edu-tech

The American psychologist B. F. Skinner was influenced by these advantages when he developed his teaching machines in the 1950s. Skinner's concept of programmed instruction emphasized the need for a total educational plan. The process involved identifying objectives; arranging subject matter into logical sequences; preparing and testing instructional programs; and then implementing, testing, and revising them. Skinner shifted the emphasis in education away from the teacher's presentation of information and toward the learner's behavior and, especially, reinforcement of that behavior. His teaching machines provided programmed instruction, which allowed students to proceed through lessons by small steps, at their own pace, following an orderly sequence, and receiving immediate reinforcement for every correct response. Skinner's work emphasized the role of audiovisuals in facilitating individualized learning.