Special Education Paraeducator After-School
Videoconference Series 2009-2010
Session 2: Increasing Independence
Allegheny Intermediate Unit
Training and Consultation
Adapted from:
Jennifer Goldbloom, PaTTAN
Adapted by AIU -TaC
21/2 hour training
Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network
PaTTAN’s Mission
The Pennsylvania Training and
Technical Assistance Network is an
initiative of the Pennsylvania
Department of Education working in
partnership with families and local
education agencies to support
programs and services to improve
student learning and achievement.
PDE’s Commitment to Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
Our goal for each child is to ensure
Individualized Education Program
(IEP) teams begin with the general
education setting with the use of
Supplementary Aids and Services
before considering a
more restrictive environment
District, IU, Preschool, Agency Policy
Your local district’s policies regarding
paraeducator job descriptions, duties, and
responsibilities provide the final word!
Increasing Independence
Agenda
• Components of Effective Instruction
• Strategies to Promote Independence
• Helping Students Develop Self-Management Skills
Learner Outcomes
Participants will:
• Describe essential components of effective
instruction
• Identify effective strategies to move students
from dependent to independent learning
• Examine the role of self-management in
independent learning
Consider…
“Ultimately, the goal of academic and social
skill instruction is to enable students to
function independent of external or
teacher-mediated interventions and
control”. (p.508)
Wolery, Bailey, and Sugai (1988)
Building Independence 4 Square
Think of a student who
receives a lot of
assistance:
Describe how the student
could benefit from
increased independence:
What barriers exist to
increasing their
independence?
What additional questions
do you have?
8
Always presume competence.
How do we know what is possible?
Meet Carly
http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=4312070
9
What do YOU do that assists
students to demonstrate a skill
on their own?
10
Components of Effective Instruction
•
•
•
•
•
Stages of Learning
Setting Students Up for Success
The Instructional Process
Feedback
Generalization
2
Stages of Learning
Application
Behavior extended and used in new ways
Generalization
Behavior transferred to other settings,
persons, or materials
Maintenance
Fluency and accuracy of behavior retained
Proficiency
Behavior performed with high accuracy and
fluency
Acquisition
Behavior performed with high accuracy
(about 80%-90%)
Entry
Behavior performed at slow rate or not at all.
Increasing degree of independence
adapted from D.P. Rivera and D.D. Smith, 1997. Teaching Students with Learning and Behavior Problems, (3rd ed.)
Setting Students Up for Success
Effective Instructional Practices
• Students who experience high success rates
in school have better learning outcomes than
students who experience low success rates
• Students can reach a higher level of
independence through instruction that is
explicit
Setting Students Up for Success
By providing instruction that is:
•Direct and Explicit
•Errorless
•Matched to student’s achievement level
You will:
Minimize:
Maximize:
• Errors
• Frustration and
inappropriate behaviors
• Future errors
• Instructional time
• Opportunities for
reinforcement
• Future success
1
2
3
4
1
3
2
4
Setting Students Up for Success
How?
• Appropriate instructional tasks and task
level
• Analysis of skills and routines
• Appropriate prompts, cues, and fading
• Appropriate feedback
• Plan for Generalization
The Instructional Process
• What comes before instruction
– Environment – furniture, temp, lighting,
noise
– Time – time of day, length of lesson
– Physical factors – hunger, allergies, sleep
The Instructional Process
• The skill or routine itself
– Task Analysis – steps, materials, complexity
– I do, we do, you do - modeling
– Best method of presentation – adaptations,
prompts/cue
The Instructional Process 2 - activity
• Think of …
• A skill or routine that you teach:
– Task Analysis
– I do, we do, you do
– Best method of presentation
The Instructional Process
• What comes after instruction
– Feedback
– Generalization
Feedback
•
•
•
•
Be Explicit
Be Enthusiastic
Language Level
Reinforcement
– natural vs. contrived
• Shape Responses
Feedback 2 - activity
•
•
•
•
•
How do you provide feedback…
Be Explicit
Be Enthusiastic
Language Level
Reinforcement
– natural vs. contrived
• Shape Responses
Generalization
Three forms of knowledge
– What
• factual information about a topic
– How
• procedures for using the information in specific
ways
• steps to follow to complete a task
– When
• when and where to apply the information
Generalization
• Teach the range of examples
• ‘How to’ vs. ‘when to’
• Authentic practice
Generalization Tips – HANDOUT 1
•
•
•
•
•
Strategy checklist for student to use
Identify the cues to trigger the use of the skill
Encourage other instructors to coach the skill
Standardize routines across classrooms
Pair rewards with naturally occurring
reinforcement
• Expand student responses
Extending Learning Across Time & Space : The Power of Generalization
www.interventioncentral.org
Your Turn – What, How, When
HANDOUT 2
•
•
•
•
Requesting Help from Teacher or Peer
Writing a Friendly Letter
Plant Life Cycle
Telling Time
What, How, When - HANDOUT 2
Topic___________________
What (factual information)
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
How (procedures or steps)
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
When (when to use, multiple examples)
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
Paraeducator’s Role – HANDOUT 3
My Student (s)
Set Students up for
Success
Instructional Process –
Before, During, After
Feedback
Generalization
I do this by…
I’ll try…
Reflection
• Do you find your students only display correct responses
(behaviorally/academically) for you, but not in the presence of
other educational team members or parents?
• Yes or No
• Do you find yourself frequently needing to prompt your students
to start, continue, or complete tasks?
• Yes or No
• Do your students have frequent opportunities to
demonstrate responsibility for their own learning?
• Yes or No
• Do your students know how to evaluate their own behavior and
learning ?
• Yes or No
Strategies to Promote Independence
•Can’t Do vs. Won’t Do
•Methods of Prompting
•Choice Making
•Schedules
Stages of Learning
Application
Behavior extended and used in new ways
Generalization
Behavior transferred to other settings,
persons, or materials
Maintenance
Fluency and accuracy of behavior retained
Proficiency
Behavior performed with high accuracy and
fluency
Acquisition
Behavior performed with high accuracy
(about 80%-90%)
Entry
Behavior performed at slow rate or not at all.
Increasing degree of independence
adapted from D.P. Rivera and D.D. Smith, 1997. Teaching Students with Learning and Behavior Problems, (3rd ed.)
Strategies to Promote Independence
A word about independence…
Strategies to Promote Independence
Can’t Do
Vs.
Won’t Do
If a student can’t perform a task…
• Teach the task
• Adapt the steps
– Student, content, presentation
• Change the motor demands of a task
• Change the sequence of steps
• Modify the materials or use different materials
• Assist to complete the task
• Work with a peer or in a small group
• Adult assistance to complete a step
If a student won’t perform a task
• Rearrange the Set-Up to the Task
• Change the Reinforcement Options
• Use Behavioral Momentum
– 3or 4 easy tasks before a difficult task
Strategies to Promote Independence
Methods of Prompting
• Provide enough prompts to prevent student
from making a mistake and then fade prompts
(errorless learning)
• Wait until student attempts, then prompt if
they make an error. Give the least amount of
assistance needed.
Cues and Prompts
Cue - A signal to say or
do something
Prompt - Assistance to say
or do something
Cues
• Natural cues
• Imposed cues
–
–
–
–
–
Questions
Options
Auditory
Visual
Tactile
Types of Prompts
Verbal
– Direct - a clear statement of what student
should do
– Indirect - ask a question, such as “what
should you do next?”
Physical
– Full - Hand over/under hand
– Partial - Supportive guidance
Modeling - show student/student imitates
Gestures - pointing, facial expression
Examples of Prompts
Direct Verbal
– Tell student to
come here and get
pencil
Indirect Verbal
– Ask “What do we
do next?”
– Ask “now what?”
– Tell student to
keep working until
timer rings
– Say “ remember,
you need how many
forks?”
Examples of Prompts
Full Physical Assistance
Partial Physical Assistance
– Hold pencil with
student to write
name
– Support student at
wrist to stabilize
handwriting
– Hold student’s
hand to assist with
holding a cup
– Tap elbow of
student to initiate
spoon to mouth
Examples of Prompts
Modeling
– Write student’s
name and then he
writes it
– Show student how
you take a drink,
then he takes a
drink
Gesture
– Put your finger on
your mouth to
remind student to
be quiet
– Point at the correct
item to pick up
next
Reducing Prompt Dependency
•
•
•
•
Use systematic routines
Use natural cues
Use Wait Time
Plan to Fade Prompts
Reducing Prompt Dependency 2
•
•
•
•
•
When do you…
Use systematic routines
Use natural cues
Use Wait Time
Plan to Fade Prompts
Strategies to Promote Independence
Choice-making
•
•
•
•
Reduces behavior problems
Increases motivation
Promotes generalization
Prepares student for independence
Strategies to Promote Independence 2
Choice-making
•
•
•
•
Reduces behavior problems
Increases motivation
Promotes generalization
Prepares student for independence
Strategies to Promote Independence
Choice-making opportunities
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Between Activities
Within Activities
Refusal
Who
Where
When
Terminate
Strategies to Promote Independence
Schedules
–
–
–
–
To Do Lists
Calendars
Planners/agendas
Visual activity/task schedules
Strategies to Promote Independence
Strategies to Promote Independence
Paraeducator’s Role – HANDOUT 4
My Student (s)
Behavioral Momentum
Prompts and Cues
Making Choices
Schedules
I do this by…
I’ll try…
Self Management
Any purposeful and systematic set of
responses by an individual that
change or maintain some aspect of
the individual’s behavioral
repertoire.
( Daly & Ranalli, 2003)
Monitor Your Participation
+
-
•Listening to speaker
•Participating in assigned activity
•Using “inside” voice”
•Texting
•Unrelated sidebar conversation
•Engaged in other activity
=
+
=
-
Self Management vs. Teacher Control
• Provides a middle step when
moving from external to
control by natural
consequences.
• Prepares the student for later
life when teachers will not be
available to provide control or
structure.
• Frees the teacher to spend
more time to other important
skills and designing effectively
learning environments.
• Students lack opportunities to
learn how to manage their own
behavior
• Student’s limited involvement
prevents them from developing self
reliant skills
• Teachers may fail to notice many of
a student’s good behaviors
• Teacher becomes a cue for
student’s appropriate actions
Self Management
Self Monitoring
Self Reinforcement
Self Instruction
Self Monitoring - Activity
On a personal note…
• List behaviors in your own life you’ve planned
to increase, change, or decrease.
• How did you do it? How did you keep track?
______________________
______________________
Steps to Teaching Self Monitoring
1. Select and define a target behavior or class
of behaviors
2. Select or develop a recording method
3. Teach the student to monitor/record the
target behavior
4. Evaluate progress
5. Fade self monitoring
Self Monitoring
• Student decides if the behavior occurred
or did not occur
• Student objectively records the frequency of a given
behavior or a class of behaviors
• Student and teacher rate the behavior
– Teacher and student may initially rate the
behavior simultaneously
– Teacher and student discuss agreement or
disagreement in their ratings
Self Reinforcement
Administering a reinforcement to yourself after
you have reached your goal!
Bloomquist, 1996
Self Reinforcement
• Requires
– Self imposed criteria of performance
established before monitoring
– Self determination that the performance
criterion has been met prior to
reinforcement
– Free access to reinforcers
Shapiro & Cole
Self Reinforcement Guidelines
• Students
• Teachers
– Direct involvement in
setting criteria for
receiving
reinforcement
– Opportunities to
evaluate and match
student /teacher
data
– Fluency at self
evaluation/monitoring
– Systematic fading
Types of Reinforcers
•
•
•
•
Material - food, drink, toys
Social – praise, facial expression, nearness, contact
Activity – T.V. time, free time, listening to music
Tokens – tickets, points, etc. that can be “cashed in”
for other types of reinforcers
• Covert – thoughts and self evaluation
Remember: It’s not reinforcing unless the behavior
is maintained or increases!
“One man’s pleasure is another man’s poison!”
Self Reinforcement
On a personal note…
• Based on your previous conversation, did you set a
criteria?
_________________________
_________________________
• Did you reward yourself?
__________________________
___________________________
Self Instruction
Self Instruction is language directed toward oneself
Kasdin, 1975
• Student is taught to make specific self statements which
prompt specific behaviors
Examples:
– Look before you leap
– Take a deep breath
– Count to 10
Self Instruction
• Define a task to be learned
• Verbalize a way to complete it
• Evaluate own performance
• Praise self when done accurately
Wolery, Bailey, & Sugai
Self Instruction
On a personal note…
What did you do to self instruct?
__________________________
____________________________
Teaching Behavioral Regulation
HIGH
Self regulation skills can be explicitly taught
through a step by step sequence
JUST RIGHT
“My engine’s on high right now.”
LOW
Williams, M.S. & Shellenberger, S. “How Does Your Engine Run?”
TherapyWorks, Inc., 1996.
Paraeducator’s Role – HANDOUT 5
My Student (s)
Self Monitoring
Self Reinforcement
Self Instruction
Behavioral Regulation
I do this by…
I’ll try…
Learner Outcomes
Participants will:
• Describe essential components of effective
instruction
• Identify effective strategies to move students
from dependent to independent learning
• Examine the role of self-regulation in
independent learning
Contact Information
www.pattan.net
Jennifer Goldbloom
jgoldbloom@pattan.net
800-441-3215
Allegheny Intermediate
Unit
412-394-5700
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Edward G. Rendell, Governor
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Gerald L. Zahorchak, D.Ed., Secretary
Diane Castelbuono, Deputy Secretary
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
John J. Tommasini, Director
Bureau of Special Education
Patricia Hozella, Assistant Director
Bureau of Special Education