Preference-based teaching starts with the teachers setting the stage for an enjoyable student experience. The first step in the process requires teachers to conduct a simple interview with the student to investigate their preferred activities. This interview aims to find out the students hobbies and interests. The next step is to incorporate student preferences within the teaching process.

The preference-based lesson plan consists of students’ hobbies and interests (Reid & Green, 2006) so as to keep students on-task and engaged during lesson delivery (Johnson et al.,1994). The preferred activities adopted in preference-based teaching approach are in line with the multisensory activities that Educational Therapists at the Dyslexia Association of Singapore (DAS) include during lesson planning.

The preferred activities can include activities such as arts and crafts, listening to music, watching movies and playing video games.

The teachers will design a lesson plan in accordance with these preferred activities to increase on-task behaviours and active engagement during a lesson delivery (Vaughn and Thompson, 2003). This helps teachers to build rapport with their students during lesson which makes the lesson delivery more fulfilling as students are fully interested and engaged during a lesson.

The preference-based teaching approach supports the success of enhancing student enjoyment and reduces problem behaviours resulting in benefits for both the student and teacher.

Have fun while Learning!

References

• Reid, D. H., & Green, C. W. (2006). Preference-based teaching: Helping students with severe disabilities enjoy learning without problem behaviour. Teaching Exceptional Children Plus, 2 (3) pp: 1 – 11
• Fostm-Johnson, L., Feauo, J., & Dunlap, G. (1994). ‘Preferred Curricular Activities and Reduced problem behaviours in Students with Intellectual disabilties’, Journal of Applied Behaviour Analysis, 27(3) pp. 493 – 504
• Vaughn, S, and Thompson, S. L. (2003). ‘What is special about special education for students with learning disabilities’ Journal of special education 37(3) pp.140-147

This article was taken from FACETS Vol 1, 2017.

About the Author

Sharyfah Fitriya is an Educational Advisor based in DAS Woodlands Learning Centre. Learn more about Sharyfah