Behavior analysis for effective teaching / Julie S. Vargas

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Part 1. Science and the art of teaching -- 1. Adding science to the art of teaching -- 2. Finding the causes of behavior in functional relations -- 3. How we learn -- Part 2. Planning for improvement -- 4. Setting goals to improve achievement -- 5. Improving sensitivity to progress: recording methods -- 6. Making progress visible: charting and graphing -- 7. The teacher as researcher -- Part 3. Designing instruction -- 8. Shaping behavior: the role of postcedents -- 9. Teaching concepts and understanding: the role of antecedents -- 10. Verbal behavior: teaching language skills -- Part 4. Ethical practices and ultimate goals -- 11. Punishment and why to avoid it -- 12. Beyond testing: reaching the ultimate goals of education.

Modern teachers increasingly encounter students who enter their classroom with low motivation, learning problems, or disruptive behavior. The mission of this book is to provide teachers and other human service professionals specific tools they can use to teach more effectively without using the punitive methods that are too often part of educational practices. At the same time, the book explains the behavioral science on which behavioral practices are based. This text is intended for undergraduate and graduate students in teacher education, special education, physical education, and educational psychology as well as for practicing teachers who would like to know what behavior analysis has to offer. The book is also appropriate for students in school psychology, school counseling, school social work and other human service areas. A course using this book as its basic text would qualify as one of the five courses required to sit for the credentialling exams given by the Behavior Analysis Certification Board.