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As a future elementary school teacher, knowing all about student behavioral development will be the key to running a successful classroom.

Besides, you’ll be teaching an age group where the students will be changing the most – physically, mentally and emotionally!  However, when it comes to your Praxis II elementary education study guide, it can be hard to tell which behavioral theories are worth your while – and which ones are just a complete waste of your precious time.

Not to worry!  If you’re ready to take your Praxis II elementary education practice test , then these are the major behavioral theories that you MUST get familiar with.  Just master these important theories during your Praxis II elementary content knowledge preparation, and you’ll be at the front of your own elementary school classroom in no time at all!

The Behavioral Theories of John Watson

In the early 1900s, Watson started the behavioral development movement by studying conditioned responses in children.  He believed that children could be taught certain responses to objects that would not normally elicit a response.  His most famous experiments involved making children afraid of white rats, so it’s highly likely that you’ll see this case study appear on your Praxis II elementary education study guide.  Experts have long since discredited the success of his theories; however, he paved the way for crucial work in understanding how children’s behavioral development works.

The Behavioral Theories of Pavlov

It’s highly likely that you’ve heard this Russian psychologist’s name, as his original experiment highlighted how classical conditioning with dogs worked, thus giving behavioral theory a major boost in the psychology world.  Through his experiments, Pavlov demonstrated that he could teach dogs to salivate at neutral stimuli (in this case, the ringing of a bell).  Learn more about this experiment, as previous Praxis II test takers have reported writing about Pavlov in more than one essay.

The Behavioral Theories of Frank Skinner

In the 1950s, Skinner was one of the first psychologists who began applying behavioral theory to students in the classroom, which is still impacting teachers today.  Skinner believed that students learned the most when given positive reinforcement (for example, praise or a reward) for good behavior, and that teachers should use extinction and punishment responses for bad behavior (i.e., not reinforcing the bad behavior or punishing the bad behavior).  Skinner’s work is still highly influential today, so don’t be surprised to see his name appear more than once on your Praxis II elementary content knowledge preparation!

Use these tips to pass the following exams and get your teacher certification:

Praxis II Early Childhood: Content Knowledge;
Praxis II Early Childhood Education;
Praxis II Education of Exceptional Students: Core Content Knowledge;
Praxis II Education of Exceptional Students: Learning Disabilities;
Praxis II Education of Young Children;
Praxis II Elementary Education: Content Area Exercises;
Praxis II Elementary Education: Content Knowledge;
Praxis II Elementary Education: Curriculum, Instruction, And Assessment;
Praxis II Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education;
Praxis II Pre-Kindergarten Education;
Praxis II Principles of Learning and Teaching: Early Childhood;
Praxis II Principles of Learning and Teaching: Grades K-6;
Praxis II Principles of Learning and Teaching: Grades 5-9;
Praxis II Principles of Learning and Teaching: Grades 7-12

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