The behaviourist basket – an active learning approach

The Behaviourist Basket – an active learning approach

In episode 10 of the Talking about Teaching podcast entitled, The Behaviourist Basket – Part 1, Dr Lesleann Whiteman, Course Leader for BA (Hons) Early Childhood Education and Care and BA (Hons) Education, introduced and discussed how the basket is used in her learning and teaching practice.  It stands about 30cm high and has a wicker oval base which is joined to cream and brown material with vertical stripes leading up to white drawstring material at the top and two brown bag handles. This creates an inviting and curious artefact that holds treasures within that you can find out about in more detail by listening to the podcast episodes.  The basket is used to apply behaviourist theory through active learning, building on students’ critical evaluation of concepts and linking theory to practice.

In Episode 11: The Behaviourist Basket- Part 2, students from the BA (Hons) Early Childhood Education and Care course, Willow, Emily, Victoria and August also joined the conversation about the behaviourist basket, discussing their experiences of using it and the ways in which it could be developed further.

Willow commented: “I’m very thankful that I was part of the Talking about Teaching podcast episode. It was a great opportunity, made super welcoming by everyone involved. I had an amazing time and recommend more students and staff to get involved.”

Dr Whiteman added, “I enjoyed having the conversation with the students. I was reminded of our significant role as educators and the profound impact of our actions on the students’ learning journey. I can truly see how their enhanced self-confidence makes them feel comfortable and safe to express their opinions with their peers. For two of the students being international students, I believe their engagement with the behaviourist basket allowed them the opportunity to share their educational journey; which is different from that of their UK peers, in a safe manner, which allows their voices to be heard and understood.”

Reflecting further, Dr Whiteman added, “when the behaviourist basket was initially introduced to the students, the main objective was to encourage engagement with the module content, but four years later, the behaviourist basket has morphed into a means of creating a community of learners who are confident to share their educational journey, and to be open to accepting and understanding the learning journey of their peers.”

You can listen to both podcast episodes on the Talking about Teaching blog and on Spotify.