Precision Teaching Approach

Lucas Baker went to New York State's Council for Exceptional Children conference, and was discouraged:

Back to exceptional children. The conference was sparely attended. The ideas and approaches presented were based on solid research and each provided more than reasonable rational for implementation. But there were few takers. Few seem to be interested in the cause for effectively teaching to every student. Even with a law called “No Child Left Behind” I did not find many school people searching for the best research based solutions. The solutions are there. Where is the interest? Where is the application? Where is the spirit? Where is the belief that in order to have a great nation we must have a great and enlightened system for opening, freeing and expanding the minds of our citizens?

In the course of following up, I ran across a teaching approach new to me, Precision Teaching.  The excellent resources at the University of Athabaska told me more:

"Precision teaching is not so much a method of instruction as it is a precise and systematic method of evaluating instructional tactics and curricula"

Introduction to Precision Teaching Principles
History of Precision Teaching
Applications
Precision Teaching: A Five-Step Process

One of the Precision Teaching Centers (Haughton) further elaborates:

It is our belief that current mainstream educational practices leave many children behind by failing to ensure fluency in critical foundation skills – those key elements of reading, language, mathematics, writing, and learning-to-learn that underlie nearly all other skills normally taught in schools. By applying a powerful, data-based instructional approach known as Precision Teaching, combined with curriculum objectives that specify fluency criteria for each skill, we work to fill the gaps left behind by many current educational methods and philosophies.

Other resources:
Fluency.Org (a website of links)
Precision Teaching Resources
Morningside Teachers' Academy
The Fluency Factory

I'd sure like to hear from parents or teachers who have used this approach.

Comments

[Lisa]

It sounds rather like the task analysis that I used as part of ABA - breaking up the skill into manageable, observable behaviors and teaching kids each one, and charting their progress along the way.

[John Lloyd]

Ahh, Liz. What a treat. I just took a walk down memory lane and got all charged up again. I slapped together a post that supplements your fine work here. Thanks for the reminder.

Lisa's right. The overlap with ABA is substantial and not accidental. Og Lindsley studied with B. F. Skinner.

[Dick Briggs]

I was a Special Ed teacher in the 70's. Having left education and worked with computers that last 25 years and nearing retirement, I am developing a FREE website for reading based on Precision Teaching.

[Dick Briggs]

The link to the FREE website is

http://www.mybreakfastreadingprogram.com/

[Richard McManus]

GREAT! Glad you came across Precision Teaching. I am a VERY longterm practitioner and I am constantly amazed by the power and effectiveness of precision teaching. I would advise visiting a center or school that uses the technology as quickly as you can to see the impact of PT on children who some think will 'never learn to read' or 'won't read fluently' or the latest I have heard 'might read it but won't understand what he has read.'

While ABA is a cousin of PT, I would say that TAGTeach is a closer relation. More positive, more fluid and more free.

Thanks for mentioning our website!

Richard