What is a Chart Parent?

[Question and Answer contributed by Dr. Ogden Lindsley, September 2000.]

Your chart parent first taught you to use the Standard Celeration Chart.

If you are having trouble learning to Standard Celeration Chart from printed handbooks and articles, post a chart parent request along with your home address and telephone number on our 170 member [as of September, 2000] SCListServ. Joining instructions appear here at www.celeration.org. A chart parent living near you will reply to your email request.

Chart parenting, is still our most effective way to spread and share our science. Chart parenting has taught where our handbooks and seminars have failed. Chart parenting provides personal attention, proof that the teacher cares, one on one, and real time immediate feedback and correction. At any, or every point the learner can ask, "How?" or "Explain that over again." We wish there were more efficient ways to teach our SCC, but so far there doesn't seem to be. We need more charters in the X and Z generations! Keep up your chart parenting!

Chart children often invest a day plus three hours commuting to learn. But, the busier chart parent still invests a day! A day invested in one or two learners! Chart parent investment motivates chart children. Should we add a slogan, "Care enough to Chart Parent?"

Chart parents offer continued support after the initial teaching session over telephone and occasional visits. Most all new charters welcome the emotional support of knowing there is someone to call. However, few new charters have to make follow up support calls.

The name "chart parent" was used by Steve Graf, Harvey Sepler, and Carl Binder at the first Standard Celeration Chart Data-Sharing session at the Association for Behavior Analysis convention in Dearborn, Michigan in 1980. The parenting theme was later amplified by Jim Pollard, chart child of Bea Barrett who taught Jim to chart at meetings in Bea's laboratory in Fernald School, Waltham, MA. The theme of Jim's talk at the 1989 Precision Teaching Conference in San Diego spelled out the Precision Teaching Family. We have chart parents, chart grandparents, chart uncles, and even chart cousins. Ever since 1980 then, we list both our name and our chart parent's name on an overhead transparency, when entering a chart sharing room. This list becomes the order in which we take turns sharing charts. We have 1 minute to describe our projected standard chart. Chart sharing sessions have become a tradition at annual Behavior Analysis and Precision Teaching conferences. Steve Graf and Jim Pollard often chair these national chart shares and arrange their listing on conference programs. Local weekly and regional monthly chart shares continue to be the best way to maintain and support standard charting skill.

This tradition recognizes the chart parent teacher who taught the charter at every chart share. Thirty standard charters and their parents follow.

CHARTER: PARENT:

• Richard Anderson - Jesus Rosales
• Carl Binder - Bea Barrett
• Bea Barrett - Og Lindsley
• Ray Beck - Eric Haughton
• Scott Born - Og Lindsley
• Anne DesJardins - Eric Haughton
• Ann Duncan - Og Lindsley
• Sue Casson - Kent Johnson
• John Cooper - John Eshleman
• Nathan Crow - Kent Johnson
• John Eshleman - Steve Graf
• Normand Giroux - Og Lindsley
• Steve Graf - Og Lindsley
• Elizabeth Haughton - Eric Haughton
• Eric Haughton - Og Lindsley
• Matthew Israel - Og Lindsley
• Kent Johnson - Bea Barrett
• Rick Kubina - Steve Graf
• Og Lindsley - Fred Skinner
• Giordana Hrga - Og Lindsley
• Michael Maloney - Eric Haughton
• Claudia McDade - Chuck Merbitz
• Richard McManus - Carl Binder
• Chuck Merbitz - Hank Pennypacker
• Hank Pennypacker - Og Lindsley
• Jesus Rosales - Og Lindsley
• Red Sarna - Richard McManus
• Ian Spence - Ann Duncan
• Clay Starlin - Eric Haughton
• Bob Worsham - Matthew Israel
• Owen White - Eric Haughton

This list should not be considered a hall of fame for PT. It was put together without much thought to display a sample of chart parent, grandparent, and great grandparent, relations within our PT family.