Imagine it is halfway through the school semester, and you have a student in your class who struggles with the basic vocabulary and facts in the current science unit. The student will struggle with the next unit without mastery of the current unit. You have also noticed that the student will ask to go to see the school nurse multiple times each week, especially when it is time to work on the science unit.

Reflect on this scenario and consider how you can address the issues raised by the following questions:

What need(s) is the student trying to meet?
How does this scenario reflect behaviorism generally or classical conditioning, specifically? To what extent, if any, would giving rewards or punishments be helpful in this situation?
How could you help the student find other ways to meet his or her needs?
How would you help the student retain and retrieve the necessary information?
How could you use what the student already knows to help the student learn the necessary information?