Mary Ann started out truly frightened, wobbling on rented skates, clinging to the rail, taking one tiny step at a time. A little over an hour later, she could skate. She could skate backwards. She could stop, start, and turn. She never fell down. And she did it all on her own. Here's her account of what it felt like to BE clicker trained.
Humans
Clicker Training on Ice
By Aaron B. Clayton on 01/01/2004It was with a bit of trepidation that I set out to teach my four-year-old daughter to ice skate. At about the same time, I was learning to clicker train. Why not put the principles into action on the ice? Well, because I might make a real mess of things. "Fear not!" said Karen Pryor. So I went forward.
Test Your Timing with These Online Tools
By KPCT on 01/01/2004Improve your clicker training skills online. There are a few places tucked away in the ether of the world wide web that can you help you improve your clicker training, or help you see what its like. Here are a few with our comments. Know additional sites? We'll let people know!
The Nurse Trap: Operant Conditioning for Hospital Staff
By KPCT on 01/01/2004I am a hospital volunteer. One day I arrived and was told immediately that the patient in 4B was giving candy to anyone who came into her room. Well, you can imagine the rapid response she got when her bell rang. Indeed, staff and volunteers began to offer behavior by sticking our heads in just to see if she needed anything. Since that day, I have called it a "nurse trap."
TAG, You're Right! Making a Positive Impact on Dance Instruction
By Beth Wheeler on 12/01/2003My students grasped the idea of tagging immediately. "It's either a click or it's not a click," noted Jake Corcoran, 9, after a tagging class. The results have been astounding. How many times have you told your dancers to keep their heels down in demi plie? With a group of twenty-five 7- to 9-year olds, each child was able to master the skill after one tag session. Subsequent classes focusing on everything from grand jete's to battements met with similar success.
