not only learned to name all sevenrom comparing the Before Instruc-l, there was also a significant im-ponses per minute.of r to 4 correct per minute beforerect per minute. After instruction,: and a middle frequency of 48. Thef the class was from o to z per min-cy of r correct per minute. Theirruction. They reached a middle fre-

r Sroup had learned the names ofruction. The performance data sug-rdent upon the entire class havings even for those students who hadroject.Four days after the peer tutors be-of them to collect frequency data

.lthough all of the children were in-

INSIRU CTIOND PIlAISE

'ENI - LAURTE

E/1/T M6R.- DAVID

9ER-ANN STARLIN

iRVIsoR-CLAY 'TARLIMr DAIE - APRIL t 1968

F

tooOAR DAYS

TIX 40: Decreasing Talkouts

Marjorie Meeks Perine was teaching thirdgrade in Palo Alto, California when thisproject was conducted. She is now residingin Bethesda, Maryland.

Descri ptors : P re ci si on T e ach i n g, Cottltnunica-tion Skills, Socia/ Re-sponsibility, Self-

F,x p r e s s i o n, B e h av i o r M a n age nt e n t, Ev al u ati n g

.5tudenl Perlormance, Home-School Liaison.

I ln September of 1970 a new group o{

third graders entered my class in I']alo Alto,California. As always, I wanted to help the

students set up good class standards at the

beginning of the year. But this year was

different for I had a new tool, precision

teaching, which proved to be invaluable.

One of the areas we r,r,orked on was inap-

propriate talkouts. Spcrntaneous comments

were encouraged during storytime, art, and

small group discussions, but talkouts were

inappropriate during instruction and worktime.

The first school day I said nothing to the

class about talkouts and counted 26. The

second morning I showed the class my

wrist counter and discussed the nature and

problem of inappropriate talkouts. I toldthe class that I would not say anything to

anyone for a talkout; I would simply count(or nonrespond). The children thought

this was great!

The number of talkouts decreascd

bcautifully. ln tw() weeks the count was

rhrwrr lo llrrct'(ottr 1',o.rl), anrl llrc <:lass

happily applauded their own progress. Onthe last Friday there were no talkouts, and

a cheer arose (not counted).ln our Friday afternoon discussion we

agreed that there was no longer a need tocount, for our talkouts were under con-

trol. So this project was concluded. As a

matter of fact, I never needed to counttalkouts again for they were never a

problem.ln less than three weeks the students

had developed an awareness and control oftalkouts. Students sometimes came up tolook at the count on the wrist counter, dis-cussed it, and were eager to know each

day's count. For both teacher and student

this was a happy, painless, nonverbal way

of establishing a good habit.Our talkout project even extended be-

yond the classroom. Jim, a very bright and

verbal boy, came to me one recess to ex-

plain his talkouts, which were many. He

was the youngest of five children and had

(TtX 40 Cont'd. on Reverse Side

lln(lllN(; Ixrr'lllir)n,rl (lrrlrlrr.rr 1.It

Teacher ldea Exchange

I The editors of TEACHINC invite you, the classroom teacher, to utilize the Teacher ldea

Exchange to share your ideas about instructional materials and techniques you have designed,

modified, or adapted for use with exceptional children. Send us a brief description of your

idea (about 500 to 600 words). lnclude any drawings or photographs which will help clarifyyour presentation. Remember, if it helped you to improve your teaching, it will help othersdo the same. Cuidelines are available on request.

The Teacher ldea Exchange (TlX) was designed to facilitate your cutting out and filing thematerial presented in a 5" x 8" file box.

Each idea published will be given a TIX number and will be identified by title, author, and

those descriptors which best characterize its contents in terms of the following: general

curriculum area, specific curriculum area, skills or cognitive processes developed, type ofmaterial (e.g., book, film, record), ability level needed to use the material, special charac-

teristics (e.g., braille, color-keyed, programed material, etc.).Thus, you can organize your files using those descriptors which best meet your particular

needs and cross index under the remaining descriptors.

l2O l/0O

t

i

^*eXr*'

I

I

0rIrl

TIX 41: Counting ldeas

Michael C. McDonald is a 12 year old studentat Saddlebrook Elenrentary School, Silver

Spring, Maryland.

Descriptors: Precision Teaching, Language

Arts, V ocabul ary Developme nt.

I One day my mother and I were sittingin our kitchen. She was timing herself tosee how many words she could write per

minute on a certain topic. I was watchingthe clock for her. One of the topics, for ex-

ample, was Alaska, and she wrote thewords: cold, polar bears, Eskimos, springthaw.

My mother said suddenly, "By writingeach word, my frequency is determinedsomewhat by how fast I can write and nothow fast I can think of appropriate words."She mumbled something about a "lockedrate." "Why don't I simply use a checkmark for every idea I have. You'll justhave to trust me, Michael."

Well, after a while ldeciclcd lclicln'ttrust her, because thc frecluency of herr

ideas (using the slash marks) went Irom25 to 36 per minute. Suddenly it hit me-Boom! A {ly that had fallen {rom the

kitchen light? No! I shoutecj, "Why don'tyou use a tape recorder?"

The frequency oi her idcas pcr minutewould increase cven moTC, if she didn't tal<c

timc to makc slash marks but simply said

the words into the tape recorder as fast as

she thought of them. (Ancl bcsicles, now,

us kids could check up on her.)

While pulling her granny glasses dt.rwn

her nose, shc said, "N1y son, thc genius! | !"lf she'll try it, I will.

tooo5ruDENrs- I/-l lRp

GR/]DERS

TEAcHER- Y\ARJ oR tE t"1.

PER INELUt-:f

=r/_ulIo

(r)Lfov-J

f-

ADVISER - LOISNO l,/ L lN

(TlX 40 Cont'd.)

to intcrrupt at the dinncr table in order tobe heard at all. He was growing more and

more unhappy with the dinner situationwhere everyone talked at once, and he

wondered if counting could help in any

way.

lsuggested he discuss it with his moth-cr, and with her approval and support he

started a home project. For three evenings

he counted interruptions. On the fourthcvcning he presented his data. l{is motherexplained to me later that cveryone was

surprised, for they had becn quiteunaware of their interruptions. After thcinitial count Jim unfortunately didn'tcount anymore, but his family workedhard at taking turns in discussions at din-ner. This projcct was conceived of andmanaged by an eight yerar old. This is theexciting way one teaching project can sug-gest another.

Gool

.ool{o 20 t20 t4040 60

succEsstvE80 roo

CALENDAR DAYS

Spring . ltl7l 134

l lX -12: l r.l Yorrr Slrrrlcrrls ( lr.rrYorrr llch.rvior

lrrrly Hirsch wJs .l t(,.r( lrcr ril r lrililrcn *,lrllr,tvioral rlisorrlt'rs itt lltc Ncrv YotIi ( rl

l'rrlrlir Srhool Syslt'nr. Slrl t rrrrr,rrllytr.,rr lrcs in Bcur Shcba, lsrat'1.

I )r'scriprtors: Preci.slon I c'ac:ltitt11, ( ltttlinI I t' l t ;tv i o r i\y'an a ge.rn en t.

47,*'

TIX 43: Charting Group and

lndividual lnstruction

Ann Starlin is a first grade teacher at tl:r,Laboratory School, Bemidji, Minncsol.r

I)escriptors: Precision Teaching, /,,lngri,r

Arts, Phonics, Eva/uating Student Pt:rlornEv al u ati n g Stuc/en t-Teach e r [' e rfo r m a rt r t

ilit

:ll, after a while ldecided lcliclr-r'ther, because the frequency of hcr(using the slash marks) wcnt lrom

r 36 per minute. Suddenly it hit mc-r ! A fly that had fallen f rom thcen light? No! I shouted, "Why don'trse a tape recorder?"e frequencv of her ideas per rnirrult,d increase even more, if she didn't takc

to make slash marks but simply said

vords into the tape recorder as fast as

thought of them. (And besides, nowds could check up on her.)-rile pulling her granny glasses downrose, she said, "My son, the genius! ! !":'ll try it, I will.

rterrupt at the dinner table in order toeard at all. He was growing more and

r unhappy with the dinner situation'c everyone talked at once, and he

Jcred if counting could help in any

;rrggt:stccl hc discuss it with his moth-nrl with hcr approval and support he,rl a hor.nc projcct. For three evenings

ounlcrl inlcrrtrptions. On thc fourthirrli hr. lrrr.st'nlcd his data. His motherrirrr.rl lo rnc Iater that cvcryone was

iscrl, for lhcy ha<l lrccn quitc,r,rrt, of llrr,ir inlorrtrPliorrs. AIlcr tht:rl r orrrrl lirrr rrrrlolltrrr;rlt'ly <lidn'tI ,r)ynr()r(., lrul lris [,rrrrily worl<t'tl

,rl l,rlirrli lrrrrrr irr rlisr rrssiorrs .rt tlirt-Ilrr., lrro jr.r l w,r,, ( orrr crvr,rl ol ,ttttl

rlicrl l11, ,rtt ttlllrl y,',tt 6lrl. Ilris is tlrr'llr)i w.r)/ rrnr' lr',tr lrtnli Itoycr I (,nr ',ull,rtt,,lltcl

"l'rr[r: ' l'' I I I I

40 Cont'd.)

fl

(&eY+,Yt'

TIX 42l. Let Your Students ChartYour Behavior

f I taught a class of children with behav-ioral disorders in the New York City PublicSchools. I taught my students to count and

chart their behaviors, and they caredenough to count and chart my behaviors.

Frankie, age 101/t, was upset whenever I

ludy Hirsch was a teacher of children withbehavioral disorders in the New York Cityl'ublic Sch<>ol System. She currcntlyIcaches in Beer-Sheba, lsrael.

Descriptors: Precision Teaching, Charting,Behavior Management.

ulJateo

o

BI

o eo /ro 80 too t20 roSUCCESSIYE CALEXDAR DAYS

(TlX 42 Cont'd. on Reverse Side)

;\ r

TEI.HER. JL1DY /,1 IRS.H

-srtloE,Vr- FRATVK,E

A,VISER.AMfu DUNcAIV

TIX 43: Charting Group and

lndividual lnstructionf ln our work together, my husband,

CIay, and I believe that whether we are

teachers, student teachers, or teacher aides,

the way to tell if we have been effective inour teaching is by the students'perfor-mance. We, as teachers/ sometimes keep

Ann Starlin is a first grade teacher at theLaboratory School, Bernidji, Minnesota.

ooJo(f,

Jtll

Groop f6sJ1",6fqepbY lvlasl" u"dStu/enf Itqcher

Tndividuol Instructionby Student TeccAen

Descriptors: Precision Teaching, Language

Arts, Phonics, Evaluating Student Perf ormance,/,va/uatirrg Studen t-Teach e r P e r f o r m an ce. or!>F

f,FeoTo+

FzsoIoo

:alrJL

SId P E NT - PATII (,q GE ?)

STLIDENT TEACHER - I<ARENFuKu rlorD

r1I/1 gTER TEACHER - ANNsTARLIN

o 40 60 80 IOO l2O l.loSUCCESSIVE CALEI{DAR OAYS

(TlX 43 Cont'd. on Reverse Side)

20

I L\( I lll.Jr. I r, r'plrorr,rl ( lrrl,lr, rr I t'i

tEl

t5i

fttll'

il{,

(TlX 42 Cont'd.) raised my voice (which he considered

yells). He counted and charted my "yells"every day. Each time he counted he toldmc "you're yelling." As yt-ru can see from

Franl<ie's chart, I stopped.

lf you care enough to change, let yourstudents count and chart some of your be-

haviors. You'll find out a lot about the

things you do whilc. you're teaching, ancl

maybe you'll change too.t.Lr

T'l *i"&led

It,tvirl graphing Arrs. -Srar/in'J perlornt,tnt. I

(TlX 43 Cont'd.) such charts as srrile clrarts, touch c:harts,

and positivc or ncgativc <,omment charts.

This in{ornratior.r is irnportant to us onlyif it hclps us improve our students'per-formance. So it is the student's r:harI thatreally tells the talc, as indicated by lJatti's

cha rt.

This chart shows very rcadily the suc-

cessful indivi<Jual instruction that was given

by Karen Fukumoto, my student tcacher.

When l)atti receivcd group instruction in

saying consonant and short vowel sounds,

her performance was moving in an undc-

sired direction; shc was saying {er,ver sounds

r:orrectll, and nraking more t:rrors. Then

Karen worked with Patti individually, and

a dramatic change occurred- Patti showed

much progress in saying her Ietter souncls

correctly and redr-rcecl her errors to oncper minute.

The Daiiy Bchavior Chart not only in-

dicated that thc individual instruction was

an effective way to improve l'atti's pcr{or-mance, but it also provided a ready made

report of Karen's success and effectiveness

as a student teacher.

Spring . '1971 136

I

Discussion

E

\..,;

I rlircction; shc was saying fewcr sounds

ot:tly ancl making more errors Then

,rr workcd with Patti individually, and

r,rrnaric changc <.rccurred. Patti showed

Ir progrcss irr saying her letter sounds

r.< tly ancl rcduced hcr crrors to one

rr r in tt lc.

rt'l)aily Behavior Chart not only in-

tr.rl lhat thc individual instructi()11 was

'fft'r livc way to improve I'atti's pcrfor-

rr r:, lrttl il also provided a rcady made

rrl of Karcn's succcss and effectiveness

slrrtlt'nt tcachcr.

l,.l',llll'

>loooI iBUre 5 JPUJ

Eroo

PEEIT INSTRUCTAND tcRAtSE

40 60 80 looSUCCESSIVE CALENDAR DAYS

REMOVE INSTRUCTIONAND PRA ISE

sTUDENT - MIKE

STL,IDEIT /VIGR- DAYID

NDVISER -ANN STARLIM

9U PE RV ISOR- C L AY'TARLI N

51-ART DArE-APlQrL + 1968

t20 140

.t

ooUE<ulZt-J3,=eEf(b-oarL uJ

o-o&FtUEorDG.O {

o20

David graphing, Mrs. Statlin's perfotmance lre'

lrrcncies.

terested in the project, David was especially interested in the measurement tools

used. Therefore/ on May 24, Ann, the teacher, gave David (r of the 4 tutors) 20

minutes of instruction and practice in using the wrist counter and stop watch to

count the performance of his teacher and a peer not in his tutoring Sroup' On the

following Monday, David was Siven 10 more minutes of instruction in how to

chart the data on Standard Behavior Charts' He was already familiar with the

charts because his teacher had been using them in class for 6 weeks'

Of the 32 data points which David charted, 29 were charted,perfectly' The

charts of z of his I pupils are shown in Figures 4 and 5' David recorded and

,i^riii ""tV,t"tot.

h.q".ncies which "ppt"id during and after peer instruction

and praise. hh" fi.r, part of the peer tutoring and praise period (center phases on

Figures 4 and 5) has no fr.qr".t.i., recorded because it was during this time that

David was sdll Setting daily instruction and practice in charting'

n hstructing the gifted. There are many children who excel in most academic

f,-rrrrrritr, in a s"pecific school subject, or only in certain discrete behaviors' How-

"u.., ,.g".dl.r, of the breadth of their excellence, they are often instructionally

,"gle.tJ. Those of us who fail to actively help advanced stud-ents improve their

skills are just as remiss in our responsibilities as those of us who neglect to teach

the slower child. The precise daia a,,d charts which represent the accomplish--

ments of the students in this project prove that the amount of investment is worth

the returns.The efficacy and need for increasing the academic performance of advanced stu-

dents is illustrated in Dru's increased frequency of naming geometric figures

(Figure r).Using peer tLltors.The use of peers in the instructional process has been a ne-

gl..t.d"".." in our educational system. Patterson has done work which shows that

i..r, .n,-r condition a simple motor response by rewarding each other's appropri-

lln(lllN(; lxrr'ptirrrr.rl t lrilrltcrr 1'\7

I )iscussion

*a-*Les!**

"Peer tutoring is a time and energy saving device for the teacher and is very rewarding for the

students."

ate acts (:1964) and can control deviant behavior in other children (:1967). Pat­terson has also shown that the classroom environment can be programed so that peers do not increase a deviant youngster's inappropriate behavior but do in­

crease appropriate classroom behavior-e.g., attending to the task (:1968). However, few sources cite the use of peers as teachers of academic skills. Koenig (:1967) mentions the use of peer telecoaching (using a one way radio) as a means of improving a student's arithmetic. In fact, Koenig's data suggest that peer telecoaching may serve to improve performance more than adult telecoach­ing. Brodsky, et al. (:1968) present some preliminary findings which suggest the effectiveness of using higher ability retarded youngsters as teachers for lower ability .retarded children in self-help skills and elementary academic skills ( e.g.,

picture discrimination, sight vocabulary). The data presented in this article show the feasibility of using peers to in­

struct each other. The teacher's time investment in actually teaching geometric figures to Dru was an hour and a half over a :17 day period. Nineteen students learned the figures in :18 days from the date the teaching began with Dru's group of peer tutors. Peer tutoring is a time and energy saving device for the teacher

and is very rewarding for the students.

Children enjoy being tutors. At the end of the school year, the teacher asked the first graders to name things they enjoyed that year. At the top of their list was learning geometric figures. This high position may be partially due to the fact that they engaged in this activity the last month and a half of the school year and thus it was easily recalled. However, the enthusiasm of the class, its total involve­ment in the success of the project, and the earned ice cream party speak for this being one of the most enjoyable learning experiences of their first grade year.

Teaching geometric figures to first graders. One conclusion to be drawn from

the results of this project is that it is feasible to teach geometric figures ( or at

least the seven used) in the first grade, although this is not generally a part of

Spring • 1971 138

rior in other children (1967). Pat-ronment can be programed so thatinappropriate behavior 'but do in-,, attending to the task (r968).'s as teachers of academic skills.

raching (using a one way radio) as

In fact, Koenig's data suggest thatrmance more than adult telecoach-

minary findings which suggest the

. youngsters as teachers for lowerd elementary academic skills (e.g.,

e feasibility of using peers to in-crrr in actually teaching geomctric

r 17 day period. Nineteen students

rc teaching began with Dru's group

crgy saving device for the teacher

the school year, the teacher asked

:rat year. At the top of their list was

n may be partially due to the factth and a half of the school year and

siasrn of the class, its total involve-rned ice cream parry speak for thisiences of their first grade year.

One conclusion to be drawn froml to teach geomctric figures (or at

;gh this is not gencrnlly a pnrt of

"This exemplifies David's enioyment of collect-ing data and that it is possible to have happy.well-adiusted pupils and still maintain a great

deal of precision."

Steps in Peer Tutoring

first grade study. More important, the results of this project suSSest that we ex-

plore the feasibility of introducing first graders to some of the curricular areas

traditionally presented at higher levels and use the students' Standard Be-

havior Charts to determine whether or not they can learn the material inquestion.

Teaching children to chart. Among the most significant results of this project

was the precision with which David recorded and charted the performance fre-

quencies of his four students. Teaching each child to chart not only makes iteasier for the teacher to utilize peer tutoring, but also permits students to exercise

more responsibility and controi over their own Iearning.

David had a birthday 4 days after school closed. One present he hoped to re-

ceive was a stop watch. He also asked the teacher if he could have some chart pa-

per to use during the sumn-ler. This exemplifies David's enjoyment of collecting

data and emphasizes that it is possible to have "h^ppy, well-adjusted" pupils

and still maintain a great deal of precision.

tr For those interested in instituting a group peer tutoring project, the steps

are these:r. Identify (pinpoint) the academic behavior to be taught.

2. Record each child's performance of this behavior for a minimum of 5 days'

3. Announce individual as well as instructional group contingencies (e.8.,

points for individual and group mastery which total up to full class rewards).

4. identify the student with the highest middle performance frequency as the

first peer tutor.

5. Identify the three to six students with the next highest middle performance

frequencies as the second tutors (the number of second tutors depends on the size

of the class and how large you wish each peer tutor's instructional group to be).

6. Provide the first peer tutor with 5 minutes of teacher instruction per day un-

til the student has reached your designated performance aim.

7. Begin instructing the first peer tutor in recording and charting pupil perfor-

mance either at the same time or shortly after you begin the instruction described

in step six. An alternative to this is to teach the whole class to record and chart

their own performance frequencies. This not only facilitates the use of peer tutor-ing but makes it possible for the children to manage their own projects.

8. The first tutor then instructs, records, and charts the group of second peer tu-

tors using similar procedures. If the whole class has not been taught to record

and chart, teacher instruction of the group of second peer tutors in recording and

charting pupil performance frequencies should begin at the same time that the

first pcer tutor begins instrtlction.

I I A( I llN(; I rr r'lrlrorr.rl ( lrilrlrIrr I 19

!

rts [rortt !

l:v t l u J t i t ) t t 51.tcr r.t/rs l

9. The second tutors in turn instruct, record, and chart their groups' performance

frequencies.10. Be sure to s?ot check the accuracy of peer instruction, recording, and

charting.t7-. Make sure that an agreed upon reward is presented immediately after it is

earned.

r.2. After discontinuing peer instruction, have the tutors continue recording and

charting daily for at least 5 days to determine if their students are maintainingtheir performance frequencies.

n It is evident from the charts presented that it is possible to have an exact rec-

ord (day by day, week by week, and month by month) of the functioning of a

student on a particular task. The assistance that these charts provide in determin-ing a teacher's (or a peer's) teaching efficiency and effectiveness in invaluable.Although these data provide highly sensitive and frequent measures of in-classperformance, their simplicity is underscored by the fact that a first grade studentwas accurate and successful in using the tools and procedures of precisionteaching.

Brodsky, G., LePage, T., & Quiring, |. Experimental peer teaching program. Unpub-lished research proposal manuscript, Board of Control Project #ro3, Fairview Hos-pital and Training Center, Salem, Oregon, 1968.

Koenig, C. H. Precision teaching with emotionally disturbed pupils. Unpublished mas-

ters thesis, University of Kansas, t967.Lindsley, O. R. A reliable wrist counter for recording behavior rates. Journal of Ap-

plied Behaaior Analysis, 1968,1, 77-78.Patterson, G. R., & Anderson, D. Peers as reinforcing agents. Child Deoelopment,

1964,35, 95r-96o.Patterson, G. R., & Fagot, B. Selective responsiveness to social reinforcers and deviant

behavior in children. Psychological Record, t967, 17 , $S-118.Patterson, G. R. Personal communication, 1968.

Particular thanks are due to Ann H. Starlin, spouse, colleague, and teacher extraordi-nary who guided this proiect which took place in her first grade classroom. To the youngboys and girls of Room 4 of Willagillespie Elementary School, Eugene, Oregon, go mydeootion and gratitude.

AlJnioersity ol Oregon practicum course taught by Dr. Eric Haughton was respon-

sible for the initiation of this proiect. His guidance ancl inspiration as zoell as his con-tinued assistance are genuinely appreciated.

r's ( ilirir,r/ .\,'rr r,

Eugene and a Consul

school personnel u:

d managementSchool District 41.

Conclusions

References

( hoosing Russel's Proiects

lmproving Russel's Addition Skills

l roing Math practice sheel

Spring o 1971 140

,;:l