Module 3, Unit 2, Transparency #1 Assisting Students with Disabilities: A Training Program for Paraeducators Module 3, Unit 2: Providing Direct Instruction

Module 3, Unit 2, Transparency #2 Instructional Objectives: To understand basic guidelines for providing direct instruction To appreciate the importance of teacher supervision To understand how accommodations & modifications are used To develop skills in systematic instructional procedures for students with educational disabilities Module 3, Unit 2: Providing Direct Instruction

Module 3, Unit 2, Transparency #3 Unit Overview I. Basic instructional techniques for all students II. Additional instructional techniques for students with educational disabilities

Module 3, Unit 2, Transparency #4 Basic Instructional Techniques for all Students How to prepare for an instructional session: Read the lesson plan Get supervision (brief planning meeting with the teacher) Gather materials Arrange the setting for student comfort & ease of learning Get to know the students Appropriate working relationship Purpose: to enhance student learning

Module 3, Unit 2, Transparency #5 Basic Instructional Techniques for all Students When conducting the instructional session, be sure you have an … Introduction (get students’ attention, state purpose, review pre-skills) Body (explanation, questioning, modeling, guided practice, reinforcement) Conclusion (review purpose & main points, give assignment)

Module 3, Unit 2, Transparency #6 Basic Instructional Techniques for all Students When conducting the lesson: Be prepared to deviate from the lesson plan if certain circumstances occur Record information about student progress General observations about student behavior & the environment Specific data (percentage, frequency, rate) Remember student confidentiality

Module 3, Unit 2, Transparency #7 Basic Instructional Techniques for all Students After an instructional session: Clean up the area & put materials away Review the student record Perform brief self-evaluation Get supervision (a meeting with the teacher to discuss how the session went and to generate ideas for improvement)

Module 3, Unit 2, Transparency #8 Additional Instructional Techniques for Students with Disabilities Accommodations Supports/services that help a student access the curriculum Curriculum, itself, is NOT altered Modifications Adaptations that allow students with disabilities to reach different goals than students without disabilities Curriculum IS altered

Module 3, Unit 2, Transparency #9 Additional Instructional Techniques for Students with Disabilities “Discrete” tasks Single response Examples: reading a word, identifying numbers, selecting a picture of a desired activity “Chained” tasks Two or more responses Examples: hand-washing, making a bed, cooking a dish Discrete or chained depends partly on the individual student

Module 3, Unit 2, Transparency #10 Additional Instructional Techniques for Students with Disabilities Types of Instructional Prompts Independent Verbal Pictorial Gestural Model Partial physical Full physical

Module 3, Unit 2, Transparency #11 Additional Instructional Techniques for Students with Disabilities Prompting Systems 1) “System of Least Prompts” Hierarchy of prompts Reinforcement provided for each correct response (regardless of prompted/unprompted) Start out with minimal assistance and increase it, as needed Can be used with discrete or chained tasks

Module 3, Unit 2, Transparency #12 Additional Instructional Techniques for Students with Disabilities Prompting Systems 2) “Constant Time Delay” Two phases (0-second delay trials, then trials of a specified delay period – e.g., 4-second) More assistance is provided initially, then faded to less assistance Can be used with discrete or chained tasks (although discrete is more common)

Module 3, Unit 2, Transparency #13 Additional Instructional Techniques for Students with Disabilities Skill Generalization -- The skill benefits the student’s life because he/she is able to use it in a range of different settings and with different people Facilitate generalization: Frequent practice Fade the reinforcers Practice in different settings & with different people