Opportunistic vs. Timetabled Interactions - a study of the pros and cons

Recently I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of Rachel Johnson's Master's degree study: 'Using a Phenomenological Approach to Develop Intensive Interaction as a Communication Technique in a Secondary SEND School and to Identify How It Can Impact on Pedagogy and Student Engagement' (Nice pithy title!). Rachel completed this study for her MA in 'Action Research in Education' at the University of Huddersfield.

Below I have set out some extracts that focus on some of the pros and cons of using I.I. in either 'prescribed' or timetabled sessions, or 'opportunistically' as opportunities for I.I. more naturally arise across a day - this being a topic of interest to me, and others in our Intensive Interaction community.

Extracts on: Opportunistic vs. Timetabled Interactions

'Firth et al. (2010) reason that sessional or timetabled interactions can mean that I.I. is more likely to happen with regularity and reliability, as it can be realistically managed within the timetable and working context. Nevertheless, if sessions are too prescribed, the learner might not be willing to engage ... Opportunistic interactions can be achieved at the most productive and favourable times for the learner. They can be integrated into basic care routines and happen at more unprompted and repeated times of the day.' 

'[However] If I.I. is left to be purely opportunistic, there is the risk of practitioners not taking responsibility for actioning it, or of not engaging in it with the required focus and intensity for the desired outcomes. Structured interactions can reduce external variables which might affect the learner’s response, including time of day, location, presence of other people, light conditions and temperature. A learner with SLD or PMLD may be more responsive in a familiar environment, where it is quiet, cool and has sensory stimuli, compared with attempted interactions in the morning when they are tired and have just experienced transition to school ...'

'Opportunistic interactions are favourable to experienced practitioners like Hewett, Firth, Barber, Harrison & Williamson (2011) as they adhere to the natural momentum of I.I. and can be done at any time of the day. Opportunistic sessions take advantage of the most preferred times for the learner and occur in a more unprompted manner. On the contrary, relying on opportunity can mean that no one practitioner takes ownership of the practice. In addition, time limitations and staff availability can restrict or cut short an interaction, especially in an educational setting where there are timetabled lessons.' 

'Considerations of engagement success can include the location, where an important consideration might be whether the student would be more or less willing to interact inside or outside of the classroom. The classroom is often a familiar and safe space but can also have many distractions, such as other staff and peers, noise (from inside and outside of the classroom) and interruptions from other students. There are arguments for I.I. taking place in more staged environments, where the practitioner can control such variables (Firth et al., 2010), but there is also support for I.I. taking place more naturally in a student’s familiar environment. Certainly, opportunistic interactions can be more favourable to the learner and therefore more student centred.' 

'This evidence ... indicates that distractions are less of an issue as the learner becomes more familiar with the practitioner and aspects of the interactions. Here, Firth at al. (2010) argue that whilst structured I.I. sessions can lead to more regular interactions, opportunistic sessions take advantage of the spontaneity that works well with I.I. Liken this to a typical verbal conversation between two people – if the interaction is timetabled, it tends to be formal and take place with the structure of an interview-type script. Naturally occurring conversations are more likely to be impulsive. This is reflected in the data, where the learners seem to display higher levels of engagement with increasing trust in the practitioner and familiarity of environmental factors.'

In conclusion, Rachel goes on to say:

'The key to creating the most successful situation for I.I. ... seems to be allowing opportunistic interactions to take place in partially-structured settings. For the sensory classes, this is quite easy to implement, as the timetable includes ‘continuous provision’ sessions, where there is more unstructured time for staff and students to focus on individual learning targets. Where there is a shared understanding of the benefits of communication approaches like I.I., staff are more open to interactions taking place ‘as and when’, (Hewett et al., 2011). This is more likely to create a suitable environment where the learner can initiate and control an interaction. For the supported and independent learners, this would look quite different and embedding I.I. within timetabled lessons may be the most effective way forward. Stern (1985) suggests that the key to engagement is through ‘varied repetitiveness’, where each interaction is part-new and part-familiar to the learner. This is relevant to creating more scheduled I.I. openings within the usual learning environment to take advantage of freer/opportunistic interactions as the learner chooses'.

p.s. Rachel will by now have gained her MA ... with a distinction! Well done and much deserved; and thanks again for some really useful 'food for thought' in how to get the 'opportunistic vs. timetabled interactions' balance right to deliver the most effective Intensive Interaction for all our learners or service users.