We are proud to share with you the accomplishment of one of our CLM Team Members from Virginia. Laurel Jones-Purdy has recently been certified as a CLM Coach.
Congratulations Laurel!
Here is a little background story that Laurel shared with us. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
———–
I was introduced to the Competent Learner Model over 4 years ago. My classroom was chosen to be one of the first CLM classrooms in our agency and I would eventually be picked to become a CLM Coach. I was apprehensive, as were others in my agency. I knew that breaking “agency culture” and having a paradigm shift in philosophy would not be an easy task. Peers and administrators were apprehensive about ABA programming and had preconceived notions about how it would fit into our current programming. I still was honored to begin this life-long journey of learning. Having been through organizational change as both an administrator and an employee, I felt a sense of excitement knowing that through change, growth and learning occurs.
In the beginning, schedules of reinforcement for students were questioned and complaints made to the administration about time requirements for the course of study and classroom implementation. Slowly but surely and with the help of some awesome coaches, progress was made. As I progressed through the units, my coach slowly leaned my schedule of reinforcement (which was her presence and guidance) and I began to take over coaching responsibility in two classrooms. One classroom (classroom A) soared quickly through units of study and through implementation. The other classroom (classroom B) was a disaster for many reasons listed below.
Classroom B consisted of two seasoned staff members, a teacher and teacher assistant. Observations revealed lack of intentionality with instruction, classroom organization and scheduling were random and at times nonexistent, and schedules of reinforcement were absent. Days of coaching resulted in complete and utter exhaustion both mentally and physically. I would often feel defeated and that there was absolutely no chance of bringing about change. I had to rely heavily on administration and my coach for guidance. I was reminded on several occasions to concentrate only on one thing at a time. I would often practice self-talk and on many occasions say to those people “ Baby-steps, right?” . With reassurance, I would concentrate on one small piece of the curriculum during coaching sessions. Progress was made as follows:
1st Step: Pairing, pairing, pairing… check
2nd Step: Reinforcing approximations (Participant mind set “ I like you and I am going to do this but only in your presence”… check
3rd Step: Verbal checkouts, silence and blank stares from participants (back to pairing process) … .check
5th Step: Providing feedback (feedback received but not followed)… check
6th Step: Reinforcement for me (chocolate by day, wine by night)… check
74th Step: Being asked for suggestions… What? Are we making progress?????
Discussions during verbal checkouts, data and application occurring, common language being spoken, requests for guidance from outsiders for learners not placed in the curriculum, general planning matrix posted… .. Holy cow is this really happing????????
It was and still is.
Just this past week, I walked into the classroom where the teacher and assistant had created planning matrixes for individual learners! This was not a request from me; the staff had taken the initiative to create the matrixes. Now intentionality occurs across the day and across learners, data occurs, the classroom operates like a well oiled machine and most importantly progress for the learners is not only documented but observable. Now my challenge is to function as effectively and with intentionality in my own classroom. Mmmm… I think I am up for that challenge!
