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Stages of Learning
Stage 1—Skill acquisition:
Show-and-tell
The teacher introduces a new
skill to a child by giving concrete
examples of what the skill is and
how to use it. For example, the
teacher may say, “It’s hard to
wait until it is your turn to ride a
trike. I’m going to help you learn
how to wait.”
Stage 2—Skill fluency:
Practice makes perfect
The teacher provides many
opportunities to practice the skill
so the child can eventually use
it with ease. Practice opportunities
may include prompting the
child (“How can you ask to play
with Brendan?”), helping the
child remember to use the skill
(“I know you are disappointed
and you want a turn right now.
What can you do instead?”),
and identifying situations that
call for the use of the skill (“We
have three children who want to
sit at the art table and only one
chair. What can we do?”).
Stage 3—Skill maintenance
and generalization:
“You got it!”
The teacher continues to promote
the child’s use of the skill
in familiar and new situations.
For example, when the child
uses his newly learned skill of
giving compliments with his
mother, the teacher says, “You
gave your mom a compliment!
Look, she’s smiling because
you said you like her haircut.”
Adapted from D.B. Bailey & M. Wolery,
Teaching Infants and Preschoolers with
Disabilities, 2nd ed. (New York:
Macmillan, 1992).
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