Lesson Starters

Peer-Assisted Instruction/Support to teach Social Interactions

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Objective: To expand the use of communication books by teaching students to ask novel peer-directed questions that were not contained in their communication books.

Settings and Materials

Setting

General education academic class, resource classroom, library, and various locations during lunch (i.e., hallways, school courtyard, classroom, or cafeteria)

Materials

Communication book

Content Taught

  • Asking novel peer-directed questions using a communication book to converse with general education peers at school.

Teaching Procedures

Steps for Peer-Directed Questioning

  1. Peer will read a script with a rationale for asking novel peer-directed questions (explaining that asking questions shows that you are interested).
  2. The peer models how to ask questions using a communication book, waiting for a response, and then follows up with a novel peer-directed question (e.g., What class did you have last period? Do you like it? Do you like the teacher?)
  3. The peer and student role-play with the student using the communication book to ask novel peer-directed questions
  4. If the student does not ask a novel question or skipped a card, the peer provides a verbal prompt, “Ask me another question about that”
  5. The peer provides verbal praise for novel peer-directed questions and reminds the student to ask novel peer-direct questions during conversations with peers
  • Peers work with multiple students over time

Evaluation

Teachers should evaluate students’ performance by calculating a percentage of intervals in which participants asked novel peer-directed questions and partners responses.

Lesson Starter Based On:

Reilly, C., Hughes, C., Harvey, M., Brigham, N., Cosgriff, J., Kaplan, L., & Bernstein R. (2014). “Let’s talk!”: Increasing novel peer-directed questions by high school students with autism to their general education peers. Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 49(2), 214–231.

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Lesson Starter: Using Peer-Assisted Instruction/Support to teach Social Interactions (docx)

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The contents of this Research to Practice Lesson Starter were developed under a grant (H326E200003) from the Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.

This product is public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted. While permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation should be:

National Technical Assistance Center on Transition: the Collaborative (2021). Research to practice lesson starter: Using parent training to promote parent knowledge in the transition process. University of North Carolina at Charlotte.