Errorless Teaching in the Natural Environment

Errorless teaching is an evidence-based teaching technique within the framework of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). Errorless teaching (AKA: errorless learning, 0-second prompt delay, simultaneous prompting), is an instructional strategy that aims to minimize or eliminate errors during the learning process, by immediately providing a sufficient prompt after the instruction is given, in order to reduce the chances of an error occurring. Prompts and cues are then systematically faded so that the learner is doing the response as independently as possible. This is a most-to-least prompting technique and can be used to teach a wide range of skills. It is most successful with skills that are able to be fully prompted, such as physical responses (e.g. the teacher is telling/asking the student to do something).

Errorless teaching can be used in the natural environment to support natural learning opportunities, by teachers immediately providing sufficient levels of prompts to learners, to ensure the learners do the correct responses. 

The goal is to help learners get the correct response on the first try, rather than risk the possibility of them getting errors and then having to correct them and possibly lose valuable teaching time. It can be a helpful teaching strategy for learners who engage in problematic behavior when they make errors or have to be corrected, as well as for those who memorize responses quickly and could potentially memorize the incorrect response.  

Steps

1. Prompt - Give the instruction and then immediately help the learner give the correct response
2. Transfer - Repeat the instruction and then give less of a prompt or no prompt. The idea is for the learner to do the correct response as independently as possible
3. Distract - Give 1-3  different instructions that the learner already knows how to respond to correctly and independently and allow them to give the correct responses
4. Check - Give the original instruction and allow a few seconds for the student to respond 
   1. If the student responds correctly and independently, immediately praise and reinforce
   2. If the student responds incorrectly, immediately do an error correction procedure
      1. Error Correction Procedure:
         1. End - remove attention and materials for a couple of seconds to show that a new teaching trial is about to start
         2. Repeat Errorless Teaching - Re-do the ‘Prompt, Transfer, Distract, Check’ sequence, but modify it as needed (e.g. more intrusive prompting, repeated prompting, slower prompt fading, fewer distract trials, etc.)

Summary

Errorless teaching is a teaching method that aims to reduce or eliminate mistakes during learning by providing immediate prompts or cues to guide students towards the correct response. The goal is to create an optimal learning environment that maximizes success and minimizes frustration.