Professional training sets TIEE apart
All direct-service employees receive extensive training
All of our staff members receive regular evaluations on their performance across more than 100 teaching competencies. In order for them to master these competencies, and truly use what works, extensive training is necessary.
Didactic training prepares trainees for role plays and coaching
We provide a series of required foundation trainings on our philosophies and practices, including a survey of the concepts supporting our methods, video samples displaying our practices, and role-plays that permit guided practice of the essential skills of instruction. The following is a list of some of trainings we regularly provide:
ABA principles and practices ● Identifying and managing reinforcers ● Session or student learning skills ● Modulation and differential reinforcement ● Effective instructional practices ● Prompting and error correction ● Data collection and data based decision making ● Functional behavior assessment ● Preventing and managing problem behaviors ● Direct Instruction delivery ● Fluency building strategies
The world’s best athletes have some things in common with our teachers and therapists: They have zeal to succeed, they are highly talented, and they are coached to get even better.
Individualized coaching creates better teachers
Coaching is essential
We regard coaching of our professionals and paraprofessionals in the fundamental research validated teaching methods as essential to their providing effective and efficient instruction. The research literature has taught us what educational methods to implement, but actually doing them requires considerable practice, a strong desire to improve, and the willingness to have others provide constructive feedback.
At TIEE’s schools, we expect all of our direct-service personnel to be eager learners who accept feedback in their effort to improve. In turn, we organize coaching and feedback sessions so that they are positive experiences, both for the coach/supervisor and for the staff member receiving feedback.
Video analysis of targeted teacher behaviors is essential to TIEE’s program of teacher training
Coaches “walk the talk”
Coaching is conducted by personnel who are able to detect errors in instruction and who can demonstrate precisely how to perform the methods correctly. Our coaches can jump right in to an ongoing lesson in order to demonstrate how to do it if that is needed. In addition to such side-by-side coaching, however, we also implement many video observations, which permit multiple opportunities to observe both correct and incorrect implementation of specific teaching methods. Video also permits individuals to learn to evaluate themselves, and, when they do, a kind of coaching efficiency is obtained. However the coaching is done, successful coaching includes clear descriptions of what the teacher has done well in addition to a clear description or model of what the teacher needs to improve. For beginning teachers, the coach must recommend improvement on no more than one or two skills and those chosen will be among the fundamental evidence-based methods.
Dr. Linda LeBlanc of Auburn University illustrating how toys might be used to enhance incidental learning opportunities during a recent Master Workshop.
Master Workshops
We also hold Master Workshops from time to time. They are half-day or full-day trainings held on Saturdays that are designed primarily to provide advanced training in research-validated methods.
Previous Master Workshop presenters are a veritable who’s who in education, including Anita Archer, Doug Carnine, Margorie Charlop-Christy, Geoff Colvin, Stan Deno, Richard Foxx, Gina Green, Rob Horner, Bill Jensen, Kent Johnson, Randy Sprick, Mark Sundberg, George Sugai, Brigette Taylor, and Jerry Tindal. Several have given us multiple Master Workshops as their own work has progressed.
