NAME : NADIA SYAKILA BT MOHD ZAINODIN

ID NUMBER : 2016589347
GROUP : 4D
DEPARTMENT : MU220 MUSIC EDUCATION
SUBJECT : EDU 550 EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
LECTURER : MDM KHADIJAH BINTI SAID HASHIM
 Teachers are great sources of knowledge, prosperity and enlightenment to which anyone can

be benefited for whole life. They serve as the real light in everyone’s life as they help students to make

their ways in the life. They are the God gifted people in everyone’s life who lead us towards success

without any selfishness. Really, we can call them as builders of the dazzling future of our nation

through education. Teacher plays very essential role in the field of education who teaches students

very nicely to be a person of good moral and behavior. They equip students with lots of knowledge,

skills and positive attitudes so that students can never feel lost and go ahead. Without teachers in the

life one cannot grow mentally, socially and intellectually.

Despite from that, a music teacher is someone who teaches people how to play an instrument

for example the piano, guitar or violin or gives singing and voice lessons. Some music teachers work

in schools from elementary to high school levels, and teach many students. These teachers are

responsible for directing the school bands, choirs and orchestras. They may also teach appreciation,

theory, or composition classes to advanced students. Other music teachers give lessons on an

individual basis, and may work out of their homes or from a music store as a private music teacher.

As a music teachers, there are few theories that may contribute to the understanding of how

students learn and we may use them to approach our students effectively. As in the book of Educational

Psychology by John W. Santrock, there are five main approaches to learning that are discussed in the

book: behavioral, social cognitive, information-processing, cognitive constructivist and social

constructivist. As in Chapter 7, Behavioral and Social Cognitive Approaches, there are Behavioral

Approaches to Learning. The behavioral approaches emphasize the importance of children making

connections between experiences and behavior. It’s called as Classical Conditioning and Operant

Conditioning.
 The 1st theory I am going to use is called Classical conditioning. It is a type of learning that had

a major influence on the school of thought in psychology known as behaviorism. Discovered by

Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov, classical conditioning is a form of associative learning in which a

neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful stimulus and acquires the capacity to elicit a

similar response.

Ivan Pavlov was a Russian physiologist best known in psychology

for his discovery of classical conditioning. During his studies on the

digestive systems of dogs, Pavlov noted that the animals salivated

naturally upon the presentation of food. However, he also noted that the

animals began to salivate whenever they saw the white lab coat of an

experimental assistant. It was through this observation that Pavlov

discovered that by associating the presentation of food with the lab

assistant, a conditioned response occurred.

These are the example of Classical Conditioning that I may use as a music
Figure 1: Ivan Pavlov (1849 –
1936), the Russian physiologist
teacher: who developed the concept of
classical conditioning.
1st Theory: Classical Conditioning

BEFORE CONDITIONING
UCS → UCR Neutral Stimulus → No Response

Instruct class to quiet → Students will quiet Clap 5 times → Students will not get quiet

CONDITIONING AFTER CONDITIONING

Neutral Stimulus + UCS → UCR CS → CR

Clap 5 times + Instruct class to quiet → Students will quiet Clap 5 times → Students quiet

Figures above summarizes the way classical condition works. An unconditioned stimulus (UCS) is a

stimulus that automatically produces a response without any prior learning. The teacher instructs the

class to quiet down was the UCS. An unconditioned response (UCR) is an unlearned response that is

automatically elicited by the UCS. As for figures above, the quiet students in response to the teacher

instructions was the UCR. A conditioned stimulus (CS) is a previously neutral stimulus that eventually

elicits a conditioned response after being associated with UCS. Among the unconditioned stimuli on
figures above, the teacher’s clapping hand that occurred prior to the students are quiet down, such as

the teacher giving instructions before the students to quiet down. A conditioned stimulus that occurs

after UCS-CS pairing.

How does a classical conditioning work?

Classical conditioning basically involves forming an association between two stimuli resulting in a

learned response. There are three basic phases of this process:

Phase 1: Before Conditioning

The first part of the classical conditioning process requires a naturally occurring stimulus that

will automatically elicit a response. Quiet students in response to the teacher’s instructions is a good

example of a naturally occurring stimulus. During this phase of the processes, the unconditioned

stimulus (UCS) results in an unconditioned response (UCR). For example, the teacher’s instruction

(the UCS) naturally and automatically triggers the quiet student’s response (the UCR).

At this point, there is also a neutral stimulus that produces no effect - yet. It isn't until this

neutral stimulus is paired with the UCS that it will come to evoke a response. Let's take a closer look

at the two critical components of this phase of classical conditioning.

The unconditioned stimulus is one that unconditionally, naturally, and automatically triggers a

response. For example, when you heard your teacher’s instructions, students may immediately quiet

down. In this example, the teacher’s instructions is the unconditioned stimulus.

In behaviorist terms, the clapping hands was originally a neutral stimulus. It is called neutral

because it produces no response. What had happened was that the neutral stimulus (the clapping hands)

had become associated with an unconditioned stimulus (teacher’s instructions).

Phase 2: During Conditioning

During the second phase of the classical conditioning process, the previously neutral stimulus

is repeatedly paired with the unconditioned stimulus. As a result of this pairing, an association between

the previously neutral stimulus and the UCS is formed. At this point, the once neutral stimulus becomes

known as the conditioned stimulus (CS). The subject has now been conditioned to respond to this

stimulus.

The conditioned stimulus is previously neutral stimulus that, after becoming associated with

the unconditioned stimulus, eventually comes to trigger a conditioned response. In my earlier example,

suppose that when you heard teacher’s clapping hands, you also heard teacher’s instructions. While

the clapping hands is unrelated to the teacher’s instructions, if the sound of the clapping hands was

paired multiple times with the instructions, the sound would eventually trigger the conditioned

response. In this case, the sound of the clapping hands is the conditioned stimulus.

Phase 3: After Conditioning

Once the association has been made between the UCS and the CS, presenting the conditioned

stimulus alone will come to evoke a response even without the unconditioned stimulus. The resulting

response is known as the conditioned response (CR).

The conditioned response is the learned response to the previously neutral stimulus. In my

example, the conditioned response would be a quiet students when you heard the sound of the clapping

hands.

According to Lippman, 2008, classical conditioning can be involved in both positive and

negative experiences of children in the classroom. Among the things in the child’s schooling that

produce pleasure because they have become classically conditioned are a favorite song and feelings
that the classroom is a safe and fun place to be. For example, a song could be neutral for the child until

the child joins with other classmate to sing it with accompanying positive feelings.

As we moving to next theory, I would like to use the Operant Conditioning. Operant

conditioning (sometimes referred to as instrumental conditioning) is a method of learning that occurs

through rewards and punishments for behavior. Through operant conditioning, an association is made

between a behavior and a consequence for that behavior. Operant conditioning is at the heart of B.F.

Skinner’s (1938) behavioral view.

In the 1920s, John B. Watson had left academic psychology, and

other behaviorists were becoming influential, proposing new forms of

learning other than classical conditioning. Perhaps the most important of

these was Burrhus Frederic Skinner. Although, for obvious reasons, he is

more commonly known as B.F. Skinner. The work of Skinner was rooted

in a view that classical conditioning was far too simplistic to be a

complete explanation of complex human behavior. He believed that the

best way to understand behavior is to look at the causes of an action and

Figure 2: B. F. Skinner (1904 –
its consequences. He called this approach operant conditioning. 1990) the American psychologist
who developed the concept of
operant conditioning.

Operant Conditioning deals with operants - intentional actions that have an effect on the

surrounding environment. Skinner set out to identify the processes which made certain operant

behaviors more or less likely to occur.

These are the example of Operant Conditioning that I may use as a music teacher:
2nd Theory: Operant Conditioning

Positive Reinforcement Negative Reinforcement Punishment

BEHAVIOR
Student are well-practiced Student have perfect Student getting late to class
attendance

CONSEQUENCES

Teacher compliment their Teacher exempts student from Teacher rebuke student
student quizzes

FUTURE BEHAVIOR

Student perform a good Student are having full Student come early to class
performance attendance to their class

There are several key concepts in operant conditioning.

Reinforcement in Operant Conditioning

Reinforcement is any event that strengthens or increases the behavior it follows. There are two kinds

of reinforces:

Positive reinforces are favorable events or outcomes that are presented after the behavior. In

situations that reflect positive reinforcement, a response or behavior is strengthened by the addition of

something, such as praise or a direct reward. For example, if a student is well practiced, a teacher will

give a compliment that may cause the student to perform a good performances.
 Negative reinforces involve the removal of an unfavorable events or outcomes after the

display of a behavior. In these situations, a response is strengthened by the removal of something

considered unpleasant. For example, if your students have a perfect attendance, but a teacher exempts

student from quizzes, you will be more likely to pursue student to have a full attendance to your class.

Your action led to the removal of the unpleasant condition, negatively reinforcing your behavior.

In both of these cases of reinforcement, the behavior increases.

Punishment in Operant Conditioning

Punishment is the presentation of an adverse event or outcome that causes a decrease in the

behavior it follows. Punishment is defined as the opposite of reinforcement since it is designed to

weaken or eliminate a response rather than increase it. It is an aversive event that decreases the

behavior that it follows. There are two kinds of punishment:

Positive punishment, sometimes referred to as punishment by application, presents an

unfavorable event or outcome in order to weaken the response it follows. Rebuke for misbehavior is

an example of punishment by application.

Negative punishment, also known as punishment by removal, occurs when a favorable event

or outcome is removed after a behavior occurs. Taking away a student’s phone during class following

misbehavior is an example of negative punishment.

In both of these cases of punishment, the behavior decreases.

 As a music teacher, I’m very sure to use both of these theories called Classical Conditioning

by Ivan Pavlov and Operant Conditioning by B. F. Skinner. One of the greatest strengths of behavioral

psychology is the ability to clearly observe and measure behaviors. Weaknesses of this approach

include failing to address cognitive and biological processes that influence human actions. While the

behavioral approach might not be the dominant force that it once was, it has still had a major impact

on our understanding of human psychology. The conditioning process alone has been used to

understand many different types of behaviors, ranging from how people learn to how language

develops.

Last but not least, the greatest contributions of behavioral psychology lie in its practical in

many applications. The techniques can play a powerful role in modifying problematic behavior and

encouraging more positive, helpful responses. In other word, parents, teachers, music trainers, and

many others make use of basic behavioral principles to help teach new behaviors and discourage

unwanted ones for beloved students.