Are You Fluent?
Try counting up by 5’s as high as you can go (0, 5, 10, 15, etc). Time yourself for 10 seconds.
Next, try counting backwards by 7’s from 100 (100, 93, 86, etc). Time yourself for 20 seconds. How did that go?
Most students who are struggling feel like you did with the counting backwards by 7’s all the time. AIMS creates the count up by 5 type performance.
Fluency is Endurance, Stability, Application, and Retention. Here’s an example: Driving- If you have your driving license you can drive your car on your way home from work while listening to the radio, thinking about dinner, and not getting lost. (You are stable in your performance; you can do it for long amounts of time and in different cars if needed) Now, if you are going somewhere new and you are unfamiliar with the area, you most likely have the radio off, anyone in the car must be quiet while you “concentrate,” and you are more likely to get lost. (In this example, you are not stable, you are easily frustrated, and you would be even more uncomfortable in a different car).
We want the student to feel like she is driving home. We want her to navigate through her world with confidence, ability, and traction.
| Precision Teaching Is | Precision Teaching Isn't |
|---|---|
| Based on the science of behavior analysis | An educational fad |
| Focused on performing accurately in a set time | Limited by percentage correct |
| Daily data collection of concrete, directly observable behavior | Immeasurable observations or confusing grading scales |
| Data recorded on the Standard Celeration Chart | The use of un-standardized measurement tools that change from program to program |
| Individualized instruction guided by a learner's personal daily data | Reliant on a one-size-fits-all curriculum |
| Focused on fluency of skills to determine mastery | Granting a passing grade for 70% correct |
| Breaking large skills into smaller component parts to determine a starting point for instruction | Following a pre-determined scope and sequence of instruction |
| Quick, data-based instructional changes to facilitate learning that can be made within each session | Waiting until the end of unit test to determine if a student requires more instruction |