What are teacher prompts and why might they be used in the classroom? In what ways can teacher prompts become ineffective or intrusive to children with delays or disabilities?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Teacher prompts involve any assistance that a teacher (or other adult) gives to a child to help them perform a particular, desired behavior. Prompts are often used to help a child perform a behavior that he or she would not normally perform on his or her own without the prompting. Student’s answers will vary on the second part but should address the ineffective nature of some prompts. For example, not all children require prompts to assist them in performing certain activities or behaviors. Teachers must be careful to discern what prompts are needed and those that aren't. Prompts should truly be helpful to a child and careful not to "point out" a child's disability. For example, a child who is visually impaired can be given a spatial cue regarding reading time. That is, a book is provided at the table in front of them. A teacher can say "it's time to read, let's get our books" (a direct verbal prompt), followed by the spatial prompt of the book being in arms reach of the child. A more intrusive, ineffective prompt would be if they teacher grabbed the hand of the child (physical prompt) and led their hand to the book. This type of prompt clearly identifies the child's disability, but also leads to less independence for the child since he or she isn't allowed to reach for the book on his or her own.