Precision Teaching

Precision teaching is a precise and systematic method of evaluating instructional tactics and curricula, one of the few quantitative analysis of behavior forms of applied behavior analysis. It was pioneered by Ogden Lindsley in the 1960s, based largely on B. F. Skinner's operant conditioning, and it is a type of programmed instruction that focuses heavily on frequency, meaning how often a behavior occurs in a given time, as its main measure. By focusing on fluency rather than mere accuracy, a teacher can adjust curricula for each individual learner to maximize learning based on that learner's own measured fluency, charting performance over time to guide instructional decisions. The instruction itself can use any method or approach, and precision teaching has been reported to combine especially effectively with direct instruction; it has been used with learners ranging from the severely disabled to university graduate students, and from young children to elderly adults.