Which approach is typically used in one-on-one teaching contexts to present a task in a structured sequence?

• A. Discrete Trial Teaching Procedures (DTT)
• B. Mass Trials
• C. NET
• D. Incidental Teaching

Answer: (A)

Discrete Trial Teaching gives instruction in small, discrete trials delivered one-on-one. Each trial follows a clear sequence: present a specific antecedent cue, provide a prompt if the learner needs help, observe the learner’s response, and then deliver a precise consequence with immediate feedback, while recording the result. This highly structured, repetitive format supports rapid skill acquisition because it offers consistent prompts, immediate reinforcement or correction, and data-driven decisions about when to fade prompts and progress. The one-on-one setting is key, as the instructor can closely monitor the exact delivery of each trial and keep the sequence intact across many repetitions.

Other approaches lean more toward natural learning contexts. Natural Environment Teaching and Incidental Teaching emphasize learning opportunities that occur in the learner’s everyday environment and rely more on the learner’s initiations, with less focus on a fixed trial-by-trial sequence. Mass trials involve many repetitions of the same target, but without the same overarching structured sequence and prompt-fading framework that defines discrete trial teaching.