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Steps in Priming

Forum References FAQ's Quiz Lecture Introduction Step One: Collaborate

The first step in priming is to determine who is going to prime and what activities are going to be involved. This can occur at an IEP meeting or a parent-teacher conference. A classroom teacher, resource room teacher, a parent or a paraprofessional may prime a student. It is important that everyone involved cooperate to make the priming intervention successful.

Step Two: Communicate

Once the teacher, support staff, and parents have decided who will prime, it is important that the teacher and the family communicate openly about what will be upcoming and covered in class. To do so, they must develop a system that allows for communication between the teacher and primer. The system should address the following:

  1. Who will prepare the priming materials?
  2. Where and when can the primer access the priming materials?
  3. How will the primer notify the teacher that the priming has occurred?
  4. How will it be determined that priming is an effective strategy?
  5. How will the problems be addressed?
  6. Is a scheduled meeting time needed to overview how priming is proceeding?
  7. How will this communication take place?

(Wilde, Koegel, & Koegel, 1992)

Step Three: Prime

After communication and collaboration strategies have been developed and implemented, the actual priming session can take place. There are five basic guidelines to follow when priming.

Guidelines for Priming

  1. Develop a Routine
    Choose a specific time and place to hold the priming sessions, such as at the dinner table after dinner or in a special place at school.
  2. Introduce the Material
    Familiarize the student with the new material or academic procedure. This is not a time to teach new concepts. The material will be discussed again during the classroom lesson, so it is not necessary for the student to completely understand the new concept in the priming session. Briefly tell the child that she will have a lesson using the materials and explain the purpose of the lesson.
  3. Be Patient and Encouraging
    Priming sessions are more successful when the primer is patient and relaxed and the child is allowed to explore the new material. Additionally, it is essential to keep the sessions short. Encourage the student to understand that the priming sessions are included to help her get ready to learn about new ideas.
  4. Give Rewards
    Always reward the student for all attempts to participate in the session. The priming session is meant to be a positive experience, so reinforce for appropriate participation as well as approximations of expected behavior.
  5. Provide Choices
    Students can be active participants in priming and should be provided the opportunity to participate in many of the decisions related to priming. If possible, allow the student to assist in deciding where the priming session will be held, what reinforcement will be used, and what material will be covered in the session.

Step Four: Provide Feedback

Communication between the teacher and the primer continues after the priming session. After each session, the primer should notify the teacher of the results of the activity. A priming form (Click here to open it) can be helpful in recording important information about the priming session and the classroom lesson. The classroom teacher can initially fill out the date and assignment. After the priming session, the primer completes the next two sections, primed - yes or no, and child’s behavior, and returns the form to the classroom teacher. Finally, the classroom teacher can indicate on the form the student's behavior during the lesson and provide comments as needed. The attached form can be passed from teacher to primer back to teacher daily.

Priming should not be a strictly enforced activity. If a priming session takes place under stressful circumstances, the student may experience stress and anxiety, which defeats the purpose. It is better not to prime at all than to prime in a stressful and rushed environment. If a priming session is not held, valuable information can still be gained. For example, this is a good time to note if the absence of the priming session made any impact on the student’s behavior in the actual situation. During the instruction of the unprimed activity, it is important to determine if problem behaviors increased, decreased or remained unchanged. Making this determination will help guide the implementation of future priming sessions.

Sample Activities

  • Exploring the material
  • Reading the story
  • Showing the visual schedule
  • Practicing with art supplies
  • Talking about and showing finished product
  • Playing the game
  • Watching a segment of the videotape or looking at the video jacket

 

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