Using Precision Teaching to Improve Typically Developing Student's Mathematical Skills Via Teleconferencing

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Distance Learning Technologies
• Special Education Interventions

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread educational disruption, leading to potential learning losses.
• Teleconferencing emerged as a critical tool for remote education delivery.
• Effective interventions are needed to address learning gaps, particularly in foundational skills like mathematics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of Precision Teaching for enhancing mathematical skills in typically developing students.
• To determine if Precision Teaching, delivered via teleconferencing, yields positive academic outcomes.
• To assess the maintenance of learned mathematical skills post-intervention.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental design was employed with four students receiving Precision Teaching and nine serving as controls.
• Precision Teaching included untimed and timed practice, goal-setting, graphing, and a token economy for prerequisite and mixed addition/subtraction facts.
• Instruction was delivered remotely through teleconferencing sessions in India.

Main Results:

• Precision Teaching participants showed significant improvements in prerequisite and primary mathematical skills.
• Learner gains were maintained above baseline performance levels post-intervention.
• Math fluency percentile ranks increased substantially for the intervention group, unlike the control group.

Conclusions:

• Precision Teaching, when delivered via teleconferencing, can accelerate mathematical skill acquisition in students.
• This intervention offers a viable strategy to mitigate learning deficits potentially exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Remote delivery of Precision Teaching demonstrates its adaptability and effectiveness in diverse educational contexts.