What is learning-part two

Reading about behaviorism this week was fascinating to me. I really believe that aspects of it are true on the most basic of levels. We tend to disparage those who are only interested in "what's in it for me" but the truth is that all of us are motivated by positive and negative consequences. I'll be honest: I wouldn't be taking this class if I weren't interested in things like my grade, my degree, etc. Even if I were doing this purely for the sake of becoming a better teacher (which is in there, of course) that would still be a reward. I was struck by the fact that even when you do something good so you can go to heaven or in order to avoid going to hell, you are still responding to reinforcers. Some of our most noble motivations, such as being a good person or knowing that we have done the right thing, are ultimately still rewards. I suppose even the most unselfish actions displayed by our species, such as a soldier giving his life for his country, are probably motivated by some internal value or sense of honor that is important to that individual.

I didn't feel there was enough information on what Skinner meant when he talked about the concept of dignity or the mind. What did he mean when he said those things were false? I would like to learn more about that. Also, what did he have to say about extrinsic vs. intrinsic motivation?

As a middle school teacher, I have definitely found that behaviorism accurately describes my students. Most need me to provide different forms of positive (and, let's be honest here, negative too) reinforcement in order for them to stay on task and focus on learning. Perhaps because they have had to do nothing in order to obtain it, school in itself does not feel like a reward for most of them, and they are still too young to recognize the benefit that will come to them from getting an education. So, a fairly big part of my job is helping my students find motivation. Until that happens, learning doesn't!