The Basic Concept
It might be helpful to initially think of DTT as a series of “teaching attempts” with each “attempt” called a “discrete trial” or sometimes just a “trial”. As an example, say we’re teaching a child, Jane, to learn to identify the colours red and blue by asking her to point to red or blue cards placed on her desk. Each teaching attempt or “discrete trial” might be scripted (structured) like this:
Discrete Trial One
1. Teacher places one red and one blue card on the table in front of Jane
2. The teacher then says “point to red”
3. Jane responds by pointing to the red card
4. The teacher would say “That’s right! Great job!”
5. There would be a very short pause before a new discrete trial would begin
Discrete Trial Two
1. Teacher places one red and one blue card on the table in front of Jane
2. The teacher then says “point to blue”
3. Jane responds by pointing to the blue card
4. The teacher would say “You’re right! That’s Brilliant!”
5. There would be a very short pause before a new discrete trial would begin
Within DTT, each trial has a very specific set of steps that are clearly defined and scripted, and always need to be followed. Clearly defined steps allow the teachers and programme supervisors to identify what specific teaching methods or “tactics” are working and which ones are not.