Deliberate Dumbing Down of America Public Education

Glossary G–25 behavior theory: (A view which regards human behavior as primarily rooted in the experien tial history of the organism, as having been learned, and as susceptible to modification by psychological means; emphasis is on the nature of the learning processes that under lie behavioral change, and these processes are regarded as essentially identical to those involved in any other kind of complex human learning.) behaviorism: (A systematic approach to or school of psychology, which regards objective, observable manifestations such as motor and glandular responses as the key to an under standing of human behavior; consciousness, feeling, and other subjective phenomena are rejected as unnecessary; places much reliance on the study of behavior of animals under controlled conditions; originated with the work of M.F. Meyer, A.P. Weiss, and J.B. Watson during the first two decades of the present century; the most widely known contemporary exponent was B.F. Skinner.) Best Practices (Term often used in performance-based educational teacher training material which refers to behavioristic, scientific, research-based teaching practices) climate (Environment) clinical practice (Diagnose and prescribe) coaching (To instruct and train) competent (Adequate) computer-assisted instruction (C-A-I: programmed learning) conditioned (Having developed a conditioned reflex or behavior pattern) conditioned response (Conditioned reflex in which the response—e.g., secretion of saliva in a dog—is occasioned by a secondary stimulus—e.g., the ringing of a bell repeatedly—associ ated with the primary stimulus—e.g., the sight of meat) criterion-referenced testing (Testing which does not compare student’s scores with those of the group, but which has the student working at his own pace and in competition with no one but himself; such testing is necessary for individually prescribed instruction, mastery learning, and direct instruction, all of which teach to the test. Traditional education does not teach to the test, thereby exposing the student to a much wider and rich knowledge base, some of which he is never tested on, but which becomes an important part of his understanding of the world around him.) critical thinking (See Glossary) cue (A secondary stimulus that guides behavior, often without entering consciousness) direct instruction or Direct Instruction (SRA’s DISTAR: Direct Instruction System for Teaching and Remediation, also known as “Reading Mastery” or any programmed learning based on the principles of Skinnerian operant conditioning) education (The following definition of education is taken from a 1972 speech given by Mary Thompson on the subject of PPBS in education: “The objective of education is to mea sure and diagnose the child in order to prescribe a program to develop his feelings and emotions, values and loyalties toward predetermined behavioral objectives. Drawing it