Invisible Support

Purposeful arranging of naturally occurring events within the activity

Quality Early Childhood Program

Curriculum modifications & adaptations

Embedded Learning Opportunities

Think, Pair, Share

• What are you currently doing in your classroom to embed specially designed instruction across the activities and routines in your classrooms?

• What is working well? What are challenges?

• Talk to your neighbor and share ideas and solutions.

What objectives require specialized instruction?

• High priority for family• Provides entrée to more sophisticated or

age-appropriate skills• Increases independence• The child is unlikely to acquire the skills

without your instruction

Embedded Learning Opportunities

• Teachers create short teaching episodes within ongoing classroom activities and routines.

• Teaching episodes focus on a child’s individual learning objective.

• Teachers embed a teaching loop into ongoing classroom activities and routines

A Discrete Trial

Instruction or Discrimitive Stimulus (SD)

Child’s Response

Consequence

Prompt if

necessary

Inter-trial Interval

Antecedent

Behavior

Consequence

Teaching Loop

• Alerting• Instruction• Child Response• Feedback

•Minimal changes to classroom activities•Motivation to participate and learn should be enhanced•Skills are used in natural contexts•Skills are used with a variety of people and materials

Advantages of ELO

An Activity Matrix1. Is an effective way to organize teaching and learning opportunities.

2. Maximizes learning time by planning for teaching to occur throughout all activities, routines, and transitions.

3. Helps all staff be aware of individual child learning objectives.

4. Matches the child’s learning objective to the activity.

5. Can be implemented for any child, but is especially useful for those who need extra support.

Activity Matrix -- IndividualComm. Social Self care Safety

Table work imitation

circle 1-step dir. participation

Free play Spatial conceptsPuzzlePoint to pic

Par. PlayPlay game

Turn to name

Snack Drink from cup

Activity Matrix -- ClassB. Sophie Miles Adam

table ImitationName writing

Circle 1 step dirPartic.

play VocabularyPuzzlePoint to pic.Spatial con.Par. PlayPlay gameTurn to name

snack

Tips for implementing: Start small

  MiaArrival  

Free Play Talks about people or objects in view

Circle  

Outside Responds when another child initiates an interaction

Meal  

Class Activity Sorts a collection by color

Departure Responds when another child initiates an interaction

Transitions Talks about people or objects in view

Addie 

Invites another child to play

Identifies the problem in a conflict with another child

Labels an emotion

Invites another child to play

Identifies the problem in a conflict with another child

Labels an emotion

 

 

Labels an emotion

Carlos 

Writes using pictures, squiggles or letterlike forms

 

Writes using pictures, squiggles or letterlike forms

 

Writes using pictures, squiggles or letterlike forms

 

 

Quality Early Childhood Program

Curriculum modifications & adaptations

Embedded Learning Opportunities

Child-focused Instructional Strategies

Child Focused Instructional Strategies

• Unique learning objective• Requires more systematic or more

intensive instruction• This is often what is referred to as

Specially Designed Instruction• Requires more careful data collection and

planning

Building Blocks

• Provides a framework for planning and teaching

• Builds on a quality early childhood setting• Provides for individualized levels of

support

Resources

• http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/teaching

• http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/• http://depts.washington.edu/hscenter/