• Book bannings and classroom content updates from around the U.S.:
  • From the Guardian: In Florida, a children's book titled "Ban This Book" by Alan Gratz, which ironically addresses the issue of book banning, was itself banned by the Indian River county school board.
  • From the AP: In Oklahoma, the state Supreme Court ruled unanimously that local school boards, not the state Board of Education, have the authority to decide which books are available in public school libraries. This decision overturned attempts by the state Board of Education to remove certain books from Edmond Public Schools' library.
  • Oklahoma public schools are now required to keep and teach from a copy of the Bible in every classroom in grades 5-12. Teachers are being encouraged to provide Biblical instruction due to the book’s “substantial influence on our nation’s founders and the foundational principles of our Constitution.” Oklahoma’s Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters stated that teachers in non-compliance could lose their licenses. In related news, Louisiana also became the first state to require that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school classroom.
  • The American Library Association reports “the number of titles targeted for censorship surged 65% in 2023 compared to 2022.
• We recently hosted a discussion on legacy admissions and “side door,” donation-motivated college admissions when we discussed the Varsity Blues scandal on this podcast; now, a bill passed by the California state Assembly may bring financial penalties to private higher education institutions for giving admissions preference to children of alumni and donors.
• The University of Colorado Boulder is retiring remote exam proctoring and monitoring technology Proctorio, citing low usage after a return to in-person instruction post COVID-19 pandemic. CU Boulder is not the first university to experience student pushback (hear our discussion of the statement on Proctorio issued by the Union of Students in Ireland in episode 102).

In this episode, we investigate the life and work of B.F. Skinner, the pioneering psychologist who transformed our understanding of behaviorism and left deep marks on classrooms, schools, and methods of instruction. Discover how Skinner’s theories on behavior modification, reinforcement, and punishment continue to influence modern education and classroom management.

Highlights:

• Early Life and Influences: Learn about Skinner's journey from aspiring writer to groundbreaking psychologist, influenced by the works of Ivan Pavlov and John B. Watson.
• Operant Conditioning: Understand the principles of operant conditioning and how Skinner's research with rats and pigeons laid the foundation for behaviorist approaches in education.
• The Skinner Box and Other Oddities and Experiments: Explore the development of the operant conditioning chamber, famously known as the "Skinner Box," and its role in studying animal behavior. Be sure to stick around for a discussion of… (checks notes…) war pigeons?
• Educational Impact: Join a discussion of how Skinner's theories have shaped modern educational practices, including the use of positive and negative reinforcement, token economies, and programmed instruction.
• Controversies and Criticisms: Delve into the ethical debates surrounding behaviorist techniques and their application in both educational and social contexts.
• Legacy in Education: Katie and Chelsea Reflect on Skinner's lasting impact on educational technology and teaching methodologies.

Discussion Questions:

• Has Skinner’s focus on observable and measurable behaviors had an overall positive or negative impact on formal educational systems?
• How much behavior modification is too much when it comes to classroom instruction, and what are the ethical implications of applying behaviorist principles in schools?
• With new research questioning the efficacy of extrinsic rewards, how do we reconcile Skinnerian approaches to motivation in modern education?

Book about book bans banned by Florida school board | Books | The Guardian

Oklahoma Supreme Court rejects state education board's authority over public school libraries | AP News

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/louisiana-to-become-first-state-to-require-that-the-ten-commandments-be-displayed-in-every-public-school-classroom

Watch out Stanford. California is eyeing a new legacy admission ban | Politico

California May Ban Legacy Admissions at Universities - The New York Times

A New National Student Organization Is Taking Aim At Legacy Admissions

Proctorio | Office of Information Technology

Students Are Pushing Back Against Proctoring Surveillance Apps | Electronic Frontier Foundation

Biographical Information – B. F. Skinner Foundation

Project Pigeon - Wikipedia

B.F. Skinner’s Pigeon-Guided Rocket | Smithsonian

Understanding Behavioral Psychology: the Skinner Box

Behaviourism | Classical & Operant Conditioning, Reinforcement & Shaping | Britannica

Behaviorism In Psychology

THE IMPLICATION OF THE LEARNING THEORIES ON IMPLEMENTING E-LEARNING COURSES

What Kind of Dog Was Pavlov’s Dog? | Smithsonian

Pavlov, Watson, Skinner, And Behaviorism | Kate Votaw

B.F. Skinner Raised His Daughter in a Skinner Box? | Snopes.com

Mystery solved: We now know what happened to Little Albert

Operant Conditioning: What Is It and How It Works

Reinforcement and Punishment – General Psychology

Behaviorism in Education: What Is Behavioral Learning Theory?

Skinner’s Behaviourism - New Learning Online

Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters orders schools to teach the Bible

Oklahoma schools head Ryan Walters: Teachers who won't teach Bible could lose license

Skinner’s Reinforcement Theory in the Classroom | Teaching Channel

Why B.F. Skinner May Have Been The Most Dangerous Psychologist Ever

The Engineered Student: On B. F. Skinner’s Teaching Machine | The MIT Press Reader