Newsletter
Volume 29 | 2006 | Number 2
Direct Instruction
By Dr. Cathy Watkins
The Direct Instruction Special Interest Group (DI SIG) of the Association for Behavior Analysis is a group of behavior analysts who are interested in the design and delivery of direct instruction programs. Our goal is to promote and disseminate direct instruction within the field of behavior analysis. Understanding the principles of instructional design articulated by Engelmann and Carnine may improve our knowledge of stimulus control, educational programming, and teaching.
About a dozen members attended the DI SIG meeting at the 2005 ABA convention in Chicago. Discussion at the meeting focused on:
- increasing the number and visibility of DI presentations at the ABA convention
- providing a context for DI researchers and users to network at the ABA convention
- generating research questions/agendas
- use of DI with individuals with Autism/PDD
- identification of sites with enduring implementations (what it takes to sustain a successful implementation over time)
There was also discussion and interest concerning Response to Intervention (RtI) models based on DI and applied behavior analysis. The recent reauthorization of Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) calls for a move away from expensive programs with questionable benefits for students with disabilities and a move toward accountability and documented program effectiveness. IDEA 2004 specifies that Local Education Agencies are no longer required to use a discrepancy model, but may use what has come to be called Responsiveness to Intervention (RtI). RtI calls for the use of scientifically-based academic and behavioral interventions. Policy groups empanelled to identify effective interventions have recognized applied behavior analysis and direct instruction as effective approaches, along with the use of direct and continuous performance measures and the use of graphic data display to facilitate data-based decision-making. Clearly, this is a time of great opportunity for DI and behavior analysis. We invite anyone with interest in direct instruction to join the DI SIG.