What is Precision Teaching?
Precision Teaching is a structured approach to building fluency in a clearly defined skill. The learner practises a small target frequently, performance is measured regularly and the teaching is adjusted in response to the data.
The psychology behind it
The approach emphasises repeated retrieval, practice and overlearning. The aim is not simply for a pupil to get an answer right, but for the skill to become sufficiently fluent and automatic that it places less demand on working memory during more complex learning.
What can it be used for?
Schools commonly apply the approach to tightly defined targets such as sight vocabulary, phonics, spelling patterns, number facts and calculations. It can be useful for pupils who require additional repetition and carefully monitored intervention, including pupils with literacy difficulties and broader learning needs.
Plan–Do–Review
Because performance is measured frequently, Precision Teaching fits naturally within a graduated response: identify a specific target, deliver focused practice, review the data and adapt the next teaching step.
Further reading
For background on fluency-based instruction and Precision Teaching, see work by Ogden Lindsley and later applied texts including Kubina & Yurich's The Precision Teaching Book. The evidence base includes single-case and applied educational research; effects depend on the target, implementation and learner.