Generalization in Teaching

Generalization Objective

  • Teach the student to apply skills in daily life beyond the teaching environment.

Part One: Stimulus Generalization

  • Objective: Teach the student to give the same response to a variety of stimuli.
Examples of Stimulus Generalization
  • Varied Materials:
    • If the student can demonstrate a learned skill with varied materials (e.g., different pictures or toys of a dog), it shows stimulus generalization.
  • Varied Instructions:
    • Using different instructions to elicit the same response (e.g., "Point to the turkey" vs. "Which one's the turkey?").
  • Varied Locations:
    • Getting the same response in different locations (e.g., asking a student to wave in different areas).
  • Varied People:
    • Having different people elicit the same response from the student (e.g., multiple people asking the student to do a puzzle).
Steps for Stimulus Generalization

  1. Teach with Varied Materials:

    • Teach the student to use the same response when presented with varied materials.
    • Example: Teaching a student to label a dog using different pictures, toy dogs, puzzle pieces, and videos.
    • Use materials relevant to the skill.
    • Periodically test with new materials (e.g., a game piece of a dog).
    • During testing, do not prompt or reinforce the student's response.
    • Maintain motivation by asking for a response the student already knows and reinforcing that response.

  2. Teach with Varied Instructions:

    • Teach the student to use the same response when presented with varied instructions.
    • Example: Teaching a student to identify animals using instructions like "Point to the turkey" or "Which one?".
    • Use instructions relevant to the skill.
    • Periodically test using new instructions.
    • During testing, do not prompt or reinforce.
    • Maintain motivation by presenting instructions the student already knows and reinforcing those responses.

  3. Teach in Varied Locations:

    • Teach the student to use the same response in varied locations.
    • Example: Teaching a student to label an action (waving) in different locations (floor, desk, bean bags).
    • Teach the skill in any other location relevant to the skill.
    • Periodically test in new locations.
    • During testing, do not prompt or reinforce.
    • Maintain motivation by presenting instructions the student already knows and reinforcing those responses.

  4. Teach with Varied People:

    • Teach the student to use the same response with varied people.
    • Promote stimulus generalization by having several people teach the skill.
    • Periodically test the student with people who have not taught the skill.
    • During testing, do not prompt or reinforce the student's response.
    • Maintain motivation by asking for a few responses the student already knows, then reinforce those responses.
Helpful Hints
  • Incidental Teaching:
    • Help the student generalize skills by using incidental teaching.
    • Interrupt the student's preferred activities and prompt a related response.
    • When the student responds, allow them to continue the activity.
    • Example: Interrupting the student and prompting them to say "Turn it on."

Part Two: Response Generalization

  • Objective: Teach the student to respond to the same stimulus in a variety of ways.
Example of Response Generalization
  • Teaching a student to respond to a greeting with different responses like "hello", "hi", or "hey".
Steps for Response Generalization
  • Teach the student other relevant responses.
  • When the student can respond correctly to the same stimulus in a variety of ways, response generalization has occurred.