• Help learners become aware of the behaviour problem and how to self-monitor
  • Practitioners need to select the behaviour and precisely explain to the learners the nature of the problem and what exactly would constitute improvement.
  • Practitioners can then assist learners by developing a rating scale to rate behaviour and document improvement.
  • Practitioners can demonstrate how they would rate the behaviour and verbalize aloud their process of decision-making.¹⁹

How to use a rating scale

A rating scale may be developed to help assess learners' behaviour and help them self-monitor the effects of various strategies. The scale can be established with 0 representing the ability to focus and the number 5 referring to learners being totally off task. Learners are taught how to chart their focus levels. Next, they identify what level of concentration is needed to complete a task effectively. For example, proofreading a document might require a level 2 or less, and doing research on the computer or surfing the net would be possible at all levels of concentration. Learners are encouraged to match their focus level with the tasks at hand. If during 30 minutes learners rate a 0 on their ability to focus but choose to surf the net instead of doing proofreading, then they have wasted the opportunity to do a task that requires a higher level of focus. The scale can be used to evaluate their use of time and also to evaluate their progress on changing behaviour, as illustrated in the next example. An adult tends to use sarcastic remarks while participating in a small group setting. He/she tends to use sarcastic remarks about once every 20 minutes. The learner, together with the practitioner, wants to work on decreasing the frequency of using sarcastic remarks. They may set the time interval for every 25 minutes and increase the time as the learner improves in the time period and eventually phases the behaviour out.