INCIDENTALLY TEACHING

Incidental Teaching

Definition of Incidental Teaching

  • Incidental teaching: A teaching technique initiated by the child, defined by Hart and Risley in 1982. It emphasizes waiting for the child to initiate a conversation about a topic and then responding in ways that elicit further language from the child.
    • Benefits:
    • Increases the use of spontaneous language in natural settings.
    • Promotes generalization and maintenance of acquired language skills.
    • Facilitates acquisition of contextual language across various stimuli.

Steps of Incidental Teaching

  1. Set Up the Environment

    • Arrange the environment to capture the student's interest in specific activities or items.
    • Methods for setup:
      • Start a preferred activity and suddenly pause it.
      • Provide an activity with a missing part (e.g., asking what color comes next).
      • Place preferred items out of reach (e.g., on a high shelf or in a sealed container).
      • Consume a preferred snack or play with a toy in sight of the student to attract their interest.
      • Manipulate the environment, such as adjusting sounds or visuals, to provoke curiosity.

  2. Observe for Interest

    • Watch for signs of interest from the student regarding items or activities:
      • Student may reach for it, point to it, comment, ask about it, or gaze at it with intent.
    • Example: If the student looks at a toy, they are showing interest, indicating a potential teaching moment.

  3. Prompt a Response

    • When the student shows interest, ask questions to elicit responses related to the item:
      • Could include: "What color is it?" or "Count the items."
      • Example Interaction:
      • Prompt: “Find the word 'chip.'”
      • Response: The teacher encourages the student to say “chip” or count objects visible.
      • Encourage location identification (e.g., “Where is the blue square?”).

  4. Reward the Student

    • Upon providing the correct response, reward the student with the desired item or activity:
      • Example rewards include giving the student access to the toy or providing items they initiated interest in.
      • Include positive reinforcement, such as verbal praise (e.g., “Good job counting!”).

  5. Fade Prompts Gradually

    • Start with more assistance and progressively reduce support until the student can respond independently:
      • Initially guide the student’s actions or responses explicitly (e.g., counting out loud).
      • Gradually withdraw direct prompts, encouraging self-initiation.
      • Example of Prompt Fading:
      • Begin by counting with the student, then prompting less until they can perform it alone.

Types of Initiation

  • Initiation can be:
    • Vocal: Asking for something, like “I want green.”
    • Nonverbal: Reaching for an item, pointing, or making interested gestures.

Capture and Contrive Incidental Teaching Opportunities

  • Capturing: Using natural opportunities in the environment to encourage initiation:
    • Example: Noticing a child struggling with shoes prompts verbal requests for help.
    • Location: Observe students during play and seize moments where they exhibit interest.
  • Contriving: Arranging environments to encourage initiations:
    • Example: Placing a cookie jar on a high shelf encourages the child to ask for it.
    • Actions: Engage students in a preferred activity, then abruptly halt to initiate a request.

Differences Between Incidental Teaching and Discrete Trial Teaching

  • Initiation:
    • Incidental Teaching: Interaction is led by the child.
    • Discrete Trial Teaching: Interaction is teacher-directed, with the teacher providing prompts to initiate learning.
  • Environment:
    • Incidental Teaching: Conducted in natural settings during daily activities.
    • Discrete Trial Teaching: Often occurs in structured environments, like at a desk.
  • Reinforcement:
    • Incidental Teaching: The reward is directly related to the child's initiated interest (e.g., items they reach for).
    • Discrete Trial Teaching: Reinforcers may be preset and not related to the learning response.

Observing Success and Making Adjustments

  • Continuous assessment of student progress is essential. Record behaviors to analyze skill acquisition and adjust teaching strategies as necessary.
    • Example: Monitor language usage to ensure that skills are increasing as a result of incidental teaching.

Conclusion

  • Incidental teaching enhances language learning in natural contexts and strives for student independence in communication. The goal is to ensure students can independently express their needs and interests through language while engaging in meaningful interactions.