This document describes a behaviorist-based after-school Mandarin reading program for 3rd grade students. The objective is to teach students to form an online reading habit by using principles of operant conditioning, including reinforcement and punishment. Students are expected to read online for 20 minutes daily and complete reading missions. Appropriate reading behaviors are reinforced with rewards like free time or prizes, while inappropriate behaviors are punished by removing rewards. The teacher will record results and make adjustments, such as adding group reinforcement.

1. YueDu-for-Fun
Project 1: Behaviorist Paradigm

2. What is YueDo-for-Fun?

3. Background
• After-school Mandarin program for 3 graders
• 10 students in class

4. Objective
• Attempt to teach learners to form an
online reading habit on a regular basis
using the Behaviorist Paradigm.
• Use Skinner’s proposal of Contingencies
of Reinforcement: S-R-S

5. Lesson plan

6. Lesson plan

7. Poster

8. Main Theories

9. The Behavioral Goal
• Form an appropriate habit of reading a Mandarin
paragraph online on daily basis.
• Students read for 20 minutes following YueDu-for-
Fun behaviors.
• They have to accomplish a reading mission every
time, for example, find a meaning for the assigned
word.

10. Operant Response
Appropriate behaviors:
1. Stay focus.
2. Stay at the spot.
3. Read quietly
Inappropriate behaviors:
1. Surf on other websites in reading time.
(Pandora Music Box)
2. Talk with peers about unrelated topics.

11. Reinforcer
• Free time on laptop
• Recess time
• Prize

12. Reinforcing/Punishing Stimulus
• Appropriate behaviors:
• Positive Reinforcer
(1) 5 minutes free time to surf on the Internet
(Positive Reinforcement)
(2) A prize from treasure box
(Positive Reinforcement)
(3) Less character writing sheets on weekend
(Negative stimulus Removal

13. Reinforcing/Punishing Stimulus
• Inappropriate behaviors:
• Negative Reinforcer
(1)Less recess time
(Positive stimulus Removal)
(2) Have to finish the reading mission during recess (Negative
Reinforcement)

14. Variable Ratio Schedules
• I randomly select a day to check who has three green
clippers and they can choose a prize from the
treasure box.

15. Shaping
• Learners accomplish a reading mission and display
proper reading habits, I give them reinforcement-
more free time on the Internet or a prize to
encourage this behavior to occur next time.

16. Chaining
• Apply this online reading habit to a language learning
behavior.
• Be an independent reader

17. Fading
• As students acquire these behaviors, I reduce times to
check their clippers and gradually reduce their free
time on Internet by giving them more tasks.

18. Implementation and record results
• Recorded through the chart for every week

19. Something to be revised…
• I notice that some of the learners who can finish the
task earlier disturbed other classmates who still are
reading.
So…how to revise?

20. Group positive reinforcement
• I will add a for this reading project, since most of the
reinforcers I utilized are for individual.
• The entire group all finish the reading mission on
that day, then they can watch a cartoon for ten
minutes for next class.

21. A question…?
• Will students be encouraged to help other to finish a
reading mission instead of bothering or disturbing?

22. Reference
• Good, T. L., Brophy, J.E (1990). Educational Psychology: A realistic
approach. (4th
ed.) White Plains, NY:Longman
• Mergel Brenda (1998), Instructional Design and Learning Theory, University
of Saskatchewan, Term Paper HTML, retrieved 14:46, 14 August 2007
(MEST)
• Thorndike, E.L. (1913). Educational Psychology: The Psychology of Learning
(Vol 2.), New York: Teachers College Press.
• Martinez, Michael E. (2008) Learning and Cognition: The Design of the
Mind. Irvine, CA. Pearson. 6-35
• Skinner, B.F. (1938) The Behavior of Organisms: An Experimental
Analysis New York: Appleton-Century