Inside Behavior Analysis
Volume 1 | 2009 | Number 2 | On-line ISSN: 2151-4704
Teaching Behavior Analysis SIG
By Christine Barthold
Thanks to all who participate in the Teaching Behavior Analysis (TBA) special interest group. This year, TBA saw some changes. We added Christine Barthold as co-chair of the SIG in addition to Patrick Williams of the University of Houston, Downtown. Chris is an Assistant Professor at the University of Delaware, and is thrilled to be part of the leadership team of TBA. Inna Kanevsky, a faculty member at San Diego Mesa College, has also provided invaluable help to the leadership of TBA.
While SIG members network at the annual ABAI convention, much of the interaction between group members is on line. The SIG has several options for on-line networking opportunities. At the request of our members, we updated the TBA Web site to include more recent information and "members only" content. We are now located at http://teachbehavioranalysis.com. The Web site continues to evolve and new resources are frequently added by members. ABAI members are encouraged to sign up for free membership. At our annual meeting, members suggested that we add a Facebook page. Inna Kanevsky was especially helpful in setting up the Facebook page. It is up and running, and at last count had 79 members. Although not as active, we also have a social networking site at http://teachingba.ning.com.
As always, traffic on the TBA listerv has been heavy. There is a very diverse group of subscribers, from parents and new practitioners to established researchers and leaders in the field of behavior analysis. Subscribers discuss topics such as parents and parent education, prompting, precision teaching, functional analysis, and punishment. For the past two years, members of TBA have organized and presented symposia at ABAI event on topics such as precision teaching, personalized systems of instruction, distance learning, and supervision of behavior analysts. The tradition will continue with presentations in San Antonio.
Our goal for the TBA SIG is to increase its visibility. As other companies and SIGs have done, we decided at the business meeting in Phoenix that we might create some merchandise promoting TBA. Two of our members, Brady Phelps and Mickey Keenan, are creating prototypes of merchandise. Brady created the 3-term contingency pin, and Mickey is perfecting the behavioral stream, a garment that helps to visually depict operant conditioning principles. We also discussed at the meeting in Phoenix the possibility of a contest to see which member could come up with the best design.
The TBA SIG has always been quite informal. While informality has its benefits, it has been a challenge gathering people and getting an accurate account of the number of people served. Therefore, we encourage all existing and potential members of TBA to fill out a membership form at our Web site. The TBA is one SIG that all members of ABAI should consider joining. After all, each of us teaches others to change behavior, whether we're consultants, trainers, teachers, researchers, or professors. Membership is free, and we promise no spam!
Thank you to everyone who makes TBA a success. It is impossible to list by name everyone who has contributed to the activities of the TBA SIG; however, each person's contribution is quite valuable. We're looking forward to a productive and busy year for the TBA SIG.