Teaching machine

Teaching machines were originally mechanical devices that presented educational materials and taught students.

[6][7] B. F. Skinner was responsible for a different type of machine which used his ideas on how learning should be directed with positive reinforcement.

[8] Skinner advocated the use of teaching machines for a broad range of students (e.g., preschool aged to adult) and instructional purposes (e.g., reading and music).

The instructional potential of the teaching machine stemmed from several factors: it provided automatic, immediate and regular reinforcement without the use of aversive control; the material presented was coherent, yet varied and novel; the pace of learning could be adjusted to suit the individual.

[9][10] There is extensive experience that both methods worked well, and so did programmed learning in other forms, such as books.