Michael Beverley

Using precision teaching to increase the fluency of word reading with problem readers

This study describes the effectiveness of a brief intervention aimed at increasing the rate (frequency) of reading common English words for five pupils who were experiencing problems with reading. The intervention employed frequency-building procedures aimed at increasing the rate at which the children could read words accurately, and precision teaching (PT) to monitor the effectiveness of the intervention. The children in the treatment as usual (TAU) condition received the standard reading support during the same period. All of the pupils’ were tested at pre- and post-intervention on the frequency at which they could read words accurately, and all were given a standardised reading test. Following intervention the outcome measures for fluency were taken: maintenance, endurance, application, and stability. All five of the PT children increased their rate of accurate word reading, and two made significant gains on the standardised tests of reading; however, the TAU children did not improve on any of the measures. The study provides additional evidence supporting the effectiveness of PT and frequency-building procedures, and that successful intervention need not require expensive or time-consuming resources.

What’s the probability of that? Using SAFMEDS to increase undergraduate success with statistical concepts

Psychology undergraduates are required to study statistics as one of the main components of their degree, and for many this is the most challenging aspect of the curriculum. Undergraduates taking an introductory statistics module participated in this study. Based on the results from their first weekly open-book test, students scoring at the 50th percentile and below were identified and invited to sit a pre-test of questions selected to cover all the statistical content for the semester. Using the results from the pre-test we randomly allocated 55 participants to either a precision teaching SAFMEDS intervention (PT) (24 students) or a “treatment as usual” (TAU) group (31 students). We made SAFMEDS cards with key statistical concepts taken from the study guide of the main statistics textbook and students were instructed how to use the cards and how to chart their learning performance. Additionally participants were invited to attend bi-weekly meetings with student proctors to review individual progress and make instructional decisions. Results indicated that those students in the PT intervention maintained a higher score than the TAU for all of the weekly tests through the semester, and achieved a statistically significant gain in post-test performance almost equivalent to an entire degree class score when compared with the TAU group, F(1, 53) = 5.23, p = .026, d = 0.62.

Increasing high school students’ maths skills with the use of SAFMEDS class-wide

ABSTRACT The use of SAFMEDS cards, which stands for “Say All Fast Minute Every Day Shuffled” has been widely reported in the literature as an effective fluency-building tool. Most studies have focused on students with a learning disability or those classed as at risk of failing academically. In addition, most of the research has implemented SAFMEDS one-to-one or in small groups. We investigated the use of SAFMEDS in a high school setting, targeting basic maths skills across the whole class. Forty-eight students aged 11–12 years participated in the study over a 4-week period. Our results showed that using SAFMEDS to compliment students’ maths lessons can further increase basic maths skills when compared to standard maths classes alone. We also found that the gains were maintained at a 1 month follow-up. An application quiz showed that students could also transfer the information they had learned to real-world maths problems.

Teaching Early Reading Skills to Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Using Computer-Delivered Instruction: A Pilot Study

Abstract Many children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) have considerable difficulty learning basic reading skills. Increasing evidence suggests individuals with IDD may benefit from instruction incorporating components of reading found to be effective for typically developing children. However, little research into reading instruction for children with IDD has incorporated these components. There is evidence for the efficacy of Headsprout® Early Reading program for typically developing children, and emerging evidence suggesting that children with autism can benefit from the program. The current study investigated the accessibility of Headsprout® Early Reading for children with IDD, and whether there were any measurable effects of the program on important early reading and language skills. Six children aged between 7 and 14 years with mild to moderate IDD completed the program, and all made measurable improvements across reading measures, demonstrating children with mild to moderate ...

Using SAFMEDS to assist language learners to acquire second-language vocabulary

ABSTRACT SAFMEDS (Say All Fast Minute Every Day Shuffled) cards, in conjunction with graphing learner’s progress, were used as an intervention to teach Welsh vocabulary to second-language learners in 4-year seven classes (12 year olds) in an English medium secondary school in Wales. A further class of children of the same age served as a Waiting List Control (WLC). From the curriculum, 200 words were selected by teachers to be studied during the school term. Children in all classes were given a pretest to establish the number of words that each child already knew at baseline. Children in the four intervention classes were each given packs of Welsh-English SAFMEDS and required to pair up with another child. Both children were instructed to conduct a practice run followed by a 1-min timing at the start of each 50-min lesson (three lessons per week). Children then recorded their correct and incorrect responses on data sheets and graphs. The procedure took less than 5 min, and the teacher then continued with the scheduled lesson. The WLC class received their normal Welsh classes. The intervention spanned 4 weeks of the term and was followed with a post-test of the target words for all children. During the post-test, the intervention children wrote significantly more correct Welsh vocabulary words than the control children, p < .001, d = 1.54. The study demonstrates that SAFMEDS are an efficient and effective method to enhance vocabulary learning with brief exposure within the context of standard lessons.

Increasing support staff fluency with the content of behaviour support plans: An application of precision teaching

ABSTRACT Background Behaviour support plans (BSPs) are at the core of positive behavioural support for challenging behaviour, but nonadherence to BSPs is common. Generally, nonfluent component knowledge prevents learners achieving fluent application and retention of information, and we hypothesised that this may apply to staff learning BSPs. Method We compared the effectiveness of fluency training (FT) and precision teaching on staff learning of BSPs with staff receiving consultation as usual, comprising standard support for learning BSPs. All staff completed pre- and postintervention tests measuring frequency of component skill recall and application of component knowledge (composite skills). Results The FT group made and maintained greater gains in component skill recall and achieved higher composite test scores, suggesting greater application of component skills. These effects were associated with moderate effect sizes. Conclusions This study offers initial support for the application of FT and precision teaching for staff learning BSP content.

Using the Toolbox Series for Literacy With Adult Struggling Readers

The aim of the present study was to improve basic literacy skills for three underperforming adults using the Toolbox Series for Literacy (Maloney, Brearley, & Preece, 2002) programme that combines Direct Instruction (DI), Precision Teaching (PT) and behaviour management techniques. Both DI and PT methods have been used to remediate reading difficulties with children, but rarely with adult struggling readers. Intervention consisted of 36 hours of one-to-one tuition for three adults with deficit literacy skills using a pre-post measures single case design. Results yielded increases in reading performance measured using continuous progress assessments in each participant. Two of the three participants made at least one level gain between pre- and post-test on the norm referenced reading assessment. The results are discussed with consideration to the feasibility of improving the reading ability of adult struggling readers using the Toolbox Series for Literacy.

The Experimental Analysis of Behaviour Group London April 6th – 8th 2009Programme of abstracts

An overview of the protocols in place at the Jigsaw CABAS® School to induce verbal capabilities EMMA HAWKINS, Jackie Charnock & Grant Gautreaux Verbal capabilities are developmental stages that are acquired incidentally or induced. Verbal capabilities enable children to learn classes of behaviour and progress farther on a verbal developmental scale. The purpose of this presentation is to provide a description of a) Greer and Ross’s (2008) pyramid of verbal capabilities and b) some of the protocols used at The Jigsaw CABAS® School to induce some of these verbal capabilities. There will be a particular focus on the capabilities of naming and observational learning.