Mr. Zamarrón decided to focus his lesson on response generalization. Brandy needed to learn to ask for and use different academic supports when needed. Mr. Zamarrón operationally defined two objectives to determine when response generalization had been achieved:

1. When Brandy does not know the definition of a word she reads, she will look it up in her personal dictionary instead of asking a teacher for a definition on 9/10 opportunities.
2. When assigned a short essay to write in class or for homework, Brandy will use a graphic organizer to plan her essay prior to writing on 9/10 opportunities.

With his operationally-defined objectives in mind, Mr. Zamarrón needed to select an instructional method and setting. He decided that because the skill did not involve peer interaction, role play would be inappropriate. Instead, he would teach the skill in a 1-1 setting. He also decided that he would use direct instruction to maximize the number of instructional trials and facilitate rapid acquisition of the skill. 

• Instructional Setting: 1-1
• Instructional Method: Direct instruction

Mr. Zamarrón then needed to determine a generalization tactic and support strategy that would support the operationally-defined skills. Although Brandy’s paraprofessional provided intermittent support in her general education classes, Mr. Zamarrón also wanted Brandy to look to the general education teachers for direction. So, Mr. Zamarrón decided he would train the general education teachers to prompt Brandy to use her academic supports and reinforce Brandy when she used them. Accordingly, Mr. Zamarrón would use reinforcement as his support strategy.

• Generalization Tactic: Train others to prompt and reinforce
• Support Strategy: Reinforcement

Mr. Zamarrón’s Lesson on “Identifying Needed Supports and Knowing Strategies for Obtaining These Supports”

Preparing and Carrying Out the Direct Instruction Lesson

Mr. Zamarrón decided it would be helpful to organize Brandy’s academic supports prior to the direct instruction lesson. This would help Brandy easily access the supports when she needed them. Mr. Zamarrón organized the graphic organizers in a three-ring binder. Then, he put Brandy’s pocket dictionary and calculator in a zippered pencil bag which attached to the pencil rings. 

Mr. Zamarrón began the 1-1 lesson by reminding Brandy of the purpose of each support. He showed her where the supports were located in the binder. They reviewed how each support should be used, and when it should be used. They also briefly practiced filling out a graphic organizer because graphic organizers were more complicated than the other two supports. 

Next, Mr. Zamarrón told Brandy they were going to do an activity where they would pretend to be in general education classes. Mr. Zamarrón told Brandy he would give her a fake assignment, and then Brandy would tell him which academic support he would use and why. He told Brandy that he might give Brandy a fake assignment that didn’t require a support, and that it would be important for Brandy to distinguish between situations that require a support and situations that do not. 

Mr. Zamarrón then went through a few hypothetical assignments. He explained what type of support would be appropriate (if any) and how he knew that support was appropriate. Next, Mr. Zamarrón and Brandy discussed several hypothetical assignments together. Mr. Zamarrón prompted Brandy to think of the appropriate support for each assignment. After they discussed several assignments together, Mr. Zamarrón asked Brandy to describe the appropriate support independently. Although Mr. Zamarrón did not prompt Brandy, he provided immediate corrective and reinforcing feedback.

Recruiting Staff Support

After the lesson, Mr. Zamarrón met with Brandy’s academic teachers to train them to prompt and reinforce Brandy. He explained what Brandy had learned, and showed them the binder with Brandy’s academic supports. He also told them about what Brandy was learning to do (i.e., the operationally-defined objectives). Mr. Zamarrón advised the teachers that if they noticed Brandy was not using a support that she might need, they could prompt her by coming over to her desk and verbally reminding her of her binder. 

Additionally, Mr. Zamarrón explained Brandy’s token reinforcement system, a simple checklist for each class period. He told the teachers that they should mark a check in Brandy’s token system and place their initials next to the check when Brandy used an academic support independently and appropriately.