Skinner was interested in how environmental experience and learning caused modification of certain behaviors. He developed the Operant Conditioning Pigeon Chamber and other devices to enable him to conduct controlled experiments. Stimuli were typically in the form of rewards (positive) or punishments (negative). The experiments revealed how behaviors could be increased with rewards or decreased with the application of punishments.

It is the stimulus that follows a voluntary response that changes the probability of whether the response is likely or unlikely to occur again. There are two types of consequences: positive (sometimes called pleasant) and negative (sometimes called aversive). These can be added to or taken away from the environment in order to change the probability of a given response occurring again. An example in a classroom setting would be during a class recitation. If a student does good in recitation and rewarded by a teacher with a compliment or a good grade, or a candy, the student will most likely be inspired to participate in class again. But if the student does badly in recitation and he is punished by facing the wall or by remaining standing until the end of the class, the student will realize that he doesn’t want this to happen again so he’ll likely to study harder and participate more in class.

Understanding the concept of operant conditioning is important as a teacher as they have the responsibility to create a learning environment that build students’ academic and social behavior. Teachers have the responsibility to make sure that their classroom practices and activities will illicit good and desirable behaviors.

https://braintour.harvard.edu/archives/portfolio-items/skinner-and-behaviorism

http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/behavior/operant.html