Using SMART Board Technology to Teach Young Students with Disabilities and Limited Group Learning Experience to Read Environmental Text

Abstract

A multiple probe design across behaviors was used to evaluate the effectiveness of a SMART Board used in conjunction with teacher delivered constant time delay (CTD) to teach environmental text to three young students with disabilities and minimal group learning experience during small group direct instruction. Observational learning, instructive feedback, and generalization were also assessed. Initially, reinforcement was presented to the group via the SMART Board, but was modified to a token economy to address challenging behavior and non-responding in some students. Results suggest that using a SMART Board and CTD was effective for one participant when group reinforcement was used and effective for all participants when an individualized token economy was added to sessions. Teachers should be cautious when using group reinforcement strategies with young students who may not have extended learning histories with small group instruction and reinforcement other than token economies. Suggestions for future research and implications for practice are provided.