Designing, Producing & Utilizing Video Coaching Stories with the use of a New-Age Digital Handheld Device:
To Modify Destructive Behaviours, Teach Functional Skills,
Increase Effective Social Skills, Develop Daily Living Skills
of Students with Behaviour, Social, Cognitive and/or Communication Difficulties
Jeff deWolfe, Coordinator Student Services P-12, South Shore Regional Schoolboard
1. Project Description and Rationale
Many of our students with ASD, students who are non verbal, have ADHD, OCD, ODD, cognitive delays etc. display deficits in social, academic and communication skills resulting in inappropriate behaviours, compromised learning and emotional outbursts. Providing a video model and coaching of target behaviours for these students utilizing current hand-held “cool” digital devices will offer students, through “on-the-go” repetitive opportunities to learn positive behaviours, functional skills and/or daily living skills in everyday situations. Individualized videos can be designed, captured, produced and viewed all on the new 4th generation iPod Touch. Such Video Coaching Stories will address and enhance social interactions, academic and functional skills, daily living, communication skills, perspective taking, appropriate emotional responses to situations, social initiations and much more.
We expect portable Video Coaching strategies (individualized to meet the needs of the specific user) will not only teach and transfer positive and desired behaviours but reduce problem behaviours as well, including aggression and melt-downs. Video Coaching Stories can also be used to teach a sequenced task for students with cognitive delay, memory difficulties and sequential processing difficulties. Such tasks may include a math sequence, cooking sequence or how to interact appropriately in a small group conversation and much more. The fact that the videos will be readily available to view in a hand-held portable device “on-the-go” ensures repetitious viewing opportunities prior to or leading up to negative behaviour. The same device (iPod Touch 4th generation) will be utilized for capturing video AND the ReelDirector APP will be used to edit the captured video right on the device…no need for transfer to a computer for editing. The fact that capturing video, editing and viewing is available all on one portable device will increase usage and application. The use of the iPod Touch to modify behaviours, functional skills and daily living skills through video is innovative and exciting.
b) What specific need(s) within your school(s) does this project address?
All schools in the South Shore Regional Schoolboard have students who can benefit from the design, development, production and implementation of Video Coaching Stories. Students displaying adverse behaviours are not in an optimal frame of mind for learning, socializing or communicating. Adverse behaviours hijack the learning process and preempt learning with negative and destructive processing. Providing target behaviours via a digital medium that students can relate to ( through the use of a stylish, trendy hand-held device) while on-the-go will prove greatly beneficial for many by the very nature of its accessibility.
Video Coaching will also be utilized to provide repetitious teaching of a variety of functional skills for students with cognitive delays, autism, down syndrome etc. including “How to Wait”, “Crossing the Street”, “Making Pizza”, “Turn taking” etc. Through the use of this innovative device and Video Coaching technique those with ASD, OCD, ODD, non verbal students, ADHD etc. will (depending on their need) :
· Learn how to respond appropriately
· Increase learning opportunities and learning potential of students
· Prevent destructive behaviours
· Increase positive social interactions
· Improve functional skills
· Enhance daily living skills
· Increase social initiations
· Develop and enhance appropriate emotional responses
· Increase effective communication skills
….And much more
c) List the goals of this project.
This project will focus on the testing the efficacy and process of designing and producing a range of Video Coaching that meets the needs of a wide range of students in the South Shore Regional Schoolboard. Students will include those who need to build functional and/or daily living skills, build positive social interaction strategies, monitor personal emotions or improve communication skills and so on. The range of Videos produced will depend on student’s needs. In summary the goals of the project include:
1) Test the efficacy of using the hand-held iPod Touch (4th Generation), Videotaping App and ReelDirector APP as an all-in-one tool to design, produce and display Video Coaching Stories to develop target behaviours of specified students
2) Replace negative behaviours by positive behaviours through Video Coaching for specified students; train specific sequential tasks that prove difficult for some; increase functional skills and so on
3) Train teachers how to design and produce Video Coaching Stories using the 4th Generation iPod Touch and video Apps to meet the needs of a wide range of students
4) Monitor the premise that the portability and “cool factor” of this device increases use by students and increases targeted model behaviours
2. Project Team
Jeff DeWolfe will be the lead on this project. Team members will include Catherine Rahey who has extensive experience in the field of autism and has for over 30 years worked in the learning centre environment. The Assistive Technology Specialist for the SSRSB will provide assistive technology (iPod Touch, Videotaping and ReelDirector APP) training to identified teams. 8-10 Program Support Teachers from various schools will be introduced to the concept of Video Coaching Stories and taught how to utilize the iPod Touch, Video App and Editing APP to produce the stories. The Assistive Technology Centre and Learning Centre Consultant from the SSRSB will cover subs for teachers attending this training.
3. Project Design, Innovation and Implementation
a) Briefly describe why this proposal is innovative and merits PDAF funding.
Video Coaching Stories is a new concept for supporting students with communication, social, academic and/or behaviour difficulties. The use of a hand-held portable video capture, editing and viewing device is also highly innovative. The 4th generation iPod Touch is new to the market. We expect the capture and production of Video Coaching Stories to be easier, more effective, utilized more by students and in turn increase positive behaviours and increase student’s learning. The coaching aspect of the videos is a new concept for video support. The capture of video will not only model desired behaviours or display task sequences but coach and support the student along the way. This is quite different from video modeling or video training tools. This device can capture and edit video… and the student can view the targeted behaviour on the same device. Students can carry these devices anywhere and refer to them as needed. Teachers can learn and apply this strategy easily and efficiently. We’re expecting greater use by teachers and students…and thus indications of more modeled behaviours.
b) Explain this project in terms of how it will be implemented in the school and/or classroom.
c) What is the timeline you intend to follow?
November 2010:
· acquire iPod Touches and Video Editing APPS
· identify students in need of Video Coaching Stories
· Bring the Program Support Teachers and/or Learning Centre teachers to the Assistive Technology Centre for training on the technology
· During training the group will develop an implementation strategy for the Video Coaching Stories with each student
· During training the group will also develop an action research template (focusing on capturing appropriate data for project evaluation)
· Produce 1-2 test Video Coaching Stories during this training session
·
December:
· teachers will identify 3 target behaviours per student
· Teachers will design, capture video and produce the 3 Video Coaching Stories pertaining to the student
January - March
· Teachers will implement with the student, monitor use, collect data
April
· All participating teachers will be brought back to the Assistive Technology Centre and teachers will present back to the larger group on the impact of using the iPod Touch to produce Video Coaching Stories, how the Video Coaching Stories impacted the students and evidence of targeted behaviours in students who participated in the project
· Use with other students will begin at this time
May-June
· Project evaluation and report writing
4. Project Links to Public School Program and Essential Graduation Learnings
How will this project support the Public School Program and the Essential Graduation Learnings?
Through Video Coaching Stories this project will address a range of PSP and Essential Graduation Learnings specifically those students on Individual Program Plans that involve Annual Goals including:
· Communication Skills
· Functional Skills
· Social Skills
· Daily Living Skills
·
5. Curriculum Connections
How does it fit within the curriculum?
a) What are the learning outcomes of this project?
Students in this project will utilize this innovative tool and strategy to meet goals and objectives identified in their Individual Program Plans. The learning outcomes will be the modeled behaviour. These could involve a functional routine for a child with autism; an appropriate social skill required by a student with aspergers; effective communication skills for a student who is non verbal; modeled daily living skills for students who have cognitive delays, bus routines for students with behaviour difficulties and much more. These outcomes would be identified goals in the student’s individualized program plan (IPP).
b) What aspect of the curriculum does this project focus upon?
This project can focus on a broad range of curriculum depending on the students needs as noted above.
c) What key grade level(s) and/or subject area(s) will be enhanced by this project?
This project will address students in any grade level, including but not limited to those on Individual Program Plans. Seventeen students from various schools (minimum of 8-10 different schools from P-12) will be identified as initial recipients of Video Coaching Stories. We plan to have many other students benefit from these tools and strategies well beyond the lifespan of this project.
d) How will this project be successfully integrated into the grade level(s) and subject area(s)?
The tools and strategies being tested in this project will be identified and integrated in to the Individualized Program Plans or IA’s of specified students.
e) Describe how materials will be used.
The 4th Generation iPod Touches and video editing APPS will be utilized to:
· Design, capture, edit and produce Video Coaching Stories to meet specific students needs
· Students will view the modeled behaviours on the same hand-held portable device
· Students will carry the portable device with them for regular access and/or as needed
6. Project Evaluation
This project will be evaluated by:
1) monitoring before and after VMS (Video Coaching Stories) use by student
2) before and after interviews with students (when appropriate), parents and teachers
3) monitoring incidence of target behaviours after VMS through checklists
4) self assessments by students when appropriate
5) case studies and presentation by teachers which will include observations, video capture of use, video interviews, audio recordings of students comments, teachers reflections etc.
