Link to Original Article is Here
A recent story from San Benito County highlights something many educators already know: when instruction is designed around how learners actually learn, progress becomes visible—and powerful. In the classroom of
special education teacher Logan Shankle, using Competent Learner Model principles, students earn play money for completing tasks and achieving daily learning goals. They can exchange those dollars for small rewards like snacks, stickers, or time with an iPad. The system is so motivating that some students even started creating their own versions of the classroom currency. While the moment made for a charming headline, the deeper story is about effective instructional design. Shankle’s work is strongly influenced by his training with Tucci Learning Solutions and its instructional framework, the Competent Learner Model.
For many learners with disabilities, traditional grading systems can feel abstract or discouraging. The reinforcement system in Shankle’s classroom helps make progress concrete and motivating. As Shankle explained:
“It’s engineering a balance between the learner and the instructor to get the most independence with the least amount of high input. If you’re not celebrating it in some way while it’s happening, you’re losing those connections.”
This philosophy reflects a key principle embedded in the Competent Learner Model: meaningful reinforcement strengthens learning behaviors and helps students remain engaged in instruction. Each earned dollar marks a meaningful moment—when a learner attempts a task, follows an instruction, solves a problem, or communicates a need.
The instructional approach used in the classroom focuses on developing foundational learning repertoires rather than only academic tasks. Through training and consultation from Tucci Learning Solutions, educators assess and strengthen seven key repertoires that support successful learning:
These repertoires form the behavioral foundation that allows students to engage with instruction and develop independence. Instead of focusing solely on whether a student completes a worksheet or answers a question correctly, the focus shifts to building the skills that allow the student to learn more effectively over time.
In Shankle’s classroom, reinforcement is paired with specific feedback that helps students refine their behavior. For example, when teaching a student to draw an “X,” Shankle might praise the attempt while guiding the correct sequence of strokes. “I’d say, ‘I like the way you did your lines. Next time, let’s start at the right and go down.’ When they try again, I’d say, ‘Oh, I love it. There’s a dollar.’” This combination of encouragement and gentle correction allows learners to adjust their responses without losing motivation. Over time, these small successes build persistence and confidence—essential components of long-term learning.
Another hallmark of the Competent Learner Model is developing the problem solver repertoire. Rather than immediately solving problems for students, teachers create opportunities for learners to figure things out independently. In the classroom described in the article, materials might be moved slightly out of reach during an activity. Using Competent Learner Model principles, instead of providing the missing tool, Shankle prompts the student to think about what to do next. The moment becomes a learning opportunity. When students recognize the problem and retrieve the needed item on their own, the behavior is reinforced. These small experiences gradually strengthen independence and flexible thinking.
The article also highlights the importance of collaboration with families—another cornerstone of the approach supported by Tucci Learning Solutions. In one example, communication icons used in the classroom helped a non-verbal student express needs at home. Before learning the system, the student would become frustrated when adults couldn’t understand what he wanted. His father explained the difference the tools made:
“Before Gabriel learned to use them, he would get angry and grab us because we didn’t know what he wanted. Now he approaches things differently.”
This kind of collaboration ensures that learning generalizes beyond the classroom into everyday life.
Stories like this highlight what happens when instruction is designed around how learners develop competence. The Competent Learner Model, advanced through the work of Tucci Learning Solutions, provides educators with a structured way to build the skills that support lifelong learning. Through reinforcement, carefully engineered instruction, and collaboration with families, students gain more than academic progress. They gain the tools needed to navigate the world more independently. And sometimes, along the way, they even invent their own classroom currency. if you would like to explore foundational CLM concepts, the eLEarning offers a series of three CE events that explore the Competent Learner Model.
Educators and clinicians who want to deepen their work with the Competent Learner Model can explore professional development, training, and consultation through the Worldwide Coaching Network housed by elearningstoreinc.com, part of the TUCCi family of companies.
If you would like to explore foundational Competent Learner Model principles, the eLearning Store offers a series of three CE events that explore the Competent Learner Model.
The CLM Center of Excellence offers the The Competent Learner Model Instructor/Coach Micro Credential Certificate Program. This is an all-online, instructor-led, competency-based, 4- or 5-course sequence designed to prepare educators and other multidisciplinary service providers with the knowledge, skills, and aptitudes to successfully use the CLM instructional tools designed using ABA, DI, and PT methodologies. Credit and noncredit options are available. Additional CLM Certification Programs can be explored here.
This is where you can begin to learn how to design instructional environments that build independence, strengthen learner repertoires, and create lasting independence for students.
With heartfelt gratitude, we celebrate the retirement of Michele Saleh, Tucci Learning Solutions’ Early Start Program Coordinator and an extraordinary leader whose influence has shaped countless lives. Although Michele officially
