- The terms evidence-based instruction, research-based instruction, and scientifically-based instruction are often used interchangeably. What is the basic meaning of such terms and the approach to instructional practices and interventions advocated in their name.
The terms evidence-based instruction, research based instruction, and scientifically based instruction actually refer to the use of an evidence-based approach applied in the field of education, or in this case special education. The evidence-based approach on the other hand refers to an application approach that is actually being used in a wide variety of disciplines. Some examples of disciplines where this approach is being commonly used is in the field of medicine, public and allied health, and in this case, special education. Some studies suggest that the use of the evidence-based practice or approach has been intended for the use of clinicians, so that they can relate real-world evidences with the way how they handle their patients and treat their conditions. Evidence-based practice or approach has been formally introduced to the academic community in 1992. As years passed, the approach gained popularity and it eventually spread to other disciplines like dentistry, psychology, nursing, education, and other fields. The true meaning of the approach can be more easily and concretely understood by knowing its key principles. The two basic principles of EBP suggests that all basic and practical decisions related to a particular field—which in this case is education, should be backed up by and based on research studies (e.g. academic journals, case studies, randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies, and etc.) and that those research studies have undergone careful selection, review and interpretation in accordance to the norms of evidence-based practice. In the field of education, for an instructional program to be classified as evidence-based, the collection of practices that can be found in the program should have been tested and shown to have a high level of validity and reliability to be successful and effective in whatever the goals of the program may be . In which case, the success of a program, or its effectiveness when put in practice is tested based on a set of factors which include: the objectives of the program, the validity, the reliability, systematicness, and exposure to peer-reviews.
- What did you learn in the program you are not completing, including in student teaching, about specific evidence-based methods of instruction and intervention? Which courses were most helpful in this regard?
I learned that evidence-based practice is an important approach to learn even in a very fast evolving discipline such as education . In the past, educators have been mainly guided by common sense when it comes to making practical decisions. However, when I learned about this approach, I have been more inspired and actually pressured to read more academic journals about the latest trends in teaching, managing the classroom, and even making my life as a teaching professional easier and more worthwhile. I have also learned that there are a lot of things that I can do and research about to improve myself as a teaching professional as well as to make sure that my students earn a part of that growth by learning something more from me, something which are evidence-based too, every day. Evidence-based practice for me is one of the most concrete examples or manifestations if not the most concrete one, of the popular rhetoric that suggests that teaching is a double-edged sword because the students are not the only ones who learn in the process but also their teacher. One specific example of what I learned from doing evidence-based research in the field of education was the evidence that explains how teachers can be authoritative and close to his or her students at the same time and how such a classroom and student-handling approach can prove to be effective when they tested it in real world conditions.
- What are specific uses you have made of evidence-based instruction and intervention in your practicum?
During my practicum, I have handled some of the best students in terms of behavior. In the same manner, I also got to engage myself with various groups of students who are the worst in terms of behavior. When it comes to the former, the evidence-based approach has helped me realize that I should not only live with those students’ good behavior; I learned that I have to reinforce them too. When it comes to the latter—the not so behaved groups of students, evidence-based research has taught me that as a teacher, I am responsible for their behaviors inside the classroom whether good or bad because the probability that they would carry those behaviors in their homes is high. As a teacher, I should do something to make them realize the difference between good and bad behavior and make them correct the bad ones. I have just outlined a concrete example showing how I have used evidence-based instruction and intervention in my teaching. In general, evidence-based instruction has helped me mold my professional teaching skills in a more systematic and fool-proof way. Knowing that the teaching approach you are about to use have already been tested by others and have been found to be effective also gives a certain boost to my morale and confidence as a teacher.
- What are some of the ways knowledge of and skill in using evidence-based methods of instruction have made a difference in your instructional practices?
Ever since I started consulting research papers about education, classroom management, and student-handling, I have discovered that there are a lot of things about my teaching practice that I could modify. I also discovered that there are modifications that I could execute that could lead to the progression or regression of my teaching practice. When it comes to classroom management for example, I have learned that making giving the students what they want after they have given you what you want is an effective form of using the reward system inside the classroom. Ever since I learned how to use this technique, my life as a teacher whenever I am inside a classroom has greatly improved. My students became closer to me and at the same time, I was able to teach them how to respect me as their teacher and as their friend, which I think is an important aspect of professional teaching.
Because of evidence-based practice, my confidence and moral as a teaching professional have also experienced a great boost. Students would prefer teachers who know and are confident of what they are teaching than teachers who are the opposite and so, I also find it important to improve my confidence and morale as a teacher which is something that integrating evidence-based practice in my profession has helped me achieve.
- Critically discuss and evaluate the principle that methods of instruction and intervention should be evidence-based. What are the difficulties you feel may exist in the ability to transfer what research points to as effective for teaching and learning and what will work best for you in the classroom with your students?
One of the good things about today is that teachers can still afford to choose an option between using evidence-based practice in their practice and not using EBP. However, it cannot be denied that the use or the integration of evidence-based practice in different industries is becoming the trend and so teachers who have decided to just stick with the traditional teaching practices and ignore changes encouraged and or recommended by evidence-based researches may be left out—which is actually what is happening these days. There is no law or act that requires teachers to base their methods of instruction and intervention on evidences. However, the teaching norms that have been established ever since the use of EBP in the field of education are what make the use of EBP look something that is required. The use of evidence-based practice is now the trend and I think that the main reason why teachers feel so compelled to follow and go with this trend is that they, including me, are afraid to be left out and be compared negatively against other teachers. The path where research points to is however, not automatically the right path. For me, it will always depend on the specific situation that a teaching professional is in. The evidence presented in a research source may not prove to be effective in a teacher’s case because of situational reasons. The evidences being presented in studies are not absolute protocols. They are just guidelines and teachers like me should never feel compelled to follow them to the dot, especially if they already know even without having to try the approach that that approach would simply not work for him or for his students.
References
Berke, D., Rozell, C., Hogan, T., Norcross, J., & Karpiak, C. (2011). What Clinical Psychologists Know about Evidence-based practice: Familiarity with online resources and research methods. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 329-339.
Hjorland, B. (2011). Evidence-based practice: an analysis based on the Philosophy of Science. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 62.
Spring, B., & Hitchcock, K. (2009). Evidence-based practice in psychology. Wiley.
