'An increased emphasis ... upon process-based learning'

As a member of 'Researchgate' (this apparently being the largest/most 'active' academic social networking site in the world - where researchers and academics share their papers and network with each other), last week I was notified of a paper from the Scottish Educational Review. 

This paper (Rees et al, 2017*) looks at the implementation and evaluation of the South Lanarkshire Framework for Supporting Children with Severe and Profound Learning Needs. This Framework was set up to assist Scottish schools implement the 'Curriculum for Excellence' for this group of learners. In this paper (p.69) the authors state that:

'The most recent curricula developed by individual schools in England attempt to achieve a balance by adopting a developmental perspective to learning and life skills ... Emphasis is placed on providing a relevant and personalised curriculum, with a narrower range of key areas which enable pupils to develop skills in independence and communication. These areas include: Communication and Social Development, Cognition, Self-Care and Independence, and Physical and Motor Development. Whilst behaviourist approaches are still used widely to develop a pupil’s abilities to carry out new skills and to break down skills into smaller, achievable tasks (for example, self-care and independence skills such as putting on/taking off a jacket), an increased emphasis is placed upon process-based learning (where the interactive process between staff and pupils takes precedence over the outcome of the task).

Yet, in both England and Scotland, evaluations of current curricular approaches for this group of learners have been scarce (Lacey, 2011). In addition, although there is an increasing body of evidence highlighting the positive impact of ‘intensive interaction’ as a means of encouraging pupils’ interaction and communication (Firth, 2006), there are still very few evaluative studies of other specific teaching approaches.'

Now the 'bolding' of some of the text is mine - and the bits that I bolded (if there is such a word) are because:

a) the identification of 'process-based learning (where the interactive process between staff and pupils takes precedence over the outcome of the task)' is exactly what we in our Intensive Interaction community (and in particularly Dr Dave Hewett) have been banging on about (i.e. quite reasonably arguing for) for years!, and 

b) Intensive Interaction is correctly identified as the most evidenced of these 'curricula approaches for this group of learners' ... and in these days of 'evidence based practice' Intensive Interaction should surely be elevated to the very core of the curriculum above other, less well (or some almost entirely not) evidenced approaches to the teaching/learning of this important group of learners. 

*Rees, K., Tully, S. & Ferguson, K. (2017) “This is theirs” The implementation of the South Lanarkshire Framework for supporting pupils with severe and profound needs, Scottish Educational Review, 49(1), 67-88.