Prompting Promoting Student Independence Kristen Kinsey

Overview Quality of Life & the Importance of Independence Strategies to Promote Independence Prompting

Quality of Life Quality of Life can be measured by a number of factors, including: –Level of INDEPENDENCE ( amount of control a person has over their life) –Level of PARTICIPATION ( level of engaged time) –Level of and QUALITY OF INTERACTION with others –Level of CHOICE –The VARIETY in life ( environment, people, activities, materials, etc.)

Reflection on Quality of Life Factors Take a look at the factors for the students in your classroom –How do their levels of independence, participation, interaction with others, choices and variety in their school life compare to that of their typical peers? –Are there ways to improve any of these factors for our students?

Reflection on Quality of Life Factors Independence impacts all other quality of life factors (participation, interaction with others, choices and variety) Promoting student-centered independence is a priority!

Results of a Lack of Independence What happens when adults provide too much support for a student? –Students become dependent on physical contact –General education teachers will look to the adult with the student, rather than interacting with the student as he/she would with the typical peers –Separation from peers in inclusion classes Giangreco, Edelman, Luiselli & MacFarlano, 1997

Results of a Lack of Independence What happens when adults provide too much support for a student? –Dependence on specific adults –Peers avoiding the student or interacting with the adult supporting the student –“Learned Helplessness” –Dependence on others to complete tasks

Suggestions for Promoting Independence Give students wait time!

Suggestions for Promoting Independence Be aware of NON - VERBAL CUES Limit your VERBAL INPUT Make sure the STUDENT IS PAYING ATTENTION before giving a direction Take VIDEO OF YOURSELF to reflect on prompting Give students TIME TO PROBLEM SOLVE before giving answers Give students SPACE If a type of prompt didn’t work once or twice, TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT

The Big Question Would the student be able to complete the task if I weren’t here? How much am I really prompting?

What is prompting? Anything you do to help a student achieve the correct response

Levels of Prompting VisualGestural Verbal prompting: direct and indirect Physical

Watch for Prompts!

Choosing the right prompt Supporting students with as LITTLE SUPPORT AS NEEDED to experience success Decide which prompt will be EASIEST TO FADE with the student Decide which prompt is LEAST STIGMATIZING for the student Decide which prompt is MOST EFFECTIVE for the student (visual or auditory learner) Ghere, York-Barr & Sommerness

Fading the Prompt We need to fade to the NATURAL CUE Have a plan to fade prompting Monitor student success Focus on generalization of the skill Probe to see if the student is capable of performing the task without prompting Ghere, York-Barr & Sommerness

Follow Up Are there situations where we should change our prompting type to increase student success? Are there situations where we should decrease prompting to increase student independence? Think of a student or situation where you can step back and allow for more independence

References Ghere, G. York-Barr, J., Sommerness, J. (2002). Supporting students with disabilities in inclusive schools: a curriculum for job- embedded paraprofessional development. Facilitator Manual [and] Paraprofessional Handouts. Giangreco, M., Edelman, S., Luiselli, T & MacFarland, S. (1997). Helping or hovering? Effects of instructional assistant proximity on students with disabilities. Exceptional Children. Scruton, R. (1996). The eclipse of listening. The New Criterion, 15(30), 5-13.