Longstanding research shows that a great amount of time and brainpower are required to learn new information. Time and time again, learners spend too much cognitive focus figuring out “how” they are supposed to do something instead of concentrating on “what” the content is that they are learning.
Dr. Peter Gorski, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Harvard Medical School in Cambridge, Massachusetts
It is important to decrease the cognitive load for the individuals we serve and develop a clear pattern of motor learning when engaging both children and young adults in instruction. These, in fact, are two foundational principles of T.H.E. P.A.C.T. teaching framework. From 2010 to 2012, the fieldwork results of educators using T.H.E. P.A.C.T. were so successful in students meeting their learning outcomes, that we felt a more formal research study was warranted.
In an IRB-approved research study from 2013-2015, conducted across North America in both the United States and Canada, our 19 research sites yielded consistent findings. In this multiple, single-subject design research study, titled – The Impact of T.H.E. P.A.C.T. – learners in special education, across a variety of grade levels and disabilities, succeeded with building a solid understanding of what they needed to learn and were eager to share what they knew.
Simply put:
- Learners are learning faster with instruction time decreasing
- Teacher prep time has drastically reduced
Students participating in the research study included those with developmental disabilities, varying verbal and nonverbal learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, complex disabilities, and intellectual impairments. The locations of the research sites across North America included public and private K-12 school settings, Montessori schools, autism programs, preschools, and school-to-work programs. Topics of instruction included academics, life skills, social communication, and vocational.
Regardless of subject or topic of study, teachers walked their students through learning about it, reading about it, writing about it, and talking about it – across a total of 10 instructional activities in the research study related to the four modules of T.H.E. P.A.C.T. They did this in a way so that the students felt anchored with the “how-to-do-it” part – by using these consistent teaching activities – so the students focused on “WHAT” they were learning, instead of “HOW” they were learning it.
These teaching activities were used over and over again with each topic of instruction to anchor students and streamline lesson planning. Students understood:
- What to do;
- How to do it; and
- How to then share it
The result has been that teaching staff knew how to focus and organize their time using creative activities and teaching tools so that they had true clarity of an instructional roadmap
Until next time,
