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Task Analysis
Task Analysis
What happens when students continually fail to gain reinforcement because they
simply cannot perform a skill in first place? Consider the three examples:
A 4th –grade student looks at the results of the latest mathematics test. “
No credit on almost half of the problems again because I made one dumb
mistake in each problem. I hate math!”
A 10th grade student finds some excuse each day for avoiding the softball
game in gym class. The student cannot catch a ball and now refuses to try
In order to use shaping, the teacher must take the final complex behavior
the student is expected to the master and break it down into a number of small
steps. One approach that identifies the small steps is task analysis, originally
developed by R.B. Miller (1962) {{Miller, R. B. (1962). Analysis and specification of
behavior for training. In R. Glaser(Ed.), Training research and education:Science
edition. New York: Wiley.}} Miller’s system begins with definition of the final
performance requirement, what the trainee (or student) must be able to do at
the end of the program or unit. Then, the steps that will lead to the final goal are
specified. The procedure simply breaks skills and processes down into subskills
and subprocess- small steps to success.