Episodes
Dr. Hank Pennypacker, a pioneer in the Science of Human Behavior, shared profound insights about the standard celeration chart in amongst the many wisdoms he describtes in this podcast. Despite its limited adoption, he emphasized the immeasurable value of the chart to those wanting to make accurate predictions about behavior. Dr. Pennypacker passionately advocates for the widespread use of precise measurement to fields involving human behavior and why percent correct lacks the arguably...
Published 06/09/23
Published 06/09/23
In this episode, we take a quick side step from ABA to talk about one of the most hotly debated issues in the US right now and one that Precision Teacher Abigail Calkin writes about in her book, The Carolyne Letters; A Story of Birth, Abortion, and Adoption . In this episode, Abigail poses questions and talks about the complexities of pregnancy and parenthood and the impact those complexities have on family units. Abigail Calkin, a published author and a precision teacher, will shed some...
Published 10/27/22
Be prepared for Dr. Kimberly Berens’ extraordinarily important message regarding learning disabilities!  In the US, 20% of kids are considered to have a learning disability of some kind. Dr. Berens explains in Episode 14 of the podcast that only a tiny fraction of children—less than 1%—have a real neurological impairment. This suggests that more kids are being labeled with learning disabilities that are Explanatory Fictions, as opposed to measuring learning across time and assessing for...
Published 10/19/22
This is Part 2 of Patrick McGreevy's ABA & PT Podcast interview. In this episode, we'll learn more about how the standard celeration chart works and how a slight difference in its size can cause the frequency multiplier to be distorted. Patrick emphasizes the benefits of using frequency data over percentage correct, among other things. He also recalls the final moments of Ogden's life.   Join our The ABA and PT Podcast Facebook Group to get access to the following resources: Facebook...
Published 09/30/22
If you were Dr Ogden R. Lindsley’s student, you were either all in or you weren’t, because precision teaching necessitates passion, dedication and an adherence to B.F. Skinner’s discovery of Rate of Response as the primary and most sensitive measure of behavior.  From the first time Patrick McGreevy heard Ogden speak he was “all in”! This is Part 1 of the recording of my interview with Dr Patrick McGreevy, or Brother Pat as Og called him. In part 1 he shares how he fell in love with...
Published 09/20/22
Precision teachers, according to Jack Auman, have an impact on students similar to the Butterfly Effect because of the small changes that can have enormous positive outcomes. In this episode, Jack talks about his journey to Precision Teaching after he met Steve Graf. From scorekeeping at a baseball game together to the adventures that they had together. He goes on to discuss Steve's brilliant ideas and how he used his own programming knowledge to bring them to life.   Join our The ABA and...
Published 06/24/22
This episode tells the story of a humble, passionate, and inspiring human being who gave his all for the science of Precision Teaching. Dr. Carl Koenig was instrumental in the creation of the behavior chart, now called the Standard Celeration Chart and the foundations of Precision Teaching. Carl spent over a decade of his life working alongside Dr. Ogden Lindsley through the highs and lows of shaping Precision Teaching in the 60s and 70s. In this episode, he will take us on a journey...
Published 05/14/22
Richard McManus is the owner of The Fluency Factory, a PT learning lab in Massachusetts, and has been a Precision Teacher for more than 4 decades. In this episode, Richard recounts his life experience, beginning with his father's early influence, and his progressive use of inclusivity. He also talks about the individuals that have inspired him to advocate for the underprivileged. With his courage and resilience, Richard has influenced so many teachers, parents, and students. He firmly...
Published 04/13/22
Michael Maloney is a researcher and educator with over 50 years of combined experience in both private and public schools. Together with his colleague, Eric Haughton, he integrated behavior analysis, direct instruction, and precision teaching into a highly effective learning approach.  Michael takes us on a journey through his life, from being fired for disrupting the learning system at the school where he worked to meeting remarkable individuals that contributed to his incredible work....
Published 03/23/22
It’s an absolute honor to have one of the pioneers of precision teaching on the show, Dr. Clay Starlin. You’ll hear in this episode how he paved the way for teachers and disenfranchised children as he takes us on a journey through the profession that he has loved for nearly five decades of his life. You'll learn about his childhood, his own struggles with reading as a child, and what ultimately motivated him to focus on improving student outcomes through the use of precise measurement. He...
Published 03/05/22
Elizabeth Haughton is a highly recognized educational consultant, the Founder of the Haughton Learning Center, and recipient of both the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ and the ‘Our Teacher Award’ from the Standard Celeration Society. Elizabeth spent roughly 5 decades of her life helping children using her research-based methods to improve teaching and learning strategies. It’s a privilege to have Elizabeth back on the show to talk more about her insightful discoveries and learning methods....
Published 02/17/22
Elizabeth Haughton is a highly recognized educational consultant, the Founder of the Haughton Learning Center, and recipient of both the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ and the ‘Our Teacher Award’ from the Standard Celeration Society. She has been a precision teacher for more than 50 years and joins us today to talk about her combination of heart and science within her teaching model. She explains how she incorporated precision teaching with her students in a classroom setting and what led...
Published 01/12/22
Dr. John Eshleman has dedicated his life to making our science successful for all. Standing in Ogden Lindsley's wish for the use of plain English in Precision Teaching, he has the ability to express complex scientific phenomena in understandable language. John joins us in this episode to discuss a variety of topics from the richness of SAFMEDS to his explanation of Ogden's “Common Language for Analyzing Behavior”. He shares his views on how our rich underpinnings have been watered down in a...
Published 12/08/21
In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Kimberly Nix Berens; a scientist-educator and Founder of Fit Learning. As she shares her story of how she found her way through Behavior Science and Precision Teaching, Dr. Kim also provides tons of anecdotes from her learning experiences with mentors, the development of Precision Teaching, and her personal encounter with Ogden Lindsley. She speaks of her vision for automation of data to allow the collection of data in classrooms, the challenges faced in...
Published 11/24/21
In this episode, we welcome back Dr. Abigail B. Calkin as she continues to share her extraordinary journey through Behavior Analysis and Precision Teaching, especially on her move to Kansas to earn a Ph.D. under the supervision of Ogden Lindsley. She also taps into some interesting parts of her life where she developed the one-minute timing method in order to change her behavior and relationships, how she learned Russian using SAFMEDS, and how charting has helped her find out and minimize...
Published 11/10/21
This episode is part one of a two-part series featuring Dr. Abigail B. Calkin; a teacher, writer, and poet who has combined Precision Teaching and inner behavior in her work with adults and children. Abigail takes us back to her extraordinary journey through psychology and teaching, then to Behavior Analysis and Precision Teaching. From her early life to her schooling experiences, she cites the significant events that lead her on a bold, courageous, and extraordinary life. In part 1, she...
Published 10/27/21
In this bridging episode of The ABA & PT podcast (formerly known as The ABA & OT podcast), Mandy explains the podcast relaunch with the new direction— which is now centered around the journeys and discoveries of the giants in the field of Precision Teaching & ABA.    RESOURCES Join The ABA and PT Podcast Facebook Group to get access to the following resources: Facebook group link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/397478901376425  
Published 10/27/21
Time constraints are making it difficult for behavioral therapists to analyze the data they’ve collected. Bethan's goal is to bring charting to people in order to help them produce an efficient and measurable output. Bethan Mair Williams has worked as a Speech and Language Therapist in the British public health sector for over 20 years. She has an amazing organization called the British Royal College Clinical Excellence Network for Speech Therapists. In today's episode, Bethan shares a very...
Published 08/19/21
This episode is a continuation of the previous episode featuring Liz Lefebre and Amy Evans, both highly acclaimed practitioners of Precision Teaching. They highlight a thinking process of how to get precise when writing your goals. Combining measurable data in the SMART approach, practitioners can set even more attainable goals for the learners.  HIGHLIGHTS 02:14 Being Specific on what you’re teaching and what the students are supposed to do 06:59 Setting measurable frequencies 09:43...
Published 08/04/21
This episode is part one of a two-part series featuring Liz Lefebre and Amy Evans, both highly acclaimed practitioners of Precision Teaching, as they discuss how to write more accurately measurable goals and their benefits.  SMART goals are more overarching while precision teaching uses a more fine-tuned approach. By observing a learner's component skills and using charts, teachers can come up with more accurate goals and develop tailor-fit interventions. This includes determining pinpoints...
Published 07/21/21
The ABCs of behavior is an important tool to analyze whether a certain behavior is likely to happen again or not. The key here is that consequence matters. For OTs, it is possible to measure the effectiveness of interventions by hypothesizing and data-taking. Discussed today is the case of Johnny's rocking and some antecedent (environmental) interventions that could usher in permanent change and affect the consequences of this action. Also discussed today are ways to get assent from clients...
Published 07/07/21
Using percent correct has become the industry standard in behavior analysis. Dr. Rick Kubina, CentralReach’s Director of Research and Professor of Special Education at The Pennsylvania State University, joins the show today to shed light on a more objective way of looking at data using precision teaching.  Though percent correct is useful in coming up with ratios, it is not always the best measure because of the ease with which the results can be manipulated. Precision teaching looks at the...
Published 06/16/21
Taking data vastly improves the performance of both students and teachers alike. ABAs and OTs can determine the best course of action for increasing or reducing behaviors with data to back them up, while students also feel more motivated with their increased awareness.  Discussed today are the practical reasons for taking data, specific steps you can take to start taking data, and the common barriers to taking good data. Data collection goals between ABAs and OTs may also be different, so...
Published 06/02/21
Today's episode features Sasha Long, BCBA and Founder of The Autism Helper. There are areas for improvement in the relationship between ABA and OT, so Sasha shares her experiences and tips to help make the work more collaborative and effective.    The differences in approach between the fields of ABA and OT present an opportunity to enhance both practices. By honestly touching on the pain points of this relationship, Mandy, Aditi, and Sasha recognize the benefits that each field brings to the...
Published 05/19/21