Fluency as a means to Fluency as a means to reach true masteryreach true mastery

Chanie Kessler, M.S.Shema Kolainu- Hear Our

VoicesOctober 14th 2004

IntroductionIntroduction

Why fluency?Does it help?Research of using fluency

procedures as a means to help students reach true mastery. – ( Binder, 1978)

What is Fluency?What is Fluency?

= accuracy + speed = Quality + pace

= doing the right thing w/o hesitation = automatic or “Second Nature” = True mastery

(Binder, Carl 2004)

With percent correct we can’t tell With percent correct we can’t tell the differencethe difference

Percent correct handicaps our students, when we fail to measure along the time dimension, use impose a serious constraint on our expectations for students, as well as on the likelihood that we will work to “normalize” their skill proficiencies.”

(Binder, Carl 1978)

With percent correct measures, With percent correct measures, can’t go higher than 100%can’t go higher than 100%

2 students receive 100% in a program, however one completes task in 1 min. and the other in 15 min.

What does this tell us

ProceduresProceduresTwo 4 yr. old students with severe language and

communication delays. Fluency drills run dailyParticipant A ( 1 minute timings)

– drawing lines across paper (see/write) and tact (label) Numbers (see/say)

Participant B (1 minute) tap tambourine-right hand (see/do) Pinch (pull coins out of playdough) right hand

( see/do)

Student LStudent L

9/1

2

9/5

8/2

9

8/1

5

09

/19

/04

08

/22

/04

05

/02

/04

5/9

5/1

6

5/2

3

05

/30

/04

6/6

06

/27

/04

07

/25

/04

6/1

3

6/2

0

7/4

7/1

1

7/1

8

8/1

8/8

6"

10"15"20"30"

1'

2'

5'

10'

0.001

0.01

0.1

1

10

100

1000

0 7 14 21 28 35 42 49 56 63 70 77 84 91 98 105 112 119 126 133 140

Successive Calendar Days (by weeks)

Cou

nt P

er

Min

ute

Behaver: Lorenzo Target: Draw lines-Across

Student LStudent L

9/1

2

9/5

8/2

9

8/1

5

09

/19

/04

08

/22

/04

05

/02

/04

5/9

5/1

6

5/2

3

05

/30

/04

6/6

06

/27

/04

07

/25

/04

6/1

3

6/2

0

7/4

7/1

1

7/1

8

8/1

8/8

6"

10"15"20"30"

1'

2'

5'

10'

0.001

0.01

0.1

1

10

100

1000

0 7 14 21 28 35 42 49 56 63 70 77 84 91 98 105 112 119 126 133 140

Successive Calendar Days (by weeks)

Co

un

t P

er

Min

ute

Behaver: Lorenzo Target: Tact Numbers

Student AStudent A

9/1

2

9/5

8/2

9

8/1

5

09

/19

/04

08

/22

/04

05

/02

/04

5/9

5/1

6

5/2

3

05

/30

/04

6/6

06

/27

/04

07

/25

/04

6/1

3

6/2

0

7/4

7/1

1

7/1

8

8/1

8/8

6"

10"15"20"30"

1'

2'

5'

10'

0.001

0.01

0.1

1

10

100

1000

0 7 14 21 28 35 42 49 56 63 70 77 84 91 98 105 112 119 126 133 140

Successive Calendar Days (by weeks)

Cou

nt P

er

Min

ute

Behaver: Andrew Target: Pull Coins out of Play-doh

Student AStudent A

9/1

2

9/5

8/2

9

8/1

5

09

/19

/04

08

/22

/04

05

/02

/04

5/9

5/1

6

5/2

3

05

/30

/04

6/6

06

/27

/04

07

/25

/04

6/1

3

6/2

0

7/4

7/1

1

7/1

8

8/1

8/8

6"

10"15"20"30"

1'

2'

5'

10'

0.001

0.01

0.1

1

10

100

1000

0 7 14 21 28 35 42 49 56 63 70 77 84 91 98 105 112 119 126 133 140

Successive Calendar Days (by weeks)

Co

un

t P

er

Min

ute

Behaver: Andrew Target: Tap tambourine/right hand

Results Results

drills were effective in helping students increase their performance

Practice Makes Perfect!Practice Makes Perfect!

“If you want to get better at it, you have to practice. There’s no other way to do it. For me practicing is fun – I enjoy improving myself, and I enjoy developing new skills.”

(Jordan, Michael 1991)

Stages of learningStages of learning

1.      Acquiring new behavior2.      Practicing components for

fluency and endurance3.     Applying and combining

fluent components

(Binder, Carl 2004)

Things to keep in mindThings to keep in mind

Student’s speed is dependent on instructor

Use clear worksheets, present quickly etc.

Not all programs should become fluency drills.