This assignment will be the first step in building your final “applied research project”. You will select an area for intervention that is particular to adults or adolescents (a specific type of self care skill, leisure skill, job skill, behavior issue etc). For this assignment you will submit the area of intervention (Skill Acquisition – this could include ADL's, leisure vocation) or behavior reduction/modification/management – this could include self management skills such as problem solving, coping mechanisms, time management, social skills). Then narrow the intervention area to the specific skill you wish to teach. For example, you choose behavior management; specific skill is problem solving (higher end of spectrum) reduction of aggression /choose skill acquisition, choose domain: ADL's; specific skill shaving. So submit a paragraph stating the skill you want to teach and why it is important – again you must narrow the skill: for example, you submission for Applied Project 1 could look like this:
Conversational skills are the foundation for communicating, and navigating through life. Basic human needs are met with these skills, and relationships and communities are built on conversations. To that end, these skills are what will be taught and reinforced in this applied project. Specific conversational target will be greetings and farewells.
the rest of the Applied Project will build in future assignments: you will choose the methodology with which you will teach this skill, develop a teaching/intervention plan, data collection method (data sheets) (review the previous studies you have read for ideas and ways to teach this skill i.e task analysis; backward chaining; video modeling). You will “collect and graph the data on your teaching the skill. THIS IS NOT A REAL RESEARCH PROJECT. If you were teaching and collecting data, you would have to have a lot of permissions. If you were conducting real research, you would need informed consent and your proposal would have to go through an internal review process – this is just a “made up” exercise to expose you. So let's see some pretty graphs – or not! I will want a few lines in the conclusion why your teaching protocol was good or failed. The project will also include a lit review for background on the importance (social significance) to teaching the skill. Keep in mind as you move through the project, how you would train your staff to teach your protocol with fidelity – the training package is an assignment later on.
Components of a good teaching plan? See attached example:
