P ION TEACHING VOLUMEEIH Editor Leap Ups: acceleration of learning through increasing material difficulty 29 Patrick McGeegr Marie Eaton Vauhn Wittman Consulting Editors Has PrecisionTeaching madean impact in the field Peggy Albrecht of education? 34 Beatrice H. Barnett Sheila Fox Ray Beek Walter R. Beran3 The effect of restricted television viewing on the Eugene "'%kip9'Berquam violent remarks of a five year old boy Carl Binder Tracey Mucci Marie Blackburn William Evans Bob Bower Abigail Calkin Learning in an early intervention preschool Marie Eaton Caryn Robbins Susan Evans William Evans Losing grip on my neurosis--or how Precision Sheila Fox Teaching changed my life Edward Framer Janean E. Holden Henri Goettel Stephen Graf Eric Maughbn Hemianopsia Rehabilitation Marilyn Nefferm Trudy Miller Jim Johnson Charles Merbitz Nancy Johnson Carl Koenig Mother and daughter learning together Steven Krmb Bob Bower Harold Kunzelrnann Catherine Hildebrandt Sarah Kyrklund Ogden W. Lindsley Celtic pride: a functional definition Thomas C. Lseitt Charles Merbtz Jim Pollard Dagmar Neal Kevin O'Keefe Together we can do it- we proved it Charles P. Blander Mary Ellen Strobl HS. Pennypacker Mr. and Mrs. Theron Deshazer Susan Reiter Jim Rudsit Susan Ryberg The effect of number of math drills per day on math Ann Starlin performance Gene Stromberg Sharon Raggio Owen White Stephen C. Bitgood William D. Wollung Deborah Wood About PT EDmORIAL POLICY The Journal of Precision Teaching is a mult i-disciplinary j ournal dedicated to a science of human behavior which includes direct, continuous and standard measurement. This measurement is composed of standard units of behavior-frequencies--which are colected and rwmded on a standard scale-the Standard Behavior (Celeration) Chert, Collections ~f frequencies are summarized on this Chart using a standard measure of behavior change--eeleration. Frequencies and c eler ations displayed on the Standard Behavior (Celeraticm) Chart f osm the basis for Chart-based decision-making and for evaluating the effects of independent variables. The purpose of the Journal of Precision Teaching is to accelerate the sharing of scientific and practical information among its readers. To this end, both formal manuscripts and informal, Chartsharing artides are considered for publication. Materials submitted for publication should meet the following criteria: (1) be written in plain English, (2) contain a narrative that is brief, to the point and easy to read, (3) use the Journal of Precision Tegc?hw Standard G1058&~47and Charting Conventions, (4) contain data displayed on the Standard Behavior Chart that justify conclusions made, (5) be submitted in qu&ruplicate to the editor, and (6) include one set- of original charts or hand-drawn copies. Each formal manuscript w2E be reviewed by one consulting editor and two reviewers, two of whom must approve it prior to publication. The Journal of l?recision Teaching is published quarterly in Ap~3, July, October and January by Plain English Publications, P-0. Bux 7224, Kansas City, Missouri 64113. Each volume begins with the April issue, Volume I began in April, 1980. The annual subslcription rate is $16.00 to libraries, $12,00 to individuals and agencies, and $8.00 to full-time students, payable in U.S. currency. The single copy price is $4.00. Advertising rates are available upon request. Submissions, subscriptions and other correspondence should be addressed to Plain English Publications at the address above or to Patrick McGreevy, Editor, Journal of Precision Teaching, 3952 NOW, 82nd Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64151. Any article is the personal expression of the author, Likewise, my advertisement is the responsibility of the advertiser, Neither necessarily carries Journal endorsement, Library of Congress ISSN number: 0271-8200 As part of its goal to disseminate research, the University Affiliated Facility for Developmental Disabilities (UAF) at the University sf Missouri in Kansas City, under the direction of Carl Calkins, assisted with the production of this Journal, LEAPS UP: and division tables, or identification of simple ACCELERATION OF LEARNING THROUGH fractions, yet some of them had been working INCREASING MATERIAL DIFFICULTY for weeks to meet their aims of 60 per minute correct. Most days their correct frequencies Marie Eaton and Vauhn Wittman hovered between 40 and 50 per minute. The Western Washington University students were bored, the teacher was bored, and learning was definitely not happening. Precision teachers are sometimes faced with students who seem to work on the same skill When Vauhn began to set aims for her students forever without much success. Intervent ions are and use the decision rules, students improved made, instruction is altered, contingencies their correct celerations. Rhonda, for example, planned, yet still the student docs not reach aim. met her aim in two days in multiplication, after Even worse, the data on the Chart show clearly working for thirteen days at a X1.l celeration that little or no learning is happening. Learning (see Chart 1). The error performance for all never seems to accelerate beyond X1.2. these students, however, was always at zero and the correct celerations, even with good decision At the 1981 Precision Teaching Winter rules and aims, were not as good as Vauhn felt Conference in Orlando, Florida, Ogden Lindsley, they could do. Owen White and others suggested at different times in different ways that a good intervention Vauhn decided to use a leap up intervention for for these "reluctantn learners is to move them these three students to accelerate learning. She ahead to more difficult material. White moved the students from division, multiplication suggested moving students ahead to the next step and identification of simple fractions to working in the curriculum. Lindsley suggested "leapingn with fractions. None of the students had been students up two or three levels in the scope and previously exposed to using fractiors in problems sequence to a point where the student was as was evident from their initial data points making many errors and had few correct after the leap up. responses. McGreevy (1980) earlier demonstrated a high error frequency with one handicapped Results student, which was followed by a X2.6 celeration for corrects and a /2.6 celeration for errors. All three students responded well to the leap Bower and Orgel (1981) generated high initial ups. Rhonda7s best celerations had been X1.7 error frequencis in college students that were for ccrrects and 11.0 for errcfs, taking anywhere often followed by "jawst1 learning pictures, from nine days to four weeks to reach aim (see accurate performances and high terminal correct Chart 1). When leap ups were begun, Rhondals frequencies. celerations changed to a range of X2.3 to X8.0 for correct and /1.6 to /4.5 for errors. She I had the perfect chance to try "leap ups" in the reached her aim within ten days. weeks after the Orlando conference. One of my student teachers, Vauhn Wittman, was working in Allen's data were similar to Rhondals (see Chart a junicr high school learning disabilities class. 2). He had worked for five weeks on the The cooperating teacher had been charting data "times 8s" and had never reached his aim. When from daily timings in math. He had not, Vauhn set aims and started using data decision however, set aims for his students and was not rules, Allen reached his aims on both the "times aware of any decision rules. He was using 9s" ana mixed multiplication facts within three charting as 'a recording device rather than a weeks. When two digit by two digit decisionmaking tool. When Vauhn took over the multiplication was inlroduced, Allen was initially math programs, she began to set aims and employ accurate, but his performance was slow. His the University of Washington decision rules with performance accelerated for two weeks to about some success. Yet she was frustrated by the 20 correct digits per minute and then flat and inconsistent learning of some of her decelerated (see Chart 2). students, particularly in math. We discussed the possibility of usirg leap ups as an intervention, The leap up in curriculum was immediately and she decided to give it a try. successful. Allen met his error aim after one day of instruction and his correct aim in nine Method days. The celeration for corrects was X6.0 and for erors was /4.5. Vauhn was particularly concerned about the work of three of her students. Rhonda and Rachael Rachaells data show a slightly different picture were both 11 years old and were called learning (see Chart 3). Rachael wes reaching aims faster disabled. Allen was 15 and had been called than either Allen or Rhond~. Howcvel, !~er behaviorally disordered. All three students were initial performance in most of these ..'<ilk wn.; accurate in the performance of the multiplication quite close to her ainl and shc nmw nindc Jaunal of Precision Teaching, Vol. 111, No. 2, Summer, 1982 29 DAILY BEHAVIOR CHART (DCM-SEN) 6 CYCLE -140 DAYS (20 WKS I BEUAVIOR RESEARCU CO CALENDAR WEEKS BOX 3351-KANSAS CITY. KANS 66103 I - I I I 4 I I 1 I I I 12 1 I I 16 I numbers curricuZar chanaes -- Y fractions I- x8.C / - 5 \$ x J MIN /1.6 - -I - 2 /2,5 -5 -10 seti \teach motivate instrue tionat/ process fluent motivationaZ changes responding I Chart 1. Leap Ups Accelerate Learning for Rhonda M. Eaton V. Wittman SUCCESSlVE CALENDAR DAYS Rhonda 11 see/write digits -.- -- --- -- -- -- .. - .- - -- SUPERVISOR ADVISER MANAGER BEHAVER AGE LABEL COUNTED Western- .- Washington- University-- Bellingham, Washington .- DEPOSITOR AGENCY TIMER COUNTER CHARTER COUNT PER MINUTE - Pe rt h) * r ID P, 'd c: 'd E 0 ID I-' I-' ID Y D, R ID m 8 PE 00 aHl it: I-' B Eaton, Marie and Wittman, Vauhn.