TEACHING STRATEGIES

The Life Skills for Vocational Success curriculum is designed with the following premise in mind: the best way to learn a skill is to do the skill. The significant factor in skills acquisition is actual skill training versus knowledge training (Bakken, Miltenberger, and Schauss, 1993). In other words, if you want to teach someone how to open a checking account, you need to have him rehearse the skills in addition to telling him how to accomplish the task. Furthermore, the more closely the teaching setting matches the real situation, the more likely the person will be able to accomplish the skill in real life (Huang and Cuvo, 1997). If we want people to arrive at work on time, interact well with co-workers, and seek appropriate assistance on the job, we need to demand that they demonstrate these skills at the program site. Moreover, if we want people to open checking accounts, find appropriate transportation, and find child care, they need to do these things in the community under the supervision of a trainer. It is appropriate to begin this training in a classroom; but, it is suggested that students do not "graduate" until they demonstrate the skill in the real-world situation.

Lesson Format
There are nine units in the curriculum and each unit has multiple lessons. Some lessons, like "Anger Management," have more than one topic to cover. Each lesson or topic has a similar format which is outlined below.

Unit
Lesson
Topic

OBJECTIVES
The objectives for each lesson indicate what skills the trainer should assess to determine whether the student met the goals of the lesson.

MATERIALS NEEDED
Links to handouts or appendices.

Other information are materials the trainer will need to obtain for use during a lesson.

SUPPLEMENTAL RESOURCES
Supplemental Resources is a list of products that can be ordered to add to the lesson or provide additional lesson plans.

INSTRUCTIONAL FORMAT
The instructional format provides information the trainer will need to pass along to the students, steps in the training process, and examples for topics of discussion. This section contains the minimum amount of information that is needed to teach. Trainers are expected to elaborate on all of the information to provide a more interesting and stimulating lesson than if they were to just read the information from the lesson plan. The opening paragraph provides some rationale for the topic and some basic information. Some of this information can be used to introduce the topic to the students. The information contained in the numbered lists serves three different purposes. First, it gives a suggested sequence for the training. Second, it provides instruction to the trainer about what to do and how to do the training. Finally, it provides additional information that the trainer should use while teaching. In other words, the information is being told to the trainer and the trainer should then, in turn, provide that information to the students. Again, trainers are encouraged to add to or deviate from the training format as it fits the needs of the student and expertise of the trainer.

SIGNS OF GENERALIZATION
This section provides information on how the trainer can assist the student in making sure the information taught in the lesson generalizes to real life. Additionally, the section contains information on what a trainer can look for in the student's behavior to indicate whether the training was successful.

General Teaching Strategies
Because this curricula is designed to teach skills, trainers should use basic principles of behavior training to teach skills. First, the trainer provides instruction. During instruction, the trainer provides information, tells how to do something, and provides examples.

Next, the trainer should model the skill. This may be done in a role-play. A role-play is a dramatization in which a person or persons practice the behaviors under conditions that are as close to real world situations as possible. This may require two people to sit and talk while one person practices listening skills; it may involve a person practicing calling a bus station to get information about a bus schedule; or, a role-play can involve a person practicing deep breathing techniques while another person pretends to be mad at them. Lessons that use role-play as a training technique will provide guidance for the specific role-play to be accomplished.

Third, the student has the opportunity to rehearse the skill as the trainer modeled it. The rehearsal is probably the most difficult step in the teaching process. However, this is a method that helps develop a person's confidence in dealing with a variety of social situations. Many people are uncomfortable speaking out in front of others. It is important that trainers are enthusiastic and try to make the role-plays fun.

Finally, the trainer provides feedback. The feedback should be positive and reflect both the good parts about the rehearsal and the things on which the person needs to improve. If the student needs improvement, the trainer may need to provide more instruction, model the skill again, and/or have the person rehearse the skill again. Depending on the student, the trainer may need to break the skill into smaller steps or have the student rehearse the skill several times. There is no set amount of instruction and rehearsal that is needed for everybody. The only criteria is that the person can complete the skill and apply it following the training. If it takes some students two attempts at it, that is fine. It is also fine if it takes a student 20 times to master a skill.

In addition to teaching skills, trainers will be presenting information. Most lessons involve the discussion of a topic. When a part of the instructional format indicates that the trainer should discuss, he should give the students every opportunity to express their knowledge of the subject. This keeps the students more involved and aids in the learning process. After it is apparent that the students cannot provide any more information, then the trainer can provide the rest of the information. When students provide incorrect information, thank them for their effort to understand and go on to explain the correct information.

Finally, motivation is an important part of the learning process. If a student is not motivated to learn or use the skill, the best teaching available is useless. A couple of ideas have already been presented such as involving the students as much as possible in the training, making the exercises fun, and providing feedback in a positive way. Additionally, trainers will need to break the information down into steps which the student can accomplish. Following the success in one step, the trainer should reinforce with praise and add the next step. This concept is called shaping. Shaping involves reinforcement of part of the final skill even though the whole skill has not been completed. The taste of success, no matter how small, increases the likelihood that the student will continue to make attempts to learn. Every person is motivated by different things. Some people enjoy praise, some people enjoy certificates or more tangible things, and some people will only work for money. Each individual program will need to decide what they can offer for reinforcement for participation in the training.

Skills that are Important in Many Lessons
As mentioned previously, students will need some prerequisite skills in order to complete most training sequences. The following is a list of some of the skills a student will need in order to benefit most from the training:

1. Reading and writing skills – While being able to read is not essential to receive training, it is essential for many of the exercises that need to be practiced or completed in real life. For example, there are many exercises that require students to call a place of business, ask questions from a form, and write down the information. Suggestions have been made in appropriate lessons to use pictures, have students audio-record, or have someone document information for them.
   

2. Math skills – There are some lessons, such as "Owning a Car," where it is essential that the students have sufficient math skills. In most lessons, however, math skills are irrelevant.
   

3. Money handling skills – For lessons that involve making purchases, it is assumed that the students will have basic money identification and counting skills. For example, when teaching the lesson on "Using Public Transportation," students should be able to pay for bus fare independently.
   

4. Basic daily living skills – It is suggested that students acquire daily living skills or some other method of accommodating for their deficits, such as supported living or a life coach, prior to this training.
   

5. Communication Skills – Unlike the previous four skills areas that were mentioned, the Life Skills manual provides training in this area. However, the training is limited to verbal communication. There is a great deal of training on interacting with supervisors, calling companies to get information, and practicing other communications in daily life. The ability to send a clear, assertive message and understand the response is a critical skill in employment success. It is recommended that students develop basic communication skills to the best of their ability.

Self-Instruction Training
Self-instruction training is a teaching methodology that helps people with cognitive disabilities maintain the skills acquired during training after the assistance from the trainer has been removed (Gifford & Rusch, 1984). Some of the lessons in this curriculum suggest the use of self-instruction training to assist in the learning process. However, trainers can use this methodology whenever they are teaching students any skill using the modeling and role-play procedure. Meichenbaum and Goodman (1971) were the first to illustrate the steps involved in self-instruction training.

1. A model performs the skill while talking through the steps. "First, I write the date in the appropriate spot on the check. Next, I write the name of the person or company I am paying. Next, I write the amount..."

2. The student performs the skill while the trainer talks the student through the steps.

3. The student performs the skill while the student says the steps out loud.

4. The student performs the skill while whispering the steps.

5. The student performs the skill while the student thinks about the steps in her head.

Meichenbaum and Goodman pointed out four types of verbalizations a person can use while talking themselves through the skill. First, the person should ask questions about what needs to be accomplished. "OK, the boss told me to clean out the closet. What do I need to clean?" Second, the person answers the question. "I need to take everything out, clean the floor and walls, throw away any junk, and put the other stuff back neatly." Third, the person provides the self-instruction while completing the task. "OK, I need to take the stuff out of the closet. Then I need to get a bucket with hot water, and put the right amount of soap in the water. Next, I should wash the walls..." Finally, the person provides self-reinforcement. "I am finished. The closet looks good." As with other parts of the curriculum, this process may need to be modified to fit the students' abilities. This technique has been demonstrated to work with people of varying cognitive abilities.

       Bakken, J., Miltenberger, R. G., & Schauss, S. (1993). Teaching parents with mental retardation: Knowledge versus skills. American Journal of Mental Retardation, 97, 405-417.

       Gifford, J. L., & Rusch, F. R. (1984). Autonmony and adaptability: A proposed technology for the study of work behavior. In N. R. Ellis & N. R. Bra (Eds.), International Review of Research in Mental Retardation, (Vol. 12, pp. 285-318). New York: Academic Press.

       Huang, W., & Cuvo, A. .J. (1997). Social skills training for adults with mental retardation in job-related settings. Behavior Modification, 21, 3-44.

       Meichenbaum, D. H., & Goodman, J. (1971). Training impulsive children to talk to themselves: A means of developing self-control. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 77, 115-126.

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