Frequently Asked Questions

• What will teachers learn to do in this program?
• Do teachers have to sacrifice their preferred styles, methods, and practices to use this program?
• How do you define rapport?
• Why focus on rapport?
• Do you offer credit hours or continuing education units (CEUs)?
• I know what practice is, but what do you mean by models and feedback?
• Why focus on practice, models, and feedback?
• How do you define learning?
• How will my workload and the number of things I have to think about be reduced?
• Will LEARNING FIRST seem totally new to me?
• I don't have enough time as it is. How will I find the time to add LEARNING FIRST to my classroom?
• How do I get started?
• I am having trouble viewing pages on your site. Is there anything I can do?
• How do I download video files?

• use a new instructional design process to develop their own "Learning Experiences" as they see fit
• use rapport techniques that will help them successfully carry out their new learning experiences in their classrooms
• pass the 16 quality checks so their learning experiences and rapport techniques have the greatest chance of increasing learning and decreasing behavioral problems that interfere with learning
• add Practice Time as a structured and successful part of their classroom routine

No. This program is about adding some new tools and techniques to the repertoire of skills teachers already have. It is assumed that teachers will do some experimenting during their current lessons and that their many skills will be instrumental in the successful use of Learning First.

RAPPORT refers to having enough genuine and mutual liking, trust, or understanding between everyone in the classroom to at least accomplish tasks as expected in the workplace and at best to meet complex challenges that require collaboration.

RAPPORT is a new strategy for behavior management. This strategy increases learning behaviors and decreases disruptive behaviors. RAPPORT is built by using proven rapport techniques that are similar to ones teachers already use. These behavior management techniques help teachers communicate with students indirectly (no-talk techniques) and directly (talk-techniques) in ways that build rapport and help students stay "in control" and manage their own behaviors. The value added to classrooms is that the energy spent on managing behaviors gradually shifts from teachers to students.

We are working on being able to offer credit hours and CEUs but are not yet able to do so. Here are two suggestions you can pursue on your own. For CEUs, speak with your professional development coordinator in advance about including our program in your professional development plan. For credit hours, contact your university advisor in advance to see if you can use it for independent study. Here are some talking points: the descriptions on the Products Info link show what you will learn; our complete program is the equivalent of two graduate level courses awarded a total of 6-8 credit hours; total hours to complete the program, without counting hours when you are practicing what you learn in your classroom, is estimated at 200-250 or 6-8 hours per week; suggest using the log you keep in the program and the learning experiences you develop as part of your portfolio for documenting your work.

Models are examples of the work of others that meet the teacher's success criteria that students can examine to get ideas from for their own work. Feedback is information that students receive while they are practicing that helps them be successful.

Practice, models, and feedback represent the only agreements about how learning occurs among behavioral, cognitive, and social-psychological learning theorists. When these are used together in lessons a Practice Loop forms that provides a new structure for instruction. The value added to classrooms is that students learn without the constant presence and prodding of their teachers. Practice directions let students know WHAT they are to do while the models and feedback let them know HOW to stay within the acceptable range of the teacher's expectations.

Learning refers to the type of learning that becomes permanent and transfers to other situations and settings.

These reductions are made possible by learning to use the 16 Quality Checks. These Checks help you make quick & effective decisions when planning and carrying out your plans. They are also the reason you can implement this program ANY WAY YOU WANT because as long as you meet the Quality-Checks your efforts will be successful.

The RAPPORT strategy and the LEARNING FIRST design process are likely to seem totally new to you. Many of the discrete techniques and skills, however, will not seem totally new to you. You are already using a lot of them for instructional or behavioral management purposes. You are likely to be pleasantly surprised when you find out to what extent what you already do helps your students maintain internal controls and how easy it can be to multiply the good effects. You will learn to improve your current techniques so they are more effective and learn any that are new to you so that you can put learning first.

Except for the time it takes to do the program itself, adding LEARNING FIRST to your classroom should not take more time than what you are already spending on instruction and behavior management. In the case of instruction, for example, you are already spending time developing and improving your lessons; you would simply substitue and try Learning First. In the case of behavior management, you are already spending time and energy using your current techniques; you would substitute the rapport techniques without using more time but with much better results. Teachers who have used LEARNING FIRST over time say that they end up spending less time than they previously spent on developing lessons and behavior management.

Go to the Products Info page and view the "Learning Experience" by clicking on the appropriate red or green header in the content area. Follow the instructions.

Make sure "pop ups" are enabled on your browser. If your "pop-up" blocker is on, you will not be able to view some very important parts of our program. Models, Scenarios, Answers, Key Points & Connect the Dots are all viewed in a "pop-up" window.

Viewing Models, Scenarios & Feedback Devices
When reviewing the models or scenarios, whether text, audio or video, you will want to have your feedback device window on your desktop up as well. Place the model or scenario window along side the feedback desktop window to view at the same time. You can do this by placing your mouse pointer over the "pop-up" window's header bar, left click the mouse and hold down, and then move the mouse while holding down; the bar/window will move to placement.

Should your "pop-up" window disappear, please look on your task bar below and click on to bring back up. You may also minimize your larger windows to see any windows behind them.

You may download the video files to your computer or launch in your video player. However, your video player will need time to download video file before video can be viewed.

An alternate video player to Windows Media Player is "Real Player". You can download this player from www.real.com.

You may need to update the divx codex on your computer as well: www.divx.com. Please close all programs before updating your DIVX.