Transcript Overview of Self-determination Self-determination learning model of instruction teacher guide Colleen A. Thoma Virginia Department of Education Virginia Training and Technical Assistance Center Virginia Pilot Schools.

Overview of Self-determination
Self-determination learning model of instruction teacher
guide
Colleen A. Thoma
Virginia Department of Education
Virginia Training and Technical Assistance Center
Virginia Pilot Schools (Franklin County, Richmond City,
Prince Edward County, Montgomery County)
Definition of self-determination

Acting as the primary
causal agent in one’s
life and making
choices and decision
regarding one’s
quality of life free
from undue external
influence or
interference
--Wehmeyer, 1996
Later definition

A combination of skills, knowledge, and beliefs that
enable a person to engage in goal directed, selfregulated, autonomous behavior. An understanding
of one’s strengths and limitations together with a
belief in oneself as capable and effective are
essential to self-determination. When acting on the
basis of these skills and attitudes, individuals have
greater ability to take control of their lives and
assume the role of successful adults.
- Field, Martin, Miller, Ward & Wehmeyer, 1998.
Like any skill, people are at
different levels


It doesn’t necessarily mean that
everyone will be independent in all
these tasks, or that anyone would
choose to be so.
Instead, it’s about knowing where
you are, and making decisions
about where you want to be, and
putting the pieces of supports in
place to get there.
Why is this important?

Better outcomes associated with


Inclusive education (do better in
academics while still in K-12 education)
Post-school outcomes



Employment (more likely to have jobs, and earn
more money)
Community living (more likely to live where they
want)
Post-secondary education (more likely to enter
and remain in college)
Why is this important?

Olmstead Supreme Court Decision


States must provide options for community
living/employment if people with disabilities
choose that option, and are determined to be
capable
Virginia’s plan includes goal of teaching selfdetermination/self-advocacy skills to students
with disabilities in 9th grade (and those older who
have not had that training)


Okay, so we know
why it’s important
to teach selfdetermination skills
What else do we
need to know?
What skills do you think are
tied to self-determination?
Core Component Skills


Wehmeyer breaks selfdetermination down into
11 core component
skills
Each make up part of
what it means to be
self-determined
Component Skills of Self-determination
Choice-Making Skills
Decision-Making Skills
Problem-Solving Skills
Goal-Setting and Attainment Skills
Self-Observation, Self-Evaluation and
Self-Reinforcement Skills
Self-Instruction Skills
Self-Advocacy and Leadership Skills
Internal Locus of Control
Positive Attributions of Efficacy and
Outcome Expectancy
Self-Awareness
Self-Knowledge.
Choice-making


Involves making a
choice among two
known options
Do I want to
vacation at sea or
at a mountain
resort?
Decision making


Involves choosing among more than two
known options
Example…I want a job where I work with
animals and I know that those include
being a veterinarian, owning a kennel,
becoming a dog walker/pet sitter, and
being a veterinarian technician.
Problem-solving



Solution is not readily known
Decision making or choice-making is
usually part of the process
This is integral to the process of
implementing the self-determined
learning model of instruction!
What is t he
pr oblem?
What ar e
pos si bl e
s ol ut i ons t o
t he pr oblem?
What ar e
bar r i er s t o
s ol vi ng t he
pr oblem?
What ar e t he
consequences
of ident i fi ed
s ol ut i ons ?
Problemsolving
Process
Goal setting & attainment


This is the process of
determining how
you’re going to
accomplish what you
want.
Not just the process of
setting a goal, but also
figuring out how to
implement it, and how
to know when you’ve
arrived!
Self-regulation

Includes:
 selfobservation
 self-evaluation
 selfreinforcement
Self-instruction skills


Teaching students to
provide their own verbal
prompts for solving an
academic or social
problem
Has been used
successfully to solve
job-and work-related
problems and to teach
social skills.
Self-advocacy and leadership

Self-advocacy: skills
necessary to advocate for
oneself. Advocate refers to
being able to speak up or
defend a cause or a person.


Involves knowing one’s rights
(as a citizen and as a recipient
of services)
Involves understanding how to
be assertive, how to
communicate in large groups,
and how to navigate through
systems and bureaucracies.
Internal locus of control


Belief that one has control over
outcomes that are important to one’s
life
If no internal locus of control, the
belief is that reinforcement is result of
outside forces: luck, fate, chance
and/or powerful others.
Positive attributions of
efficacy and expectancy


Self-efficacy: the conviction that one
can successfully execute the behavior
required to produce a given outcome
Efficacy expectations: belief that if a
specific behavior is performed, it will
lead to anticipated outcome
Self-awareness &
self-knowledge



Know one’s owns
strengths, weaknesses,
abilities and limitations
Know how to utilize
these unique
attributions to
beneficially influence
one’s quality of life
We need to spend more
time helping students
with disabilities identify
their strengths!
Focus of self-determination




Has been student involvement in
IEP meetings
Great way to learn, practice, and
have impact
Although they are clearly linked,
they are not synonymous
Student who decides to “opt out” of
bureaucratic process is
demonstrating self-determination
Microsystem
Mesosystem
Exosystem
Macrosystem
System Approach:
It’s more than teaching skills
Microsystem



This is the teaching
of skills to student
This is the area
where we’ve
placed the majority
of our focus
Not enough to
focus all our efforts
here!
Microsystem
Mesosystem
Exosystem
Macrosystem
Mesosystem


This is at the
interaction level,
and where we as
teachers need to
change our ways of
interacting
We have to listen,
and use that
information to
guide what we do
Microsystem
Mesosystem
Exosystem
Macrosystem
Exosystem


This is the focus on the
policies and procedures
that are in place that
can support or be
barriers to student selfdetermination
What do we need to do
for IEP meeting
process, for policies in
school, etc.
Microsystem
Mesosystem
Exosystem
Macrosystem
Macrosystem


This is bigger than the
school setting, with a
focus on culture, laws, and
mores of society
This is harder to influence,
but needs to be addressed
as possible supports
and/or barriers to student
self-determination.
Microsystem
Mesosystem
Exosystem
Macrosystem
What does this mean for us?

When you’re going through
the self-determined
learning model of
instruction, you’re going to
need to help students
identify both supports and
barriers to their goals at
each of these levels. The
success of use of this
model will be in the degree
to which you and students
focus on each of these
levels.
Activity: Break into
groups of 3.
Look at the true/false
statement and discuss
why it is FALSE.
True or False?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Self-determination is the same as selfactualization (Be all that you can be!)
Some individuals have disabilities that are
too profound for them to be selfdetermined
If self-determination isn’t taught at home,
then there’s nothing we can do at school
If someone engages in challenging
behavior, then they can’t be selfdetermined because we have to have
more control over their day
True or False?
5. Some individuals will make inappropriate
choices or choose to do nothing
6. Some individuals need a highly structured
environment with planning and systemic
instructional opportunities and that means
we can’t allow them to make choices (i.e.,
be self-determined)
7. Program standards and regulations
concerning education prohibits our
teaching self-determination skills