Glossary
Check out the key terms and acronyms used in the embedded instruction project.
Use the alphabet below to look up the meaning of key instructional terms.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A
Adaptation refers to the child’s ability to use elements of previously learned skilled that he or she can adapt to new demands and situations.
Accuracy refers to the extent to which the child’s behavior matches the targeted performance as specified in the learning target.
Acquisition means learning new skills. As a child is acquiring a new skill he/she may not use the skill quickly or easily.
Activity Matrix is the key planning tool that helps teachers plan for embedded instruction. The Activity Matrix pinpoints when and where you will provide instruction within the usual activities of the classroom.
Age-appropriate goals use materials and tasks that are appropriate for same-aged peers and that are developmentally appropriate and culturally relevant for the child.
Antecedents are things, events, or behaviors of people that set the occasion for a child’s behavior. Antecedents are “cues” for the child indicating which behaviors are appropriate or desired at particular times or in particular settings.
B
Behavior is what the child does following the antecedent. Behaviors are things that can be seen, heard, or felt. Behaviors are measurable.
C
Complete Learning Trial occurs when a logically occurring or planned antecedent results in a behavior that leads to a logically occurring or planned consequence.
Consequence is something that happens in the child’s environment immediately following his/her behavior.
D
Distributed Trials are complete learning trials are inserted into a child’s daily routines and spread throughout the day.
Duration is the length of time it takes to complete a response (duration can be expressed as total duration, duration per occurrence of behavior, or percentage of time – 50% of the total time).
E
Embedded Instruction is an approach to instruction that promotes child engagement and learning in everyday activities, routines, and transitions. This is accomplished by identifying times and activities when instructional procedures for teaching a child’s priority learning targets are implemented in ongoing [naturally occurring] activities, routines, and transitions.
Endurance is the length of time or number of behaviors performed over time (how many steps can a child take, how many steps can a child climb).
Error Correction occurs when the child produces an incorrect behavior following an antecedent in the learning trial. Error corrections include the same types of assistance as prompts and should be chosen to elicit the desired behavior.
Everyday Activities are those things children do in authentic contexts where the skill is a logical part of an activity, routine, or transition.
F
Feedback/Consequence Strategies occur after a child has engaged in a behavior. Feedback/consequence strategies provide information to a child about the behavior he/she has demonstrated. Strategies include but are not limited to: reinforcement, error correction, and instructive feedback.
Fluency is the ability to perform a skill in a continuous or fluid way. Fluency is similar to proficiency.
Frequency is the number of times a child demonstrates a targeted behavior
in a specified period of time; period of time can be an interval (e.g., 15 seconds) or an entire activity or event (mealtime, circle). Rate = # of behaviors/unit of time. Unit of time has to be seconds, minutes, hours, days, etc.
Functional Learning Target is a learning target that increases children’s engagement, opportunities for learning, and mastery and that is developmentally appropriate (age appropriate, developmentally appropriate, and culturally relevant).
G
Generalization means using learned skills or behaviors across different settings, people, times, activities, or materials.
Generative Learning Target means a learning target that is useful across different settings, people, events, and objects, with an emphasis on a skills that are useful, portable and adaptable rather than a restricted demonstration of the skill.
Gestural Prompt is a point or other gesture to prompt the expected response.
I
Implementation Goal is focused on implementing complete learning trials accurately and consistently
Incidental Teaching is a naturalistic strategy that is initiated by the child. The adult uses the child’s initiation as an opportunity to elicit more elaborate behavior by prompting the child. When the child produces the more elaborate target behavior, the desired consequence is provided.
Instructive Feedback provides the child with new information about the instructional situation. For example, a teacher might ask a child, “What’s this?” The child might respond, “It’s a car”. The teacher might say, “Yes, it is a red car”. In this situation the teacher has included additional information (i.e., the color of the car) to expand the child’s learning.
Intensity is the amount of force with which a child demonstrates the target behavior (increased force or softening).
Intervention Fidelity is the degree to which embedded instruction procedures are implemented as planned.
L
Latency is the length of time from occurrence of a specified antecedent to response (behavior) onset. How long it takes a child to initiate or demonstrate the target behavior once an antecedent has occurred?
Least-to-Most Prompting occur when the child is given increasing amounts of help until the ABC learning trial is complete. Two or more levels of help may be needed in a single complete learning trial. All of the levels of prompts may be used or only selected levels from less intrusive to more intrusive.
Logically-Occurring means something that typically occurs in the child’s environment.
M
Maintenance is the ability to use the same skill over time. For example, if a child can ask for a drink today, she will be able to ask for a drink tomorrow, and the next day, week, and so on. The child has maintained a skill or behavior.
Massed Trials are learning trials inserted into children’s everyday activities and delivered closely together in time.
Mastery means children maintain and generalize skills appropriately.
Measurable Learning Target means that the learning target is observable and can be counted, timed, or described. The conditions and criteria for child performance are described.
Modeled Prompt is the demonstration of the behavior to be performed (i.e., showing the child how to perform the behavior/action).
Most-to-Least Prompting occurs when the adult only gives one level of assistance per complete learning trial. To prevent child errors or help a child learn a behavior not in his repertoire, the adult initially uses the most assistance needed to ensure a correct response. The help will be gradually decreased across future complete learning trials until the child performs the target behavior without help.
N
Naturalistic Instructional Strategies are a group of procedures that help children learn a new behavior or skill. They typically involve following the child’s lead and helping the child to expand or elaborate on his/her behavior.
Naturalistic Time Delay involves using a naturally-occurring antecedent in the environment that sets the occasion for the child to: (a) request assistance, (b) ask for an object, or (c) request to engage in an activity.
Naturally-Occurring Consequences can include accessing to desired toys, materials, or activities; continuing a social interaction; receiving acknowledgment; and understanding learning or mastering.
Non-verbal Behaviors include gestures or pictures that send a message and are part of the context.
P
Personal Development Goals are focused on practices related to embedded instruction that you would like to incorporate into your daily/weekly teaching.
Physical Prompt is the most intrusive/restrictive type of prompt. Ranges from full physical guidance from an adult to a partial physical guidance such as a light touch to ensure the child performs the behavior.
Picture Prompt involves using a picture or other two dimensional representation (words, symbols, etc.) as a stimulus for the response (i.e., child behavior).
Planned means something that the teacher or other adult has done to encourage the behavior and that would not otherwise have occurred.
Planned Consequence can include token, food, preferred object, activity, praise from a peer or adult, and descriptive feedback.
Positive Consequences should be either naturally occurring or planned events that increase the likelihood that a behavior will occur again in a similar situation or condition.
Prompt Fading is the gradual diminishing of assistance until behaviors occur in response to the natural cue without any prompts .
R
Reinforcement is something that is likely to result in the child repeating the behavior again. Reinforcement can be logically occurring for the situation or planned by the adult.
S
Spaced Learning Trials refers to learning trials in which the same skill is taught repeatedly within an activity. There is a brief pause between trials. The pause provides an opportunity for the learner to rest or complete another behavior.
Targeted Curricular Modifications consider individual child needs, preferences, and interests and involve “engineering” the learning environment to promote learning.
Time Delay provides for gradually lengthening the amount of time between the antecedent and the prompt until the child can produce the behavior with no prompt.
U
Universal Curricular Modifications are procedures used to modify the everyday learning activities experienced by all children in a classroom.
V
Verbal Behaviors include comments, directives, requests, or questions from either adults or children that is part of the context.
Verbal Prompt occurs when a verbal instruction is provided to support the child to perform the required action.