ABSTRACT
Teaching deals with behavior. All behavior. All science investigates relationships to find out how the world works. Chemistry as a science originated when elements were identified according to atomic weight instead of by wetness, temperature, lightness or color. All sciences adopt special vocabularies. Ordinary terms carry misleading connotations and new terms are needed for new concepts. Behavior analysis is no exception. To understand the science and its applications, one needs to learn a special vocabulary. Two of the primary terms are operant and contingency. Teaching is arranging contingencies to change the behavior of students. Along with the underlying science, there is an art to teaching. Creative and innovative ideas not only help science work, they bring variety and interest to any profession. The art of teaching also includes sensitivity to subtleties in student behavior. Good teaching, whether a teacher realizes it or not, follows principles that behavior analysis would recommend.
