What Programmed Teaching Is

Programmed instruction is a new method of teaching which features careful organization of the subject matter and active participation by the student. One of its first and foremost advocates was B. F. Skinner, Edgar Pierce Professor of Psychology, who has been using its techniques in Natural Sciences 114 since 1957.

In an instruction program the subject matter is broken down into small bits of information, arranged in a series of simple statements. The statements build on each other, so that even complex information may be programmed.

Student Conditioned to Correct Answer

Many of the statements contain blanks to be filled in, and a good program is designed so that the student will almost inevitably fill the blanks correctly (thus "conditioning" himself to the correct response. The right response is shown to the student immediately after he answers each question (thus "reinforcing" the correct behavior pattern).

According to Skinner, exploratory research has indicated "that what is now taught by teacher, textbook, lecture, or film can be taught in half the time with half the effort" by the new method.