Case Method of Instruction

About CMI-Outreach

Through a series of projects funded by the U. S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education, the Case Method of Instruction (CMI) has been adapted for use in the preservice and inservice training of early intervention personnel. These projects have (a) developed a substantial number of case stories and related training materials for instructors to use in teaching a variety of content areas, (b) increased awareness of CMI as a viable alternative or supplement to traditional instructional strategies, and (c) provided research and evaluation data that demonstrate the effectiveness of CMI in training early interventionists. The purpose of the CMI-Outreach Project is to expand the use of CMI in early intervention preservice and inservice personnel preparation.

A major focus of project activities is the direct training of preservice and inservice instructors in the use of CMI. The project conducts intensive 3-day workshops for instructors, with a 1-day follow-up session scheduled approximately 6 months following the initial training. Innovative features of this training include:

Instructors participate in training with a partner or team to ensure they have readily available support for implementing CMI in their own courses or workshops following their participation in the workshop.

Instructors are guided through a series of training progressions to ensure adequate skills for conducting CMI after training (first awareness, then knowledge, finally skill development through modeling and practice with feedback).

Instructors develop written plans for incorporating CMI into their existing training responsibilities (i.e., university courses, workshops, seminars).

A follow-up session is held approximately 6 months after the initial training to assess participants' implementation of CMI and to address any concerns or areas of difficulty they may have experienced in using the method.

Participating instructors agree to assist in conducting at least one training event in their own state to share their knowledge, skills, and experience in using CMI with other preservice and inservice instructors (i. e., train-the-trainer approach).

A state advisory board is identified in each targeted state to ensure that project activities are consistent with the state's existing plans for personnel development (CSPD). The advisory board is largely responsible for identifying workshop participants and assists in planning opportunities for additional instructors to be trained in the use of CMI.

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