BUILDING  SKILLS  with  BEHAVIORAL  TECHNOLOGY

Spring 2014

Instructor:                          
	Dr. Jesús Rosales-Ruiz	Office Hours:
	Room 360 J Chilton	M - R  11:00-12:30 P.M. 
	Office phone: (940) 565-2559	& by appointment
	E-mail: Jesus.Rosales-Ruiz@unt.edu

 TA:  Lucero Neri    e-mail: luceroneri2007@yahoo.com
	
Time and Place:
	Monday, Wednesday & Friday  1-1:50 P.M.  BLB 260

Course Description:

In this course you will learn a behavior analytic approach to building skills.  We will review the paradigms, concepts and techniques derived from the principles of behavior as applied to building skills.  We will contrast the learning paradigms of programmed instruction, errorless learning and trial-and-error learning.  Particular emphasis will be given to the techniques used to program response topographies and their stimulus control.  You will also learn the basic composition of behavior intervention programs.
Students should enroll in this class only after they have taken BEHV 2300/3150, 2700, and 3440.

Course Objectives:
	
1. Describe behavioral approaches to the teaching of social, communicative, leisure, independent living, academic/conceptual, and other skills.
2. Describe techniques to establish behaviors.
3. Describe the basic components of behavioral programming.
4. Design and implement a shaping program to teach a skill of interest.
5. Review the literature on the application of errorless learning techniques to a behavior of their interest.
Readings:
	You can obtain your readings from Copypro.  Ask for BEHV 3770: Building Skills with Behavior Technology.
	Pryor, K. (1999). Don't shoot the dog: The new art of teaching and training.  Waltham, MA: Sunshine Books
	Getting Started: Clicker Training for Dogs Kit or Getting Started: Clicker Training for Cats Kit - By Karen Pryor $14.95.  You can order your book at: 1-800-47-CLICK or http://store.clickertraining.com/

Students Activities:
Readings
Students should summarize the main points and concepts of the assigned readings. Students should also include any questions, generalizations, and opinions prompted by the readings. The summary is due the day of the lecture, but can be turned in up to a week after the due date for full credit. Readings turned in more than a week after the due date will be awarded half the points. The absolute last day to turn in readings is April 26. The reading report should include an outline of the reading, a question (if a concept is unclear), and a generalization, argument or opinion you may want to discuss. The summary will be used as a guide for discussion during class.
Video Reports
Students will write a page about a particular issue, procedure, behavior, etc. discussed in each of the videos.  You may challenge or praise the usefulness of the facts, concepts, and analyses presented in the videos; you may also relate the videos to other issues and topics relevant to this course.
Teaching Project
Students will teach a simple behavior to a mouse, fish, cat, dog, parrot, etc., or to a child older than 2 years.  On the last days of class, students will show a videotape with clips of the participant's behavior before the teaching, examples of the teaching, and the criterion performance (with live demonstration, if possible).
Final Paper
A 5 page paper describing what you learned about building skills with behavioral technology.  Use reading 27 and the comments you wrote during the semester to organize your paper. Some of the topics that you should include are the inter-relations between programmed instruction, errorless learning, the constructional approach, and shaping.
Vocabulary Tests
Students will be tested at the end of the semester on the key definitions and procedures learned during the course.  

Grades:

Student Activity	%  of  Grade

	1.	Readings summaries & video reports	30%		
	2.	Literature review	20%

	3.	Teaching project 	30%

	4.	Tests	20%

Schedule:
	Section I	Behavior Analysis and Teaching
			The Etymology of Teaching
			The Science of Learning & the Art of Teaching
			Teaching Machines
			The Technology of Teaching
	Section II	Errorless Learning & Programmed Instruction
			The Basic Programming Principles
			Music Education and Programed Instruction
			Errorless Learning & Its Significance for Teaching ...
	Section III	Methods of Establishing New Behaviors
			Shaping
			Using Reinforcement and Imitation ...
			The Effects of Teacher Attention …
			Practical Use of Operant Conditioning …
			Human Conduct in the Natural Environment
			Arbitrary vs. Natural Reinforcement
			Chaining and Conditioned Reinforcement
			Mathetics: The Technology of Education
			Response Prompting/Fading procedures
	Section IV	Methods of Establishing Stimulus Control
			Stimulus Control: Cooperation Without Coercion
			How Stimuli Control Behavior
			The Development of Abstract Stimulus Control
			Developing Complex Visual Abstract Stimulus Control ...
			Establishing Complex Stimulus Control by MTS
			Stimulus Control in Verbal Behavior
			Fine Grain Repertoires
	Section V	Program Development
			Stimulus Control Procedures in the Education…
			Environmental Approaches to the Development …
			Behavioral Objectives
			Where Do We Go From Here: Parts 1-8
			The Constructional and Pathological Orientations

ADA Statement:
The Department of Behavior Analysis, in cooperation with The Office of Disability Accommodation, complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act.  Please present your written accommodation request to me before the 4th class meeting.