1. Building Student Independence 1

2. Getting re-connected 2

3. Reflection O Do you find your students only display correct responses for you, but not in the presence of other education assistants or teachers? O YES or NO O Do you find yourself frequently needing to prompt your students to start, continue or complete tasks? O YES OR NO O Do your students have frequent opportunities to demonstrate responsibility for their own learning? O YES OR NO O Do your students know how to evaluate their own behaviour or learning? O YES or NO 3

4. 4 Working definition of independence O The ability to be in an environment and to: O Identify what needs to be done O Have the skill(s) to do it O Recognize that the tools for doing it are available O Do it O Once it is done, assess and proceed or do something different if necessary.

5. Find the mistake 5

6. The Lesson to be Learned 6 O The student will NEVER be independent if s/he cannot learn to “see, read or hear” and respond to the natural cues. O If we continue to introduce unnatural cues or indicators, the student will never be able to respond to the natural indicator. O It is crucial students are taught to respond to the natural cues/indicators.

7. Natural Cues O A signal to say or do something O Sounds, smells, objects, visuals or tactile representations that are consistently or predictably in the environment O Bell to signify the end of recess O Teacher directions or pause to gain attention O Important to draw student’s attention to the natural cues as they give directions (assistance) to the student O A prompt is usually not present in the environment, but must be provided by another person. EAs are an accommodation / personnel that have been inserted into the classroom environment – so they are not a natural cue, nor what they do or say is viewed as “natural” when it comes to providing support. 7

8. Natural Cues 8

9. 9

10. Cues 10 O Something a teacher does or says to start instruction O Its purpose is to elicit a specific skill or behaviour from a student O Two basic types O Verbal (directions or questions) O Non-verbal (gestures, environmental, activity based)

11. Verbal Cues 11 Directions Count the crayons Stand up please Choose a learning center Wash your hands Give Jade the books Questions What colour is this? What could you say? What letter does your name start with? What comes next?

12. Non-verbal cues: what are these signaling to the student? 12 O Passing a student a bowl of popcorn? O Patting the seat of an empty chair? O Flicking the light switch 2 times? O Providing only some of the supplies for a task? O Lifting your hands to gesture, “I don’t understand”.

13. Principles of Effective Instructional Cues 13 O Given after the student’s attention is gained O Given once O To support the student learning to respond when a direction given, not after hearing a direction several times O Remember to provide time (wait time) to respond (rather than repeating the direction again and again) O The student needs think time to formulate what to say or to begin to take the appropriate action.

14. Principles of Effective Instructional Cues 14 O Are clear and specifically stated, particularly when a student is first learning O Elicits a student’s response O Needs to involve some type of question, direction or action that requires a response from the student O Concise and not too many instructions at one time O Start with only a few directions at one time (depending on the learner as it can be difficult to work through several or long instructions to find the appropriate response)

15. Principles of Effective Instructional Cues Stay around to see that the student has completed the request – then move away, if appropriate, or continue to support the student in the least intrusive way 15

16. What are prompts? 16 O A prompt is used to increase the likelihood that an individual will engage in the correct behaviour at the correct time and place O A prompt induces a person to perform a behaviour / response that would otherwise not occur O Given before or during a behaviour O Increases learning O Reduces frustration O Provides opportunities to reinforce appropriate behaviour

17. When do you prompt? InstructionResponseReinforcementCorrection Prompt 17

18. 18 Many varieties of prompts O Gestures (subtle hand movements) O Looks O Movements toward or away from someone O Proximity O Relative position of materials O Pauses O Questions / directions “Keep going.”, “Use your glue stick.” O Physical guidance O Relative order of presentation of materials

19. 19 Physical Prompts

20. 20 Hand washing with prompts Partial physical prompts (most intrusive) Visual (task analysis) prompts (less intrusive)

21. Gestural Prompts 21 A point or other gesture to prompt the expected response

22. Visual Prompts 22 The object or images acts as the stimulus for the response

23. Verbal Prompts – 2 types 23 Verbal instructions to perform the required actions – direct Indirect “What’s Next?”

24. Modeling 24 Demonstrate yourself or with props Demonstration of the behaviour to be performed

25. Physical Prompts 25 Partial Physical – touching / guiding hands, arms or shoulder to start or move through the response Full Physical – assisting a person through the whole response

26. Education Assistant Actions #1 26

27. Types of Prompts Natural CueGestureVerbalVisualModeling Physica l 27

28. When do you prompt? InstructionResponseReinforcementCorrection Prompt 28

29. 29 Prompting O Prompts are used to increase the likelihood that a student will engage in the correct behaviour at the correct time and place O Given before or during a task O Introduced during the time when a student is learning or acquiring - discontinue after student has acquired skill or routine

30. 30 Prompting O The purpose is to assist the student to: O Attend to teacher instruction independently O Attend to other students when they respond independently O Complete seatwork accurately and independently O Follow classroom routines independently

31. 31 Prompting Prompts should ensure that the student can be successful with the activity 3 Keys 1. Add as little as possible to help the learner succeed 2. Fade the prompts as soon as possible 3. Certain types of prompts are much easier to fade than others

32. Prompting Hierarchy 32

33. Most-to-least prompts O Starts with physical support, so considered the most intrusive O Move, systematically, from the most up the hierarchy as student acquires the skill O Fade across trials O Need to consider student’s responses to touch (sometimes simply asking or letting a student know you are going to physically guide them can make a difference to any resistance) O May limit errors – so often used when a student is first learning an activity (though must remember the abilities of the learner as this can be too much support for some students) 33

34. Least-to-most prompts O Provides student with an opportunity to perform the response with the least amount of assistance O The student always has an opportunity to respond and the instructor is guided by the student’s behaviour in terms of determining the degree of assistance necessary O May lead to more errors O Used once a skill is learned 34

35. 35

36. Education Assistant Actions #2 36

37. Keys to Success 1. Use the least amount of prompting as necessary 2. Fade the prompts as soon as possible 3. Remember verbal prompts are the most difficult to fade – minimize the use and amount of talk

38. The Downside of Prompts!! O Prompt Dependency O Learned Helplessness 38

39. 39 Prompt dependency O An overreliance or dependence on adult support, thus inhibiting independence O A particular concern with student who receive significant amounts of one-to- one support

40. What is prompt dependency? O Over-reliance or dependence on adult support as a result of how students are taught O Often a result of significant amounts of 1- 1 instruction O Students become ‘used to’ being prompted and don’t try to respond on their own O Students learn they ‘might as well wait’ 40

41. The student is thinking: Why bother? You’re going to help me do it anyway. 41

42. Prompt dependency examples O The student looks at you before saying or writing an answer in academic tasks O You tell the student how to unpack his bag and hang up his coat every morning

43. Prompt dependency examples O The student needs to be told to take a bite of her favourite food O You follow the student into the bathroom and narrate his actions

44. Fading Prompts Delivered after or with the presentation (item or direction) Most to least prompts System of least prompts Graduated Guidance Time Delay 44

45. Graduated Guidance O Shadowing: O The instructor follows the student’s movements with their hands very near, but not touching the student. O Systematically increase the distance of hands from the student 45

46. Time Delay (aka Wait Time) O Insert a delay between giving an instruction and stepping in and prompting O Minimizes errors while learning a new skill O Sometimes the most effective (and hardest) thing to do is WAIT O Always give wait time! 46

47. Wait Time / Time Delay O Following a direction or question, WAIT for the student to O Process what you said O Formulate his/her response O Instead of prompting a student to initiate a task, WAIT O Increase length of pause over time to promote independence 47

48. Time Delay / Wait Time O Usually 3-5 seconds, but may need to be longer or shorter depending on the student O Pair with a “expectant look” (not a verbal prompt if possible, as a verbal prompt is harder to fade) 48

49. Education Assistant Actions #3 49

50. 1. Touch the student lightly 2. Model it 3. Point to / tap book or paper 4. Use a high lighter 5. Draw a picture (small dry eraser boards work well) 50

51. 6. Move closer 7. Write on a post it note 8. Use a pen-light 9. Use gesture / sign (thumbs up, expectant look, shrugging of shoulders) 10. Have peer give assistance