Last week, we discussed how attention plays a crucial role in virtually everything. When examining a landscape or scene, such as your living room, certain elements stand out more than others. Not all stimuli are created equal. Due to our learning histories, some stimuli in our living room stand out more than others. If you're with someone while reading this, ask them to look out a window with you. Ask what the first thing they notice is. Chances are it's different than what you notice. This highlights the differences in both your and the other person's learning history (and perhaps, their values).
The same is true for our learners.
Engaging with a new program is akin to observing your living room or a view from a window. The surrounding stimuli vie for a learner's attention. Often, learners make errors, not because they can't grasp a concept, but because they aren’t attending to the crucial stimuli.
As BCBAs, it's imperative for us to hone our ability to identify the stimuli that most significantly aid a learner in understanding a concept.
Consider the following examples:
Shoes: Teaching kids to wear shoes on the correct feet can be challenging. While most understand that a foot goes into a shoe's opening, the concept of right and left can be elusive. A helpful strategy is guiding the learner's attention to the “waist” of the shoe. If you put your feet together with shoes on, the waist is where the inner curve of your feet meets. By marking the waist of each shoe and prompting the learner to align these marks, you direct their attention to the relevant stimulus.
Understanding Locations: As learners become proficient in manding, grasping the concept of space becomes essential. They might not always know their toy preferences, but they might wish to explore the playroom. Other times, they might want privacy and thus, mand to go to their bedroom. Moreover, the vital skill of manding for the restroom becomes critical. However, to master these, learners need to grasp the concept of “space” and understand different types of spaces. Recognizing that the kitchen and living room are distinct, even under the same roof, is crucial. To instill this understanding, we might highlight doorways or thresholds, helping learners discern where one space begins and another ends.
Socks: Just as with shoes, socks present their own set of challenges due to their tighter and longer fit. To simplify the process and reduce potential frustrations, you could introduce hacks, such as focusing on colored material on the heel and toe of some socks. Another approach might involve marking the cuff of the sock at the foot's entry point, guiding the learner on where to grip when pulling them on.
Street Safety: Beyond the nuances of indoor spaces, street safety introduces a more complex layer of understanding. The challenge lies in differentiating between streets (where cars operate) and safe walking areas like sidewalks. Before diving into complex teachings like understanding "Don't Walk" signs, it's essential to ascertain whether the learner can distinguish between a street and a sidewalk. A practical approach might involve using pictures of street edges, guiding learners to identify various components like the street, curb, grass, and sidewalk. Once grasped, you can proceed to introduce more intricate street safety behaviors. This approach ensures the learner becomes attuned to stimuli indicating where a potential danger begins and ends.
Again, the trick is to get the learner “zooming in” and “focusing” on the stimuli in the program that will make the greatest difference. This is what teaching is about. Diagnosing what a learner’s attention should be on and isn’t on, and then making those adjustments accordingly. As always, I’d love to get your feedback. Don’t hesitate to like, comment, share, and subscribe! Happy Friday!