SEPTEMBER 11, 2001
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The first step in data based instruction is the development of data based IEP objectives. Objectives should be tight, clean, clear, obvious, specific. Objectives should not be loose, sloppy, subjective, nebulous. An educational program without clear objectives is like a ship without a rudder. The teacher is adrift. The destination he reaches, he reaches by accident. Because he doesn’t know where he is going, he can’t tell whether or not he is making progress, or when he has arrived.
Imagine someone wanting to drive to someplace in Colorado. He gets in his car and starts driving west, or east, or whatever direction he thinks he needs to go in. No map, no trip tick, just good intentions. Along the way he gets a phone call.
"Are you in Colorado yet?"
"Well no, I don’t think so, not yet, but we are getting there." Turning to passenger "Are we in Colorado yet?" Pause. "No, we don’t think we are in Colorado. We did want to go to Colorado, didn’t we? Never mind, yeah we are going to Colorado, and we don’t think we are there yet, but we are going in the right direction."
"How do you know?"
"Well, I have been driving an awful lot, and I really want to get to Colorado. Actually we could be in Colorado. What does Colorado look like?"
"There are tall mountains and cities named Boulder and Denver."
"Is there a Phoenix in Colorado?"
"Actually, no."
"Well, Phoenix is a city so I must be getting close. Actually, when I get together with you again, lets just say we were going to Phoenix. Then we will be able to achieve our objective. I never really wanted to go to Colorado anyway, that was the last driver’s idea. I really have tried everything to get to Colorado. I guess my passenger just might not have the ability to get to Colorado."
Unfortunately, as silly as this example seems, teachers with poorly written objectives embark on a journey to teach a student something. They have no idea where they are going, and judge success by the fact that they are trying real hard. Ultimately, when IEP time comes around again, they say the goal was a bad goal, or unattainable. They will also often say they have "tried everything." Generally, this means they have tried little or nothing, at least tried little or nothing in a systematic fashion. They try differential reinforcement for a couple of days, and say it didn’t work. Then they try something else with the same result. In they end they say they have tried everything when they have really tried nothing.
A systematic approach begins with data based objectives. Data based objectives must include four components. Check out the four
components by clicking on one of the buttons above left.
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