CBI is an instructional strategy for Special Education students that provides functional and life-skills lessons within their home town. The goal of CBI is to give students a variety of hands-on experiences that allows them to practice essential life skills within the familiar environment of their community. All of the activities support the students’ employment, life skills, and independent living goals.
     Students begin by practicing for their outings during our Life Skills lessons. In this class, they learn about a variety of topics such as using a laundromat and going to the bank, going grocery shopping, and using the public library. They use specialized text and workbooks that provide instruction and role-play lessons built around each individual outing that they will experience. For example, for their trip to the Bus Stop Diner, we read over the menu in advance. The students then practiced ordering their food, waiting patiently, calculating how much their order would cost, how much to tip, and finally how to pay with the right amount of money using the “dollar-up method.”
     These real-life experiences are a fun and exciting part of these students’ education, as well as an invaluable piece of the academic puzzle that helps to make sure that our Special Education students are on their way to becoming independent, self-sufficient members of the Carteret community.