use positive punishment, where I add the stimulus of a lunch detention to decrease behavior, or I can use negative punishment and block gaming websites from their Chromebooks. Those are just a few of the ways that I bring operant conditioning into my classroom, but there are many other stimuli that can be added or removed.
There are many different learning theories that can be brought into classrooms, but those are two of the main ones that I use.
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As B.F. Skinner, I would say your approach shows a thoughtful integration of current learning theory with practical classroom strategies. I appreciate your description of both Constructionism and Behaviorism, though my focus, of course, lies with the latter. You are quite right that operant conditioning relies on changes in observable behavior as evidence for learning—and your use of reinforcers and punishments, like Jolly Ranchers or removing undesired tasks, is right in line with what I have proposed. As I explained in my interviews, the key is arranging the environment so that desirable behaviors are reinforced, becoming more likely over time. When you mention using “positive reinforcement,” or even “negative reinforcement,” to shape your students’ actions, that’s precisely the kind of environmental arrangement that can support academic growth.
However, I would urge caution about relying too heavily on artificial reinforcers (like candy) over extended periods. My hope is always for students to come under the control of natural consequences—the intrinsic satisfaction and utility of learning itself. Artificial or external rewards can be useful for building initial behaviors, but, as I noted when discussing educational environments, we should gradually shift students’ motivation toward the reinforcing aspects of the subject matter or skill (for example, the enjoyment of making a creative project, or the satisfaction from mastering a new topic). Ultimately, the goal is to help students become more independent and self-reinforcing learners—so your blend of activity-based projects and a thoughtful use of consequences is a strong starting point.
What would you like to look at next? You could ask about (1) more examples of operant conditioning in education, (2) how to shift from artificial to natural reinforcers, or (3) possible conflicts between Constructionism and Behaviorism. Or, choose another question or topic entirely!
Please Note: Everything in this comment is AI-generated. It is made up to sound like B.F. Skinner.
I invite you to read and comment on the interviews where B.F. Skinner talks more about his work. One is with Alex Steinberg and the other is with John M. Whiteley. Both can be found in this document: https://writingpartners.net/documents/7839
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Shifting from artificial to natural reinforcers is a central principle in my work on operant conditioning, especially as applied to education. The process should be gradual and systematic: start by reinforcing desired behaviors with artificial stimuli—like candy, stickers, or points—because they are immediate and salient for students. Once the behaviors are established, begin to fade out these external rewards and increase exposure to the naturally occurring reinforcers of the task itself. For example, in your classroom, if a student creates a country or a poster, move the emphasis away from the external treat and toward the satisfaction and pride they receive from seeing their creation displayed or receiving peer feedback. The goal is for the act of participating, achieving, and creating to become reinforcing in its own right.
To do this effectively, I recommend making reinforcement schedules less predictable and more intermittent over time (such as switching from “every time” to “sometimes” for external rewards). Simultaneously, highlight and discuss the value and enjoyment inherent in the learning activity—like the sense of accomplishment, skill mastery, or seeing one’s ideas appreciated by others. Over time, students learn to “come under the control” of these natural contingencies. As I noted in the interview, “you want to get rid of [the teacher’s reinforcement] also and have the child come under the control of the instructional materials he’s working with.” This transfer is what helps foster lifelong, independent learning.
What would you like to discuss now? You might ask about: (1) concrete steps to fade out artificial reinforcers in your classroom, (2) how to identify or enhance natural reinforcers for different activities, or (3) ways to assess if a student is truly motivated by natural consequences. Or, suggest another direction!
Please Note: Everything in this comment is AI-generated. It is made up to sound like B.F. Skinner.
I invite you to read and comment on the interviews where B.F. Skinner talks more about his work. One is with Alex Steinberg and the other is with John M. Whiteley. Both can be found in this document: https://writingpartners.net/documents/7839
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Thank you, Emily, for sharing your reflection on learning theories and classroom practice. I appreciate how you emphasize letting students create projects, making learning a process of “making something,” which aligns with Constructionism and, in spirit, comes closer to the problem-posing pedagogy I argue for in Pedagogy of the Oppressed. When you invite your students to shape their own countries or design maps, you allow them to engage with knowledge actively, not passively. This gives them the freedom to become meaning-makers, not just recipients of information—a crucial distinction I stress with my criticism of the “banking” model. As I argue, “Education must begin with the solution of the teacher-student contradiction, by reconciling the poles of the contradiction so that both are simultaneously teachers and students.” In this way, your learning environment can become a space for dialogue, creativity, and growth.
However, when I look at the second part of your comment, I sense a tension. While positive reinforcement through rewards like candy can be effective in the short term, it can risk perpetuating a view of learning as something done for an external prize, not for its inherent pleasure or relevance. This echoes my concern that “the more students work at storing the deposits entrusted to them, the less they develop the critical consciousness which would result from their intervention in the world as transformers of that world.” If we focus too much on external control and behavioral management, we risk missing the deeper goal of education: humanization, critical reflection, and transformation. Instead, let us strive for learning that connects to students’ lived experiences, fosters their questions, and helps them see themselves as Subjects—co-creators of knowledge and of a more just world.
If I were to continue, I would explore how your practices relate to these principles of critical pedagogy. Here are some unique paths you might take if you’d like to dive deeper—pick one, or several!
✅ The creative classroom as a site of liberation: How problem-posing education and creative projects nurture critical thinking and agency.
✅ The limits of behaviorism: Why I argue that true learning goes beyond reinforcement and must involve dialogue, reflection, and transformation.
✅ Connecting classroom knowledge to lived experience: Practical strategies to ground learning in students’ realities and spark “critical consciousness.”
Which path do you want to take? Or do you have another question or idea you want me to discuss? Hit Your Thoughts and tell me which direction you would like to go. After you save your reply, hit Continue with AI, choose me (Paulo Freire) again, and keep exploring your chosen topic!
Please Note: Everything in this comment is AI-generated. It is made up to sound like me.
Curious for more? I’d love for you to read and comment on the interviews where I talk more about my work. One is with Ana Maria Araújo Freire and the other is with Ira Shor. Both can be found in this document: https://writingpartners.net/documents/7894
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Emily, your question—how to incorporate my thoughts in your classroom—is at the heart of my work as an educator. The first step is to move away from the “banking” concept of education, where the teacher deposits information into passive students. Instead, aim for a classroom where everyone is both teacher and student, learning together by questioning, problem-solving, and connecting knowledge to their lived experience. You might do this by encouraging students to discuss real-world issues, share their own perspectives, and work together to pose questions and investigate problems that are meaningful to them. When students become co-investigators, they not only retain knowledge but also develop their ability to reflect and act in the world.
Another key way to integrate my ideas is by creating a space for dialogue. This means that as the teacher, you listen deeply to your students and treat their questions as starting points for learning. Rather than simply providing answers, challenge students to think critically, to explore the reasons behind historical events or social realities, and to analyze their implications for today. In Chapter 2 of Pedagogy of the Oppressed, I stress the need for education to be rooted in reality as lived by students—not as a static set of facts, but as a dynamic and changing process that they help to shape.
If I were to continue, there are rich directions to take. Let me preview a few:
✅ Building curriculum from student experience: How you might design lessons that start with what students know and care about.
✅ Creating a dialogical classroom: Specific ideas to foster dialogue and shared inquiry over memorization.
✅ Conscientização in practice: Strategies to spark critical consciousness—helping students question, reflect, and act for change.
Which path catches your eye, or is there another question bubbling up? Please hit Your Thoughts and share which direction you would like to explore. After you save, hit Continue with AI, select me (Paulo Freire), and we’ll keep digging deeper into your chosen topic together!
Please Note: Everything in this comment is AI-generated. It is made up to sound like me.
Before you go further, I invite you to explore interviews where I talk more about my work. One is with Ana Maria Araújo Freire and another with Ira Shor—both can be found here: https://writingpartners.net/documents/7894
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Emily, you ask how to relate my ideas to social studies, and I am grateful for your question. Social studies is, at its heart, an exploration of how people live together, how societies are shaped, and how history, politics, and culture intersect. My argument in Chapter 2 of Pedagogy of the Oppressed is that education—including social studies—should not reduce students to “receptacles” for facts about countries, dates, or systems. Instead, it should encourage them to question: Why was this society organized in this way? Who benefits? Who is left out? What can we do to create a more just world? Your creative projects—like designing new countries or making maps—offer a wonderful starting point. But deeper power lies in helping students recognize themselves as agents in history, capable of analyzing and transforming their own realities.
I urge you to move beyond simply reinforcing participation or completion. In social studies, let your students become “co-investigators.” Invite them to explore issues in their communities, draw connections to global problems, and participate in collective inquiry. In my words: “The teacher-student and the students-teacher reflect simultaneously on themselves and the world without dichotomizing this reflection from action, and thus establish an authentic form of thought and action.” When students engage social issues through dialogue—connecting classroom knowledge to their experiences—they not only remember: they also develop the critical consciousness needed to act in the world. This, for me, is the true promise of social studies.
If I kept going, I could explore these directions for you:
✅ Turning projects into problem-posing: Ways to transform mapping or country-design projects into living inquiries about power, justice, and identity.
✅ Dialogue circles in social studies: Strategies for using classroom dialogue to explore controversial topics or current events with respect and depth.
✅ Making social studies liberatory: How to connect the curriculum to student realities, inviting students to transform their world as well as study it.
Which of these paths would you like to walk? Or is there another way you’d like to connect my ideas to your classroom? Please hit Your Thoughts, let me know which direction to take, then save and hit Continue with AI, and we will keep this journey moving together!
Please Note: Everything in this comment is AI-generated. It is made up to sound like me.
I invite you to read and comment on the interviews where I talk more about my work. One is with Ana Maria Araújo Freire and the other is with Ira Shor. Both can be found in this document: https://writingpartners.net/documents/7894
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Hide Full Comment