Welcome to the Education Help Desk for the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies. This Help Desk focuses on resources and information to improve both the teaching and learning process through applied behavior analysis.

“Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten”- B.F. Skinner, 1964.

• The true value of education lies not in memorization but in the development of critical thinking skills, and the ability to adapt in novel situations.

5 elements to being a lifelong learner- (1) motivation, (2) a knowledge base that provides a conceptual structure for further learning, (3) skills for further learning, (4) strategies for efficient learning, and (5) metacognitive strategies. – McKeachie (2000).

The aims of this help desk:

• To be a central source of resources for life-long learning and education.
• To explain how a radical behaviorist views and contributes to education.
• To provide resources of evidence-based instruction and bring to light pseudoscience.
• To monitor progress in the field of education and behavior analysis.
• To report new findings as they become available.
• To alert behavior analysts when antiscientific or pseudoscientific interventions are being popularized in mainstream media.
• To present all of our information in a way that is consumable to everyone in our audience.

This help desk is intended for:

• Educators at all levels
• Education administrators
• Students of Behavior Analysis
• Parents

History

In the mid-twentieth century, B.F. Skinner demonstrated ways that students learned and how behavior analysis can be utilized in education. The starting point of any behavior analytic approach to education should be defining the behavior that constitutes competent performance. In the early 1980’s ABA began to be recognized as an effective approach in educational settings. Undoubtedly, ABA is widely recognized in the treatment of autism spectrum disorder, however ABA is also utilized to increase classroom management, and provide effective individualized instruction.