CCLP PROJECT Learner (011117)

Now you’ve broken the task down, you need to think of the wider concept of
teaching the skill.
When you teach a skill you need to think about:
The environment in which you are doing the teaching – does the person feel safe? Is
it too noisy or too quiet? Does it have everything that the person needs to get the
outcome? Is it where the person is actually going to use the skill?
Example: teaching how to put on a t-shirt.
This probably requires the person to be partially unclothed in front of you, do they
feel ok about that? Is the t-shirt handy – or are you going to have to make a dash for
the laundry mid-session? Are you learning this skill in the bedroom or bathroom
where it is likely to be most often used?
Existing knowledge – what bits of this task does the person you are supporting
already know how to do? It is important that you recognize the skills that the
person already has.
Example: teaching how to put on a t-shirt.
Does the person know any of the actions that make up putting on a t-shirt?
Do they know that there is a front and back? Do they know that there are neck and
arm holes? Can they put it over their head, but just not able to put arms through?
Forward or Backward Chaining – Skill is taught as a chain of actions. You can choose
to use either forward or backward chaining. You need to choose the process that
best suits the person and the skill they are going to learn.
Backward Chain -­‐ you provide assistance through the steps until the person gets
to the last step that he or she is not able to do independently. On this step, you
prompt the person to do the step and give good feedback the person.
Example: teaching how to put on a t-shirt.
You physically assist the person to do all the steps of putting on a t-shirt and then
you stand back and say “now pull it down over your stomach” (that being the last
action needed) and when they do that correctly you give good feedback about how
the task has been completed.
Forward Chain -­‐ you find the first step in the chain that the person needs to
learn and then you work forward through the steps. As the person masters this
step, you then add the next step in the chain.
Example: teaching a person how to write (you wouldn’t use forward chaining for teaching to
put on a t-shirt).
You teach the person how to hold a pen. When they are able to do that you give
good feedback. All other steps to learning how to write are put on hold until the
person is able to do that first essential step.
CCLPv2 Practical Project 021117
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