Teaching Machines, Education, and Job Skills

Abstract

A recent upsurge of interest in automated instruction promises to revolutionize our methods of teaching and to open a new industry to provide teaching machines with special techniques for selecting and presenting materials as a function of student performance ( 3 ) . Reinforcement and adaptability to individual differences will be featured. Over the years, Pressey ( 2 ) has developed a series of multiple-choice and true-false devices for self-instruction, self-testing and diagnosis of needed areas of further study. Mainly he has used these devices as teaching aids, not as a replacement for textbooks. But series of items carefully developed important principles and applications, and in some devices, items were dropped from the series when mastered. Superior students, using the devices and books in individual study, completed an extra course in a month while also carrying a normal academic schedule. More complex and versatile multiple-choice devices also have been developed ( 1 ) . Recently Skinner (4) has developed other teaching machines which program the textbook and other materials into very small steps. By use of redundancy and generous stimulus supports, constructed (rather than recognition) responses are elicited, resulting in low frequency of student error. Appearing to hold great promise for learning of normally very difficult material, the practicality of this technique in terms of time to learn, retention, review, transfer, and challenge to superior students needs to be compared with other selfinstructional procedures, especially if used as the sole method of instruction. Motor skills and other job skills may be established by use of devices combining some of these self-instructional methods with simulation features. Eventually, machines may pre-test the student to note what he knows and how he learns well, and then proceed to present the optimum automatic instructional program. REFERENCES 1. BRIGGS, L. J. Two self-instructional devices. Psychol. Rep., 1958, 4, 671-676. 2. PRESSEY, S. L. Development and appraisal of devices providing immediate and automatic scoring of objective tests, and concomitant self-instruction. ]. Psychol., 1950, 29, 417-447. 3. RAMO, S. A new technique of education. Inst. of Radio Engineers, Trans. Edac., 1958, E-1, 37-42. 4. SKINNER, B. F. Teaching machines. Sci., 1958, 128, 969-977.