Embedding Interventions and Embedding Interventions and Monitoring Progress Monitoring Progress

Kristie Pretti-Frontczak (kprettif@kent.edu)Kent State UniversitySeptember 2007

Embedding as a Process• Children's goals and objectives are addressed

in activities by providing multiple and varied learning opportunities that are– integral to the activity– expand the activity in a relevant or meaningful

way– modify the activity to accommodate the child in

such a way that it continues to capture the meaningfulness of the activity and interest of the child

Embedding as a Verb

• “To make something an integral part of …” • “Embed” is a transitive verb—one requiring a

direct object to complete its meaning.

• Must ask, “What is the direct object?” or “What is being embedded?” – Answer: Learning opportunities across tiers of

instruction

Activities and Instruction

Universal Instruction

IIIInstruction

Targeted

Instruction

Type of activities and instructional

strategies vary in frequency, intensity,

and intent

ACTIVITIES• The context in which important concepts and

skills are addressed, guided by children’s interest during daily routines

• Examples of daily activities include those that are child-directed (e.g., free play or center-time), routine (e.g., snack or arrival time), or planned (e.g., circle time or art table)

• Daily activities are designed to integrate concepts and skills from across developmental and content areas

INSTRUCTION• Refers to practices, actions, and methods used to deliver the content

• Quality instruction for young children is grounded in a responsive developmental perspective– Reflects a view of learning in which children create their own knowledge

through interactions with the social and physical environment

• Quality instruction entails:– being responsive to the child as his/her needs and personal preferences which

may change across daily activities

– understanding the role of adults, peers, and the environment as influences on children’s learning

– creating multiple and varied embedded learning opportunities

– tiering instruction to meet the needs of all young children across common outcomes, targeted needs, and individual goals

Activity Tiers

Things in Common

•Same concept or skill

•Whole class activity

•Begins where students are

•Some activities in the task may be the same

Differences In

•Amount of structure

•Number of facets

•Complexity

•Pace

•Level of Independence

All Tiers Should

•Build understanding

•Challenge students

•Be interesting and engaging

•Be”respectful”

Instructional Tiers

• Common Tier Key Words: all settings, all students, preventive, proactive, core

• Targeted Tier Key Words: some students (at-risk), high efficiency, rapid response, targeted

• Prioritized Tier Key Words: intense, durable, of longer duration, high intensity, individualized

Key Roles of the Itinerant Provider

• Identify what is keeping the child from accessing participating and making progress in daily activities

• Target individual goals that belong to the child not to particular team members

• Create embedded learning opportunities across tiers of needs

• Monitor implementation and progress over time and interpret changes

Can Do ProcessStrengths and Interests

Needs (all needs including common, targeted, individual priorities)

Possible Solutions Final Priority Needs

Sort “Needs” Into Tiers

Common Outcomes

Particular Skills and Concepts

Targeted Needs

Observable Individual Goals

• Observable behaviors are those that can be seen and/or heard

• Those which multiple people can agree have occurred

• The behavior is an action that has a beginning and end

Observable v. High Inference or Cognitive Processes

• Examples to avoid– Motivation– Attention– Memorization– Visual perception– Motor planning– Comprehension

• Replacements– Motivated to do what– Difficulty attending to

what?– Memorizing or

remembering what?– Interpreting which part of

what is seen?– Motor planning to do

what?– Comprehending what or

in what way?

•Avoid behaviors that are used to infer about another attribute•Avoid cognitive processes without carrier content•What does the child/student do to make you say that?

Measurable Individual Goals

• Measurable behaviors ensure that a criterion is used to determine the success of the intervention– Criterion or level of acceptable performance is

noted for each behavior

Behaviors: Observable and measurable targets which can be seen or heard and which have a beginning and an end.

• Behavior is a verb – an action word– Examples

State Classify Define PredictSolve Estimate Measure LocateOrder Name Give CutPuts on Takes off Zip JumpPours Copy Select PlaceWalk Remain Answer LookInitiate Seek Maintain Reach

– Non ExamplesIncreases Understands Comprehends

RealizesDemonstrates Knows Appreciates Tries

– Gray Area ExamplesManipulates (describe how they manipulate) Participates (describe how they participate)Uses (describe how they use)

Dimensions of Behavior

• Frequency - how often a behavior occurs

• Latency - how long it takes a child to initiate a behavior once a cue has occurred.

• Intensity - amount of force with which the behavior occurs.

• Duration - length of time a given behavior lasts (total duration, duration per occurrence, percent of time)– Endurance - length of time a given behavior can be

repeatedly performed.

• Accuracy - extent to which a child's behavior conforms to criteria/expectations set by the team.

Recommendations

• Target the underlying patterns

• Prioritize (use filters)

• Keep focus on functional attributes– Critical to successful participation– High degree of impact

Embedding Schedules• Sometimes called embedding matrixes or activity

schedules• Designed to identify or create embedded learning

opportunities• Matrixes can vary

– Individual v. groups– Common outcomes, targeted needs, v. III needs– Single skill across activities– Single activity multiple skills

• Examples http://textbooks.brookespublishing.com/pretti-frontczak/

Consider the Intersect Boxes

Child action?

Teacher behavior?

Peer action?

Skill(s), activities/routines, children

Sk

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Progress Monitoring

Progress Toward Common Outcomes

Progress Toward Specific

Skills and Concepts

Progress Toward

Targeted Needs

Used to Revise

Activities and Instruction

Directly Linked to

S&S and A&I

Progress monitoring practices vary in

frequency, intensity, and intent

.

Skill Set for Interpreting• Gather

– Implementation and child data• Summarize

– Narratives, visuals, nummerically• Reconcile

– Multiple sources = multiple perspectives• Examine

– Trends and patterns• Compare

– Child development, age expectations, child attributes