Interview with the TAGteacher – Martha Gabler

By Luca Canever

On Jan 26, 2023 I had the honour of interviewing Martha Gabler. Martha is the author of the book: Chaos to Calm: Discovering solutions to the everyday problems of living with autism a book about her experiences teaching her non-verbal son using TAGteach. Martha has a deep, first hand experience of the ideas and insights she shares. Take this short video from the interview. This is what Martha told us right at the end:

After the interview I received from Martha the following email. I found it such an important message that I want to share with you:

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Building behaviors: Teach the pieces before you assemble them

By Mary Hunter M.Sc.

I’d like to share a quote with you from behavior analyst Dr. Beth Sulzer-Azaroff. (Editor’s note: Dr. Beth Sulzer-Azaroff was a pioneer in the field of behavior analysis who passed away in Feb 2022 at the age of 92).

I first came across Dr. Sulzer-Azaroff’s work a handful of years ago when I was redesigning an undergraduate class that I taught at that time. My mission, which was to learn as much as I could about mastery-based instruction and Dr. Fred Keller’s Personalized System of Instruction, led me to some of the articles and textbooks by Dr. Sulzer-Azaroff.

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New TAGteach Studies and Publications

There have been 17 items added to the TAGteach reference list, including 4 published studies, since the last time it was updated in Nov 2019. We’re super grateful to everyone who has made the effort to conduct a study on TAGteach and to write up their results!

The total number of references in our list in the various categories is:

  • Published studies: 24
  • Published Books that Have Significant References to TAGteach: 7
  • Published Review Articles that Mention TAGteach: 3
  • Graduate Theses: 30
  • Presentations and Unpublished Studies: 70

We’re very proud of the substantial research base on TAGteach!

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TAGteach® Terms

Here is a list of the official TAGteach terms showing their proper spacing and capitalization. The term TAGteach is a registered trademark and should include the registered trademark symbol ® the first time it’s used in an article.

This list shows the way that the terms should be written in a sentence. Regular capitalization rules apply if they’re used in a heading or title.

TAG (as acronym for Teaching with Acoustical Guidance) and TAGteach are interchangeable. Please note that TAGteach is written as 1 word with the TAG in upper case and the teach in lower case. TAGteacher and TAGteaching are also written this way, but other terms such as tag point are written in lower case as two words. When used as a noun or verb, tag is written in lower case.

TAG (as acronym for Teaching with Acoustical Guidance)
TAGteach®
TAGteacher
TAGteaching
tag (as noun or verb)
tagger
tag triangle
tag point
tagulator
focus funnel
point of success
three try rule
peer tagging
tag phrasing
TAGteach script (click here to download)
WOOF (What you Want, One thing, Observable, Five words or less)

Learn About TAGteach with 1-Hour Mini-Course

Take an hour and learn about the basic terms and how they all work together as part of TAGteach in our online course: Fundamentals of TAGteach for only $39.

Glossary of TAGteach Terms and Phrases

Download the glossary in English as a PDF
Download the glossary in four languages (English, French, Italian and German)

Applied Behavior Analysis

The field of science from which TAGteach and other reinforcement-based teaching and training technologies have been developed.

Behavior

Physical activity in general; or a specific movement or group of related movements (‘a behavior’).

Conditioned Reinforcer

Any stimulus that has acquired positive reinforcing properties through association with other reinforcers such as food, praise or success.  [The tagger is a conditioned reinforcer -providing a positive stimulus that occurs simultaneously with a desired act or response.]

Focus fatigue

Mental fatigue that occurs when a tag session is too long for a particular learner.

Focus Funnel

A technique used in planning and teaching.  Beginning with a broad lesson, information is reduced into more concrete directions and then reduced again to a precise tag point. (Also see reverse focus funnel)

Incompatible behavior

Short for differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior (DRI). Eliminate a designated behavior by strengthening other behaviors that are incompatible with it.

Operant Conditioning

Any procedure by which a behavior becomes more or less likely to occur, depending on its consequences. [In TAGteach, the consequences are always positive and desired responses become more likely to occur.]

Peer Tagging

Student-to-student tag configurations and activities.

Point of Success

A behavior to start or to repeat, for which the student is guaranteed a tag.

Positive Reinforcement

A procedure in which a behavior is paired with a desired stimulus or event that will increase the chance of the behavior happening again in the future.

Reverse Focus Funnel

Deliver the least amount of information necessary for success first (tag point). Once the behavior has been accomplished, and the learner is more confident, additional information can be delivered.  This is useful in situations where too much information may overwhelm the learner and cause a loss of concentration. 

Shaping

An operant learning procedure in which small increments of a desired response are reinforced.  By reinforcing some small response, and then selecting stronger or longer occurrences, one can ‘shape’ or build a more elaborate behavior.

Stimulus

Something in the environment that can be sensed – a sound, an object, a color, etc. A discriminative stimulus is something the learner can perceive which indicates an action to be taken (for example a red light is a stimulus to step on the brake).

Marker

Something which “marks” or identifies a desired action. Typically a TAGteach marker emits a brief, distinct, uniform stimulus used to pinpoint movement as it is happening; a click from a ball point pen, a clicker, hand clap, a finger snap. Some Smart phone applications provide appropriate marker tones.

Tag

As a verb it is the action of marking someone’s correct behavior (as in “tag for each blink”).  As a noun, it means the mark that is placed on a correct behavior (as in “You got 5 tags today!”). (see Marker)

Tag Phrasing

The wording used for preparing and delivering tag points (see WOOF)

Tag Point

The specific aspect of a behavior that when/as performed will receive the audible mark (tag). (see WOOF for tag point criteria)

Tag Triangle

The three components of the TAGteach process: Identify, Mark and Reinforce.

TAGteach

TAGteach is a protocol that promotes positive interactions for increased productivity and success. The acronym TAG stands for Teaching with Acoustical Guidance and refers to the audible marker, a key tool used in the system designed to highlight success. The TAGteach protocol also includes tools to deliver information, reduce inefficient language, assess performance, create confidence and deliver positive reinforcement.

Tagulator

A device made from beads that slide on a string that allows the teacher or learner to keep track of the number of tags they have earned or given.

Three Try Rule

If a learner fails to perform the designated tag point three times, the teacher creates and delivers a more achievable tag point.  The three try rule is more of a guide than a rule. Some learners want to work things out for themselves and will try several times without getting discouraged. Others would rather take very small steps forward and succeed nearly every time.

Value Added Tag Point

A single tag point in which more than one problem may be resolved.  (e.g., The tag point “keys in pocket”, would keep the keys from being misplaced and from being locked in the car.)

WOOF

The acronym defining the four criteria for a tag point: What you want, One criterion, Observable and definable, Five words or less 

(Some technical definitions are adapted from Learning and Behavior.  Third Edition, by Paul Chance, Ph. D.  Brooks Cole, Pub. Pacific Grove, CA.  1994)  

Behavior Analysis – Where a Little Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing

By Michael Maloney PhD

Almost every classroom has at least one obstreperous student, many have several. Some teachers have or develop ways to deal with these students, other don’t. These students are often removed from class, sent to the principal’s office, suspended or even expelled. In many cases, they will be diagnosed with some condition, emotionally disturbed, ADHD, etc. Such a diagnosis plants the problem squarely inside the child and relieves the school of any real responsibility.

Sometimes, behavior modification is recommended. A program is designed and implemented and in many situations has little, if any, effect and after a brief sojourn, is discontinued. Behavior management programs are then discounted, put on the shelf and deemed not to work.

If one takes a closer, even more critical look at the process, a number of features typically stand out.

  • First and foremost, the program that was implemented was not a replication of one that is among the almost 100,000 reported research studies in the journals using behavior analysis to solve classroom behavior management problems.
  • Secondly, the proposed program sprung full-blown and untested from the mind of some teacher, special education specialist or other consultant who in most cases, turns out not to have an extensive background in applied behavior management.
  • Thirdly, and most critically, no data is associated with the procedure to determine its effectiveness.
  • Finally, this is not a “behavior management program” at all, just an attempt to mimic what its originator thinks behavior management to be based on their limited knowledge and belief.

If you want to know whether of not the attempted remediation is, in fact, a “behavior management program”, ask to see the data.

No Data – No Behavior Management Program

Here’s the rule: No recorded data equals no behavior management program. Full stop. No exceptions.

More About Michael Maloney

With 40 years of teaching experience, 25 learning centers around the globe, & 34 books to his credit, it’s no wonder he was named Canada’s Literacy Educator of the Year in 2001.

Michael Maloney is an educator, researcher, writer and speaker with over 50 years of hands-on experience in both the private and public education sectors. He has used this experience to pursue his dream of sharing his highly effective teaching methods with people around the world.

Michael’s methods have taught over 100,000 students to read. He’s a global leader in effective education strategies and he’s dedicated his career to ending illiteracy.