Teaching Loosely
Also called: train loosely, loose training
Definition
Deliberately varying the non-essential features of teaching — wording, tone, position, materials, time of day — so that no irrelevant detail comes to control the response. It is one of the generalization strategies described by Stokes and Baer and it counters the tendency for a skill to work only under the exact conditions of teaching.
In plain language
Change the small things that do not matter, like your wording or where you sit, so the learner does not get stuck on them.
Example
The instruction for a matching task is given sometimes as "match," sometimes as "put with same," sometimes with a gesture, from different chairs.
Not teaching loosely
Always saying "match" in the same tone from the same chair with the same cards. Tightly controlled teaching, which risks a narrow skill.
See also
Written from
- stokes-baer-1977
Written from Stokes and Baer (1977). No textbook glossary consulted.
This entry has not yet been through clinical review. Treat it as a draft.