Bandura and the Social Cognitive Theory

             The Social Cognitive Theory makes plenty of sense, in some of its claims, such as learning based on observation of others. I agree and find that learning is a very social, interactive process, whether it intends to be or not. However, one thing I find hard to hang with is Albert Bandura's bobo doll experiment being a main source of evidence of this theory. Perhaps I don't fully understand all the details of his experiment, but it is hard for me to accept that a child would not feel utterly expected to hit a bobo doll, when put into a room with nothing else to look at or do, and after watching someone beat up the bobo doll. It doesn't seem like a pure observational experiment, but rather a  mind game. If I was the child and I watched someone beat up a bobo doll in a room, and then they told me to go into the same room with no further instruction, I would probably assume that they expected me to do what I saw them do. To me, the experiment did not purely measure the validity of the claims presented by the social cognitive theory. 

         Now that I got that out of my system, I'll transition to reflect upon reciprocal causation and how I have seen that play out in the classroom and how I aim to approach it within my own classroom. It is arguably inevitable that behavior of students (are they quiet or loud, on-task or distracted?) affects the environment they inhabit and visa versa. A child's personal factors like experiences, personality-type, and family background certainly impact his or her behavior in the classroom. And in the reverse, if a class environment impacts the child enough, it will impact his role at home and in his personal realms. Behavior, environment, and personal factors all play a role in this triangle of learning and impact. Each of these elements should be considered when evaluating students and their progression of learning. 

        

       In my art classroom especially, I expect there will be students who come from a background of art-loving parents who could be thrilled to learn about painting and collages and why they matter. At the same time there will be students who come from football-loving families that are required to get a fine art credit and would rather write a 10-page paper than pick up a paint brush. As an educator, way to be prepared for this divergence of interests in my students could be to demonstrate the art lessons from multiple viewpoints and make it accessible to students from different backgrounds and with different interests. To continue in the reciprocal cycle, those students who love art might demonstrate enthusiastic and positive behavior which will somehow impact the environment around them. The students who are turned off by art might act out due to boredom or frustration, which will distract the environment around them. And lastly, that environment that has now been established due to all these factors, will to some degree go home with the students and affect them in their personal lives. The best thing I can do as a teacher is focus on facilitating a creative, safe, and fun environment, keeping in mind what kids are bringing with them from home, and paying close attention to behavioral factors playing out in the room.

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