The Special Issue on the Education of Behavior Analysts: Common Themes

Falcomata (2018) introduces a special issue on how to teach future behavior analysts.

The paper pulls together common themes from the issue. It argues that students should learn basic principles by doing, not just by listening to lectures.

In other words, treat the learner like any other organism: shape their behavior with immediate consequences.

The review found that the best training programs use operant methods inside the classroom.

Students rehearse skills, get quick feedback, and practice with real clients early.

Lectures alone do not build fluent practitioners.

LeBlanc et al. (2016) started the conversation. That team showed supervisors how to structure fieldwork with clear goals and feedback. Falcomata extends the same logic into university courses.

Irwin Helvey et al. (2022) flip the view. They tell trainees how to drive their own supervision. Together the three papers form a loop: teach in class with operant methods, supervise in field with operant methods, and train the trainee to seek those contingencies.

Mann et al. (2024) spot a gap the special issue missed. Only one in nine BCBA programs teaches consultation skills. Falcomata’s call for hands-on pedagogy could easily include consultation drills to fill that hole.

If you teach ABA courses, swap some lectures for brief practice bursts. Have students role-play pairing, data collection, or reinforcement delivery. Give instant praise and correction. You will graduate practitioners who already behave like BCBAs before they meet their first client.