My Educational Philosophy

2. My Educational Philosophy • Behaviorism!

3. Behaviorism is based on what we can see…It does not make guesses about what is happening. • Behavior--The observable, measurable movement of an organism in it’s environment. • This means you can see it, count it, and measure it’s duration!

4. Why is it important to use Observable/Measurable behavior in our practices? 1. Enables accuracy 0f data, studies, and replication of studies: by using behavioral terms of what is observed. Words used are detailed and will be interpreted the same way by every individual. Examples: • He is doing great with his addition facts---NOT Behavioral terms. My definition of great may be different then your definition of great. He is able to do his addition facts with 99% accuracy. • Joey had a melt down today-- NOT Behavioral terms Joey cried with a high pitch voice for 10 minutes, while laying on the floor…He hit staff with a flat open hand 6 times.

5. Why is it important to use Observable/Measurable behavior in our practices? • 2.Observing behavior enables us to track/measure behaviors. • -Enabling us to see rate of behavior. • -Enabling us to see if changes need made. (systematically) • -Enabling us to see if the change is effective.

6. Using principles of behavior to analyze behavior. • To determine function of behaviors (basic functions of bx) To escape– To get something. • To change factors in the environment: -To increase motivation -To condition environment -To decrease behavior -To increase behavior

7. Antecedent-Prompts • Anything that evokes the desired behavior…this then gives you the chance to reinforce the behavior. • Prompts can be: Physical, imitation, gestural, vocal. • Prompts are selected from previously mastered skills. • Prompt levels: Full prompt, partial prompt. • Prompts need to be systematically faded to reduce chances of students becoming prompt depended. Reinforce better more independent responses.

8. Antecedent… Motivative Operations (MO)Motivation is in the Environment • Motivation alters the VALUE of a reinforcer • Extrinsic- Tokens, Money, Edibles, Social praise/correctness • Intrinsic- Feelings of Joy, Contentment, Pleasure, Pride, Approval of others….all of these still depend on ENVIRONMENTAL factors!!!! Satiation- causes motivation to decrease, due to having an abundance of the reinforcer. If I’m given chocolate 3 times every day…the value of chocolate is going to decrease. Deprivation-causes motivation to increase, due to being deprived of the reinforcer. If I have not had chocolate for a month…the value of chocolate is going to be high. Teachers need to understand these principles of MO when using Reinforcement.

9. Antecedent Discriminative Stimuli (SD) • Signal the availability of reinforcement. Teachers need to function as a SD that signals that things are about to get better. This can be accomplished by pairing with things that are reinforcing to students. You want to be known as the “Cool teacher.” The environment also needs to function as a SD that signals that things are about to become better. Your classroom should be a safe/warm place were students want to come to. Teachers need to make environmental changes to create this type of environment.

10. Consequence- Punishment • Decreases a behavior • Something added or taken away after a behavior, that causes that behavior to decrease. Consequence- Extinction • Decreases a behavior • A behavior that once contacted reinforcement no longer contacts reinforcement, causing the behavior to decrease.

11. Consequences -Reinforcement Increases a behavior • Adding or Taking something away after a particular behavior. • The result is the environment becomes better. • Causing the behavior to increase in the future. • Used to teach all new behaviors (including academics.)

12. Classroom Consequences SR+ and SR-Problem Behavior • Teachers need to analyze the antecedent condition to determine the function of the behavior. • Teachers often feel that they are effective, because how they handled situations result with problem behavior ending. • Example: A student is engaging in problem behavior. The teacher calls the student into the hallway for a “talk.” The teacher feels that this is an effective way to handle problem behavior, however teachers need to look at how it affect behavior in the future • If problem behavior is occurring when a student is to be doing a task… The teacher has removed the demand of doing the task…The teacher has also adding her undivided attention to this one child, and if this is valuable, is going to function as a reinforcer.

13. Teaching • Use principles of MO to contrive Motivation to learn…Prompt to evoke desired behavior…Reinforce to increase the desired behavior in the future. See Natural Environment Teaching (NET) case study- Study to determine the effectiveness of Errorless Teaching Procedures used during Natural Environment Teaching. NET- Teaching skills in the Natural Environment, child directed/based on child’s Motivation Case study presented at PennState’s Autism Conference 2010 -Alison Mummert And is used by PaTTAN for NET training.

14. Classroom/Teaching/Environment • A teacher can manipulate the environment to increase motivation of students to learn about a specific subject. A teacher who needs to teach about the Navajo Indians, can make several changes to the environment, which will effect students motivation. • A teacher could do this by bringing in a cradle board, a piece of pottery, a woven rug made by the Navajo Indians or ask the students what it would be like to live in a round house. • These environmental changes will increase motivation to learn about these people. • Information should be given in chunks with high interaction with the class. • Principles of Reinforcement should also be used. • My opinion is that understanding Motivative Operations and Reinforcement are the two key behavioral principles that all teachers should understand and apply effectively.

15. Putting the theory into action. See Video clip of Drew… • Drew -3 years old I was hired to set up an ABA program, and to train his parents and TSS. • Aug 25th 2012 ….The first day I met Drew he was in the corner behind the sofa. I was told it was Drew’s corner. A quick summary of his skills: 3 mastered mands, strong echoic skills, no matching skills, NO imitation skills. • Today, December 29th 2012…. (highlights of his progress) – *Instructional Control has been established. * 60 mastered mands, *48 imitation skills with objects, *15 imitation skills without objects. Starting to work on Receptive and Intraverbal skills. • I have not seen Drew in his corner since that first day, we were quickly able to pair the environment and people (with reinforcement) as valuable. Drew is now a part of his families world, and with the use of effective teaching procedures is learning!

16. Teaching with a Behavioral Perspective… • By apply what I know about behavior… I made changes in the environment that have resulted with me becoming valuable to Drew. (This value has also generalized to other people.) Drew now has motivation to sit appropriately, and respond, due to these behaviors contacting reinforcement. Skills taught are developmentally appropriate, and principles of ABA and Skinner’s analysis of verbal behavior guide teaching/programming. • Evidence based teaching procedures reduce errors, increase motivation to respond. Prompts are used to guide to the correct answer, and are systematically faded. Responses that require more effort (or more effort is used) are differentially reinforced to increase this behavior. Reinforcement is paired with verbal praise and social approval, to condition them to take on the same value as the reinforcement it is being paired with. • I now only work with Drew once a week, but he asks for me several times a day….This should be every teachers goal… students should be begging to be with their teacher. • Drew has been in early interventions programs for years…they accomplished very little with him. Comments from his school are… “whatever your doing at home is working.” • The data tells the story!!! What we are doing is working!

17. Skinner forgot one factor when studying human behavior… • I agree that the environment has a big impact on learning, and that the environment can be manipulated to make changes in student’s behavior… however: • Humans have the capacity to make choices They are capable of deciding if these factors will influence their behavior.

18. B.F. Skinner • Jack Michael Ph.D - Study of Motivative Operations • Mark SundbergPh.D, BCBA (VB-MAPP) • Vince Carbone, Ph.D, BCBA (Carbone Clinic) Special thanks to: • Michael Miklos, MS, BCBA (PaTTAN) • AmirisDipuglia, MD, BCBA (PaTTAN) • Brook Stock, BA, BCaBA Thank you for all that you have taught me!