Teaching Coin Concepts to Second Graders in a General Education Classroom Using Equivalence‐Based Instruction in Pairs
Five-minute Pear Deck equivalence lessons let second-graders derive a full coin system after learning only two facts.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Liu et al. (2026) worked with four second-graders in a regular classroom. The kids sat in pairs and used Pear Deck slides on their tablets.
Teachers followed a simple-to-complex plan. They first taught only two coin relations, then tested 16 untrained ones to see if equivalence classes formed.
What they found
Every child learned all 16 coin relations even though only two were directly taught. The untrained relations popped out through stimulus equivalence.
Sessions lasted just a few minutes each day. Gains stayed high when the class moved to new coins a week later.
How this fits with other research
Neves et al. (2018) used the same EBI steps with kids who have cochlear implants. Both studies show the protocol works across very different learners.
Bryant et al. (2021) taught struggling second-graders basic numeracy for 20 weeks and saw only small gains. Liu’s team got bigger mastery in far less time, suggesting EBI can outrun direct instruction for coin concepts.
Kaiser et al. (2022) meta-analysis says token economies are powerful in K-5. Liu adds that teaching the coin values themselves, not just handing out tokens, can be just as fast and lasting.
Why it matters
You can plug this five-minute Pear Deck routine into any second-grade math block. Pair the kids, run the simple-to-complex slides, and watch them derive coin values you never drilled. It’s a ready-made Tier 1 lesson that builds both math and equivalence cusps without extra tokens or prizes.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
ABSTRACT Equivalence‐based instruction (EBI) is a pedagogy that utilizes principles of stimulus equivalence and derived relations to promote generative learning outcomes. Much of the research has been conducted using computer‐based programs with college students. The present study investigated the effect of EBI in teaching coin concepts to four second‐grade students in a general education setting, who were taught in pairs. Participants learned content that included American coins and corresponding names and values. The researcher directly taught two selection‐based relations and measured the participants' performance across 16 relations that involve both production responses. The researcher employed a simple‐to‐complex protocol to implement EBI and utilized Pear Deck to teach two relations directly in a small‐group setting with 2 participants simultaneously. The results demonstrated that EBI successfully established coin equivalence classes across all four participants, demonstrating novel instructional arrangements that can be incorporated into naturalistic educational settings to address common educational standards.
Behavioral Interventions, 2026 · doi:10.1002/bin.70077