Summary
In this lesson, students reflect on what they already know about how behavior is learned before sharing three things they have learned from observation. Next, students summarize an experiment about observational learning. After learning about other experiments and sorting them according to whether they are ethical or unethical, students reflect on their new knowledge about how behavior is learned.
Essential Question(s)
How is behavior influenced?
Snapshot
Engage
Students recall what they already know about how behavior is learned.
Explore
Students discuss what they have learned by observation.
Explain
Students summarize the findings and limitations of the Bobo doll experiment.
Extend
In small groups, students sort experiments into categories of ethical and unethical, then justify their reasoning.
Evaluate
Students reflect on their new knowledge about how behavior is learned.
Materials
Lesson Slides (attached)
Tip of the Iceberg handout (attached; one per student)
T-Chart handout (attached; one per student)
Experiment Card Sort handout (attached; one per group of three students)
Scissors (one per group of three students; optional)
Pen/pencil
Engage
10 Minute(s)
Use the attached Lesson Slides to guide the lesson. Begin by displaying slides 3 and 4 to review the essential question and learning objectives with students. Pass out the attached Tip of the Iceberg handout to each student, and move to slide 5. Explain to students that they will begin this lesson by using the Tip of the Iceberg strategy. Have students think about what they already know about how a person’s behavior is learned. Ask students to write their thoughts on the handout above the water line. Encourage a few volunteers to share their thoughts.
Explore
20 Minute(s)
Move to slide 6, and introduce students to the Stand Up, Sit Down strategy. Have students write down three things they have learned from observing other people or watching something on the back of their Tip of the Iceberg handout. After providing time for students to write down three things, have everyone stand up. Have each student share one thing from the list one by one as a class. Tell students that if they hear their classmate share one of the same items that they have written down, they should cross it off their paper. Also, as students are answering, make a list of items they came up with on the white board. Once students have heard all three of the items they have written down, ask them to sit down. Continue this process until all students have taken their seats. Take a moment to review the completed list with students.
Explain
20 Minute(s)
Pass out the attached T-Chart handout to each student, and display slide 7. Tell students they are going to watch a video about observational learning. Ask them to look for what the researcher discovered about how people learn.
After the video, move to slide 8, and provide time for students to write down what the study revealed about how people learn on the left side of the T-Chart. Next, move to slide 9, and provide time for students to consider what the limitations or flaws of the study might have been. Tell students to write down their thoughts on the right side of the T-chart. Place students into pairs, and have them compare what they have written down on the T-chart with one another. Ask several students to share what they have written down, and have a class discussion about the experiment, the results, and the flaws in the way the experiment was conducted. Have students write their definition for observational learning at the bottom of the T-Chart handout.
Extend
20 Minute(s)
Place students into groups of three, and display slide 10. Briefly review the general requirements for an experiment to be considered ethical. Ensure that students understand the criteria before moving on. After placing students into groups of three, pass out the attached Experiment Card Sort handout to each group and a pair of scissors if the cards need to be cut out.
Move to slide 11. Provide time for students to read about each experiment, and then have them sort the cards according to whether they are ethical or unethical. Encourage students to discuss what makes the experiment ethical or unethical based on the conditions previously given. Ask for a group to share their reasoning for each experiment, and have a class discussion about the importance of ensuring that ethical standards are followed when conducting research.
Evaluate
10 Minute(s)
Display slide 12, and have students return to their Tip of the Iceberg handout from the beginning of the lesson. Have students write everything they have now learned about the theory of observational learning under the water line. Collect students’ Tip of the Iceberg handouts to assess understanding of the lesson content.
Resources
K20 Center. (n.d.). Card Sort. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/147
K20 Center. (n.d.). Stand up, sit down. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/1771
K20 Center. (n.d.). T-chart. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/86
K20 Center. (n.d.). Tip of the iceberg. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/67
Sprouts. (2022, April 28). Social learning theory: Bandura’s Bobo beatdown experiments [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHIhkM1cAv4