EDEL 20001 Week 3 Behaviourism vs Constructivism

My Teaching Context.
Currently I am working as a support teacher for literacy, specifically reading, with Yr 6&7 students.
Identified students are withdraw from class for either 1 or 1/2 hour sessions in small groups ranging from 5 to 8 pupils at a time, so that each group has 2 hours per week tuition. My brief is to raise the comprehension results on standardised tests and ultimately improve their English results to a passing grade. Those students who show an improvement in the use of  the identified skills are then monitored in class by the classroom teacher. Most of the students have low self esteem, lack of confidence in their ability and many behavioural issues due to their poor reading abilities and self belief.

I hear the wheels turning in the brain..."Ahaa... let's use the Behaviourist Approach in teaching."
Yes I have to some degree and that has had some positive results. I have been able to increase their active participation in lessons by rewarding them with smiley face green cards each time they actively respond to tasks set for them. These cards are cumulative and at the end of each week, the student in each group collects a small prize from me (a pencil, rubber, or trinket). Great! I can identify the task performance. It is measurable. I can set goals for the students to achieve at the beginning of each session and collect evidence of their active participation. But how do I know if they apply this and assimilate the knowledge for future use to build on their skills?

I want the students to be self motivated learners. To take responsibility for their own learning. I want to give them the tools and let them decide how best to use them to take them where they want to go.
This is where Constructivism comes into play. Gagne's Information Processing ideas - his nine steps- provides a lovely concise platform for preparing lessons. It allows for the Schema Theory to be applied building on the pre-existing knowledge of the learner with me as the teacher didactically infusing their brains with the sequential knowledge I wish to impart to reach predetermined goals.
In fact Gagne's  Nine Steps assists the learner to take the sensory information provided by me, store it in their working memory (short term memory) then through repetition, practise and adaptation assimilate it into their long term memory, where it is anticipated they will retrieve it when needed.

However it dos have its limitation. One size does not fit all. So when I plan for my group of students I must take into account that they may not in fact more likely will not all have the same starting point. They have different background experiences both socially and culturally. Their knowledge base will not necessarily be the same and their willingness to engage will vary from student to student.