Ann Nevin	Jacque Thousand	Toni Hood

Congratulations! You've come a long way!

1. What are the ABCs of DBI?

2. How can they help design better instruction for the "difficult-to-teach?"

Data-based instruction is a tool that helps us decide whether or not a specific teaching procedure is getting the desired result. Based on his analysis of the research and practice, our textbook author Tom Lovitt (1991) has created a series of "tactics" for teachers to use. These tactics can be analyzed by considering their ABC's.

In this framework, we always start with the B's--describing in detail the learner's Behaviors. As teachers, we are primarily interested in the learner's academic behaviors --such as the grade-level of the material s/he can read with 90-100% comprehension; the learner's mastery of English grammar and literature; the learner's accuracy on using arithmetic algorithms and applying mathematical concepts to science problems. Of course for some learners (especially learners with emotional handicaps) other behaviors may be of concern to us, such as time-on-task, anger management, appropriate interpersonal communication.

Once we have identified the learner's academic behavior, developed a monitoring system, and gathered initial data, we are ready to continue with the ABC's!

We can look at the A's--the Antecedents--the events, materials, activities, and so on that occur before the learner is expected to demonstrate his/her academic behaviors.

The antecedents that most teachers have control over include the selection of curriculum and instructional objectives, textbooks, assignments, lecturettes, learning activities, and so on. For example, a social studies teacher might decide to change the antecedents s/he is using. Instead of assigning readings about the causes and effects of the Civil War from the textbook, the social studies teacher may use a simulation in which the students in the class take on various roles, research those roles, and act out the events of the Civil War.

Other antecedents that teachers may find affect the learner's behaviors include the scheduled events that occur just prior to class. Often, the time of day for the particular academic class may affect a learner's performance. Some learners do better in mathematics, for example, in the morning. Similarly, antecedents such as having a fight or a disappointment during recess may affect the learner's "mental attitude" in subsequent classes.

Next we might want to consider the C's--the Consequent events-- the things that happen after the learner has demonstrated (or failed to demonstrate) the academic performance. For example, what does the teacher do if the student is correct? What does the teacher do if the student has an incorrect response, or no response at all?

Some teachers have found that establishing the relevancy of the academic performance increases the learner's understanding of the intrinsic value of the academic behavior. This "natural consequence" of learning something because of its inherent value (and sometimes because of its future value) is a powerful motivator for student achievement. Refer to Table 1 for more researched best practices that can give you clues for antecedents and consequences--some of them are "hotlinked" in the table below!

Are you ready to add another concept to your new DBI vocabulary? Now that you know about the ABCs, consider E, for Error Correction Procedures. It is important for you to be clear about what you will do when the student makes an error, or when no response is made. Each instructional management system has its own recommendation for how to handle errors.

We'd like to refer you to another resource for more ideas about analyzing instructional environments:  Friend and Bursuck (1996), Including student swith special needs:  A practical guide for classroom teachers (published by Allyn & Bacon).  We appreciate the detailed analysis of inclusive classrooms by looking at four aspects of classroom environments as the key to success of including students with special needs.

1. Classroom Organization:  This involves the phsycial set-up, daily classroom routines, the classroom climate, the system of managing behavior (discipline), and the use of time.
2. Classroom Grouping:  Teachers who use a variety of classroom grouping options are more successful at including students with special needs.  Grouping options that have been researched and found effective include:  small heterogeneous groups with allocated roles, one-to-one instruction, and guided large-group instruction.
3. Instructional Materials:  The nature of instructional materials is a critical factor in predicting the success of an instructional program.  Materials include textbooks (tasal and content-specific texts), manipulatives and models accompanied by active interaction, technology (audiovisual aids, telecommunications, computers, and assistive technology).
4. Instructional Methods:  Teachers who use a variety of instructional methods to teach all their students are more successful in including students with special needs including Direct Instruction and many of the other best practices cited in Table 1.  These methods are sensitive to adjusting the Antecedents, Behaviors, Consequences, and Error Correction Procedures in order to achieve more effective outcomes for students with special needs.

Key Thought

The key thoughts for Topic 1 (Effective teaching practices) is "Your success is absolutely assured!" Because of your active participation in analyzing the effects of both antecedent and consequent events for the learner's academic behaviors (ABCs), you may realize that it is because of the feedback and correction process that success is assured.

What are Your Answers to the Focus Questions for Topic 5?  Please complete your answers to the Focus Questions.

When you are ready, you may want to compare your answers to what other teachers say.

What Do Other Teachers Say?

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