Some techniques used by behavior analysis include chaining, promoting, and shaping. Chaining is the behavior technique that involves making tasks into smaller components. The first task or simplest is always taught first. Once that task is learned, the next task can be taught. For instance my lesson on jumping rope; once the students understands the concept of how to properly hold the ends of the jump rope, the next step can be taught, which is how to properly rotate arms to move the jump rope over our heads and front of body. This is then continued until the whole sequence is properly chained together. Next is prompting, this uses a type of prompt to trigger a specific response. This can involve a verbal cue, like telling a person what to do, or a visual cue, such as a picture being displayed. This is used to help with the response. I used this technique in my academic task lesson on decoding the word dog. I used a picture of a dog to help students remember how read or say the word dog. Next is shaping, this technique gradually alters a behavior, such as rewarding closer and closer, estimations of desired behavior. Behavior analysis is a very effective tool for learning. It helps children with developmental delays and children with autism acquire and maintain new skills. The basic principles of behavior modification are used often in child care, or an educational setting, such as schools. For my next lesson, decoding the word dog, the informational processing analysis helps to use phonemes and basic language skills to help decode the right sequence of letters that form the word dog (Lutz, 2003). An information processing analysis is used first to breakdown a goal into basic parts, by knowing what students needed to learn to maintain a specific goal. One question that educators should keep in mind is” what physical or mental steps must someone go through to complete this learning task”. To properly conduct an information process analysis, educators should: gain a lot of information about the task, and also the content implied by the goal. This is used to become familiar with the terminology. Rewrite the goal in a form of a test question. Ask someone that knows how to complete the task and observe them as they are completing the task while asking them to think about the process, doing this will help to find unobservable cognitive knowledge. It is important to find the shortest, simplest way to complete the task. Next is to choose steps that match the intentions of the goal. Then make a list of the steps that is right for the goal. Lastly confirm that analysis with other experts (Lutz, 2003). The task analysis process is used throughout both of my lessons. Pertaining to my physical task on how to jump rope, it required a good detailed plan that made sure that the students are understanding and it is the right implementation. When writing my lesson plan, I put myself into the position of teaching my daughter how to jump rope. I had to literally get a jump rope, think and perform showing and describing the different steps to my daughter. This is a good positive aspect of a task analysis, because the best way for me to help my daughter to learn how to jump rope is to perform the task myself. When decoding the word dog, I had to put myself in the eyes of a four year old. I had to think to myself of where she is developmentally and cognitively, if she is ready to decode words, or how much knowledge she had on letter sounds. The word dog is a very simple constant word that does not have any confusing phoneme sequences, or awkward sounds. I thought to myself of how I would properly write down step- by- step directions on how to decode the word dog. Decoding the word dog and jumping rope both have a base set of knowledge. Another pro or benefit of the task analysis process is that there is a room for assignments or additional learning tools that can branch off after the evaluation is done. The only con in my
