Research Evidence to Support the

Consultation Model in Itinerant Early

Childhood Special Education Services

Distributed Instruction vs. Massed Instruction…… The Spacing Effect

What It Is and Why It Should Matter to Itinerant Early Childhood Special Education Professionals

Research and Development Support

Margie Spino, M.A.

Doctoral Student - U. Toledo

Consultation vs. One-to-One and Small Group Instruction in Itinerant ECSE Services: Which is More Efficient ?

• The adoption of a consultation model as the primary mode of intervention in IECSE services must be based on the the effectiveness of instruction vs. traditional patterns of practice

Rationale for Consultation / Coaching in IECSE Services If periodic or episodic intervention (usually 60-90

minutes per week in traditional IECSE service delivery) is as efficient as distributed or spaced instruction (or practice), then there is no need to adopt a consultation model as the primary mode of intervention

• However….. if distributed or spaced instruction or practice is a more efficient model of learning, then adoption of a consultation approach to IECSE intervention is warranted

Rationale for Consultation / Coaching in IECSE Services

If consultation is to be considered as a preferred alternative to 60-90 minute, one-to-one or teacher-directed small group instruction, then the research base related to efficiency of child learning must be examined

Research Support: Distributed Instruction and Practice

AdultsEbbinghaus, 1885/1964Donovan & Radosevich, 1999, meta-analysisCepeda, Pashler, Vul, Wixted & Rohrer, 2006, meta-analysis

Children - ages 3 months to 8 years oldChilders & Tomasello, 2002 (word learning)

Rea & Modigliani, 1985 (spelling, math)Rovee-Collier, 1995 (visual recognition)Seabrook, Brown, & Solity, 2005 (phonics)

Massed vs. Distributed Practice

Massed Practice• Child instructed with same materials, multiple times in single session, without a break

• EXAMPLE: Identifying basic shapes for 20 minutes in one day

Distributed Practice• Child practices with

same or different materials, multiple times, with breaks between instruction/ practice

• EXAMPLE: Practice identifying basic shapes for 10 mins. during sessions scheduled several times per week

Research with Children

Rea and Modigliani,1985 3rd graders (8.5 years) taught spelling words and

math facts Students ranked as Level 1 (top half of class) or Level 2

(bottom half of class)

Results: Better on spelling and math tests when had spaced

instruction rather than massed instructions Spaced instruction was better for both Level 1 and 2

students (ability level didn’t matter)

Seabrook, Brown & Solity, 2005

Experiment Task: 34 children (mean age 5 years.6 mos.) taught

phonics over two weeks

Schedule: Clustered = one, 6-minute session per day within a

regular classroom setting. Distributed = three, 2-minute sessions per day within a

regular classroom setting

Results: Children in distributed condition had test scores 6 times greater than children in clustered condition

Childers and Tomasello, 2002

How many times (and how many days) does a 2-yr old need to hear a word to learn it?

In 2 experiments, 2 yr olds were taught ‘silly’ nouns and verbs (words they had never seen) over the course of a month in sessions lasting 5 - 10 min

Childers and Tomasello, 2002Results:

• Best learning occurred when teaching was distributed

• The more days that children heard the words, the better able they were to learn the words Best = 4 days, 3 days Worst = 1 day, 2 days

• Children learned words better if they heard the words 1x/day for 4 days rather than 8x/day for I day

Major Findings

Spacing (distributing) instruction benefited children and adults whether the tasks were physical or cognitive.

Spacing instruction within the day (e.g., three 2-min sessions/day) or across days (e.g., 1x/day for 4 days) helped children learn.

Implications for Education Practice

Current laws state that educational practice needs to be research-based (NCLB; IDEIA, 2004)

How should we schedule instruction for young children? Massed vs Spaced ? Research supports Spaced

How should we schedule the Itinerant ECSE teacher’s time? Direct instruction vs. Consultation / Coaching ?

Research suggests Consultation/Coaching

Project DIRECT Web Site

http://www.utoledo.edu/education/direct/

Web Site Includes:

• Training Modules related to Itinerant ECSE Services

• Articles and Links to Resources• Professional Development Tool (P.I.E.C.E.S.)

• Information re: Training Sessions

Contact Information:

Laurie Dinnebeil, Ph.D. – laurie.dinnebeil@utoledo.edu

Bill McInerney, Ph.D. – william.mcinerney@utoledo.edu

Lyn Hale, Ph.D. – lyn.hale@utoledo.eduMargie Spino, M.A. – margie.spino@rockets.utoledo.edu

Judith Herb College of Education - MS 954The University of Toledo2801 W. Bancroft St.,Toledo, OH 43606