The Keller Plan (sometimes called Keller Method, personalized system of instruction or PSI), individually prescribed instruction (IPI), program for learning in accordance with needs (PLAN), and individually guided education are all examples of individualized instruction. The Keller Plan was developed by F. S. Keller, his colleague J. Gilmore Sherman, and two psychologists at the University of Brazilia. The Keller Plan is derived from the behaviorists reinforcement psychology with influence from teaching machines and programmed instructions.
Published in Chapter:
Behaviorism and Developments in Instructional Design and Technology
Irene Chen (University of Houston Downtown, USA)
Copyright: © 2009
|Pages: 20
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-60566-198-8.ch023
Abstract
The theory of behaviorism concentrates on the study of overt behaviors that can be observed and measured (Good & Brophy, 1990). In general, the behavior theorists view the mind as a “black box” in the sense that response to stimulus can be observed quantitatively, ignoring the possibility of thought processes occurring in the mind. Behaviorists believe that learning takes place as the result of a response that follows on a specific stimulus. By repeating the S-R (stimulus-response) cycle, the organism (may it be an animal or human) is conditioned into repeating the response whenever the same stimulus is present. The behavioral emphasis on breaking down complex tasks, such as learning to read, into subskills that are taught separately, has a powerful influence on instructional design. Behaviors can be modified, and learning is measured by observable change in behavior. The behavior theorists emphasize the need of objectivity, which leads to great accentuation of statistical and mathematical analysis.