Section 3: Instruction

Part 7: Active Engagement

Theresa Golem

October 24, 2012

Engagement is defined as “the amount of time that students spend actively

participating in learning activities” (Heflin & Alaimo, 2007, p.332). When a person is

actively engaged, he/she is able to “attend to, recognize, analyze, and store important

details or information and then use these details to create meaning (Carnahan, Hume,

Clarke, & Borders, 2009, p. 7). If a student is not actively engaged in an academic task,

he/she is not available for learning (Heflin & Alaimo, 2007).

Why is Active Engagement Important for Instruction?

When planning instruction, it is important to incorporate strategies to foster active

engagement among students for several reasons. Active engagement may help lower the

frequency of undesired behaviors (e.g. self-stimulatory, stereotypic). A study by Koegel,

Anjileen, and Koegel (2010) found that focusing on student motivation helped decrease

disruptive behaviors, which may be beneficial because disruptive behaviors can act as an

impediment to learning. Active engagement in early learning is also important because it

may create positive early learning experiences, which may continue to have positive

impact on future academic performance and school experiences (Koegel, Anjileen, &

Koegel, 2010). Also, the level of student engagement can serve as a predictor of

academic outcomes and progress (Heflin & Alaimo, 2007).

Traditional teaching techniques such as lectures and lengthy verbal directions may

inhibit or decrease student engagement in students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

(ASD) (Canahan et al., 2009). It may also be difficult to increase the motivation and

engagement of students with ASD using traditional approaches such as grades or teacher

praise as these students may not be motivated by such social reinforcers (Heflin &

Alaimo, 2007). In order to address these challenges, there are a variety of strategies and

interventions that may be implemented in the classroom in order to foster active

engagement for students with ASD. This section will discuss the use of peer tutoring,

incorporating student interests, and using student choice as ways to increase active

engagement.

Peer Tutoring/Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS)

One approach to increasing active engagement is to use peer tutoring in the

classroom. Peer tutoring has been shown to be effective in increasing active engagement

for both the tutor and the tutee (Heflin & Alaimo, 2007). Peer tutoring may result in both

academic and social benefits for both participants as well as facilitating generalization of

skills across partners (Heflin & Alaimo, 2007). One style of peer tutoring is called, Peer

Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS). In PALS, higher functioning students are paired

with lower functioning students to work on both reading and math skills (Vanderbilt

Kennedy Center, n.d.). The pairs are changed often, which helps to facilitate

generalization of skills (Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, n.d.). The PALS program has been

found to increase student engagement (Heflin & Alaimo, 2007). It may be most

appropriate for higher functioning students with ASD (Heflin & Alaimo, 2007).1

Incorporating Student Interests

There is evidence to support the idea that using antecedent interventions such as

incorporating student interests into academic activities can increase active engagement

and decrease disruptive behaviors (Koegel et al., 2010). In this strategy, a student’s

1 This is a program that has specific manuals and materials. More information on

this program can be found at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human

Development website: http://kc.vanderbilt.edu/pals/.

special interests can be incorporated into instruction in a variety of ways in order to

increase active engagement. Individualization is important when using this strategy to

plan instruction.

The following paragraph will provide examples of incorporating student interest

into instruction. These are only initial ideas that can be modified and individualized for

each student. Student interests can be incorporated into instruction by using vocabulary

that are related to a topic of special interest (e.g. cars, Spongebob SquarePants,

princesses, fish, etc.) when teaching decoding skills (Heflin & Alaimo, 2007). Another

way to use a student’s interests in instruction is to incorporate the names of favorite

teachers, television characters, or family members into word problems when teaching

math. When working on writing assignments, a student may be given a writing prompt

related to a topic of special interest. For students who may be reluctant to engage in

writing assignments, online resources (see attached resources at the end of this part)

allow teachers to create custom writing paper with various popular cartoon characters,

holidays, animals, etc. which may be more motivating for students to use when

completing writing assignments.

These strategies are only a small sample of how a student’s special interests can

be incorporated into instruction in order to increase active engagement. At times it may

not be possible to include a student’s special interests into instruction, however the

special interests may still be used to foster active engagement by allowing the student

access to the area of interest contingent upon completion of a task (e.g. allow access to

look at class aquarium if complete four math problems for student who has an interest in

fish) (Heflin & Alaimo, 2007).

Student Choice

Allowing student choice during instruction is another strategy that can be used to

increase active engagement. Providing the student the opportunity to make choices

allows the student to have a sense of control and to take an active role in the learning

process (Heflin & Alaimo, 2007). Allowing student choice has been shown to decrease

problem behaviors, increase active engagement, increase task initiation, and increase task

completion (Mechling, Gast, & Cronin, 2006). When implementing student choice as a

strategy in instruction, it is important to individualize the choices being presented to each

student because research has shown that the level of preference for the choices that are

offered impacts the efficacy of student choice as an antecedent strategy for increasing

engagement (Moes, 1998).

The use of student choice can be implemented in a variety of ways and can be

used in conjunction with the strategy of incorporating student interests. Students may be

allowed to make choices in the types of materials that are used for an activity (Mechling

et al., 2006). For example, the student may be allowed to choose between using blocks

and counting bears as manipulatives during a math activity. Student choice may not be

appropriate in this area if specific materials are required to complete a task. Also, if a

student is avoiding certain materials because of sensory aversions, the teacher may wish

to consider if allowing student choice would be counterproductive to any existing sensory

goals a student may have.

Students may also make choices between activities to be completed (Mechling et

al., 2006). For example, a student may choose between two different writing prompts to

complete a writing assignment. Student choice in this area may not be appropriate if a

student always avoids a specific task, such as math drill, because it is not a preferred

activity. Caution should be taken in how often students are allowed to make choices of

what activities to complete because allowing student choice of activities for every activity

throughout the day may limit exposure to all academic content areas. Students may also

be offered choices in the order in which tasks are to be completed (Moes, 1998). For

example, if there are three worksheets to be done during a math period, the student may

be offered the choice of which worksheet to do first, second, and third. Student choice in

this area may not be appropriate if tasks need to be completed in a certain order. For

example if completing a science lab experiment, students may not be able to make

choices in the order that they complete the steps of the lab.

Students may also be provided opportunities to make choices between partners to

work with to complete an activity (Mechling et al., 2006). This may include choices of

who to sit near or in selecting a partner for peer tutoring. Student choice in this area may

not be appropriate if students always pick the same partner. It is important to encourage

students with ASD to engage with different people throughout the day in order to

facilitate development of social skills and generalization of academic skills across people.

The opportunity for student choice to participate or not in a given activity can be

incorporated into instruction (Mechling et al., 2006). For example, a student may be

offered the choice to read aloud during round robin reading or to just follow along in a

book. Student choice in this area may not be appropriate if a student consistently chooses

to not engage in any academic activities. The goal is to increase active engagement and

allowing a student to consistently choose the option of non-participation would be

counterproductive to this goal. Finally, students can be provided a choice of reinforcers

for desired behavior. A student’s special interests may be incorporated into the choice of

reinforcers. Student choice in this area may not be appropriate if the choices of

reinforcers are not easily or readily provided within the school setting.

Student choice, incorporating special interests, and use of peer tutoring are three

strategies that can be used to increase active engagement in students with ASD. As with

many other aspects of planning instruction for students with ASD, it is important to

individualize the strategies, materials, and instructional approaches used to increase

active engagement. The following pages will provide references and examples of how to

implement the strategies discussed in this part to foster active engagement.

References

Carnahan, C. R., Hume, K., Clarke, L., & Borders, C. (2009). Using structured word

systems to promote independence and engagement for students with autism

spectrum disorders. Teaching Exceptional Children, 41(4), 6-14.

Heflin, L.J., & Alaimo, D.F. (2007). Students with autism spectrum disorders: Effective

Instructional Practices. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Koegel, L.K., Anjileen, K.S., & Koegel, R.L. (2010). Improving motivation for

academics in children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental

Disorders, 40, 1057-1066.

Mechling, L.C., Gast, D.L, & Cronin, B.A. (2006). The effects of presenting high-

preference items, paired with choice, via computer-based video programming on

task completion of student with autism. Focus on Autism and Other

Developmental Disabilities, 21(1), 7-13.

Moes, D.R., (1998). Integrating choice-making opportunities within teacher assigned

academic tasks to facilitate the performance of children with autism. Journal of

the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, 23(4), 319-328.

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development. PALS frequently

asked questions. Retrieved from http://kc.vanderbilt.edu/pals/faqs/.

Ideas/Resources for Incorporating Special Interests into Instruction

Custom Writing Paper:

Writing paper may be customized to feature a favorite character, holiday, animal, etc. in

order to increase active engagement in writing tasks. Custom writing paper can be

created for free using this website: http://www.dltk-cards.com/writingpaper/. Below is an

example of writing paper created for a student who likes SpongeBob SquarePants.

Math Word Problems:

You can create math word problems including the name of a favorite person, TV

character, or topic (e.g. cars, favorite animal, etc.). The following is an example of a

math word problem featuring Halloween themes/vocabulary:

Chad’s favorite things during Halloween are Jack-o-Lanterns. On

Halloween night Chad went for a walk down his street. He found 6

houses with Jack-O-Lanterns on his side of the street and 4 houses with

Jack-O-Lanterns on the other side of the street.

Hint: If it helps, draw the Jack-O-Lanterns in the space below.

Write the math equation:___________________________

How many houses had Jack-O-Lanterns?

This word problem example was taken from:

http://www.kidzone.ws/math/wordproblems.htm. This is a helpful website that provides

elementary grade level themed math problems.

Ideas/Resources for Incorporating Student Choice into Instruction

Task Menu: A task menu may be helpful for allowing students choices in the order in

which they will complete tasks/activities. You can write the activities on the lines

provided next to each box and allow the student to number the tasks in the order in which

they would like to complete them. For students who do not read, you may use pictures,

symbols, or examples of the activities in place of writing down the tasks. Below is a

smaller example of a completed task menu. A sample blank task menu is also provided.

This sample can be printed and individualized for each day or you can print one and

laminate it. Students may enjoy using dry erase markers to write on the laminate menu.

Today’s Work

Math Drill

Math Seat Work

Math Fact Quiz

1

3

2

Today’s Work

Reinforcement Menu:

Using effective reinforcement is important for encouraging desired behavior. Allowing a

student to choose among preferred reinforcers allows the student to have control over

what he/she receives in response to appropriate behavior and helps to increase the

likelihood that the reinforcer will be effective. When a reinforcer is going to be offered,

the student can be shown a reinforcement menu that lists the preferred reinforcers for that

student. They can be listed as words, photographs, symbols, or the actual objects

themselves for students with lower cognitive skills. An example of what a reinforcement

menu might look like for a student is provided. A blank reinforcement menu is also

provided that can be individualized for each student. It is important to remember to

individualize the reinforcement menu for each student based on his/her preferences.

Great Job!

Sticker Swing

Cheese Curls Spongebob

Video

Great Job!