Chapter 7: High Leverage Practice 2: Techniques to Teach Students with Learning Disabilities

Research Findings Most effective form of teaching children with learning disabilities combined Direct instruction (teacher-directed lecture, discussion, and learning from books) Strategy instruction (teaching ways to learn such as memorization techniques and study skills)

Research Findings Main instructional components of this combined model include: Sequencing, Drill-repetition-practice, Segmentation, Directed questioning and responses, Control of task difficulty, Use of technology, Teacher-modeled problem solving, Small-group instruction, and Strategy cues

Research Findings Components linked to the most effect on student achievement include: control of task difficulty. use of small interactive groups of five fewer students use of structured questioning and directed responses

Research Findings Children with learning disabilities perform closer to nondisabled children when treatment includes strategy instruction. In reading, both phonics and whole word instruction make a significant contribution to student achievement in reading Subject areas most affected by different instructional strategies: Reading comprehension, Vocabulary, Creativity

Reducing Problem Behaviors Research-based strategies on academic management 1.Assigned work should be not too easy and not too difficult 2.Offer frequent opportunities for choice 3.Select high-interest or functional learning activities 4.Instruct students at a brisk pace 5.Structure lessons to require active student involvement 6.Incorporate cooperative-learning opportunities into instruction 7.Give frequent teacher feedback and encouragement 8.Provide correct models during independent work 9.Be consistent in managing the academic setting 10.Target interventions to coincide closely with “point of performance”

Current Practice Alerts “Go for it” Self-determined Learning Model of Instruction Has been used with students with a variety of disabilities Provides a model for teachers to use to lead students to self-directed learning Cognitive Strategy Instruction Has been applied to multiple academic tasks Provides a means for educators to promote independent competence Has a very strong evidence base, and is flexible

Current Practice Alerts “Go for it” Vocabulary Instruction Target specific vocabulary words purposefully Addresses a group of empirically-validated practices Self-Regulated Strategy Development Helps students develop relevant cognitive and self-regulation goals Helps students who struggle with planning, composing, revising, or evaluating writing Functional Behavioral Assessment Systematic way of gathering data to assess environmental variables that contribute to problem behaviors

Current Practice Alerts “Go for it” Fluency Instruction Includes methods such as repeated reading, contingent reinforcement, goal setting and feedback, and previewing Phonics Instruction Teaches children the systematic relationship between letters and sounds, and how to use that system to read words Graphic Organizers Visual devices that employ lines, circles, and boxes to organize information Serve as visual cues designed to facilitate communication and’/or understanding of information

Current Practice Alerts “Go for it” Reading Comprehension Instruction Appropriate for individuals who consistently fail to develop a coherent understanding of material that is read. An example is self-questioning during reading Phonological Awareness An explicit understanding that spoken language comprises discrete units ranging from entire words and syllables to smaller intrasyllabic units of onsets, rimes, and phonemes. Class-Wide Peer Tutoring A class of instructional strategies in which students are taught by peers who are trained and supervised by classroom teachers

Current Practice Alerts Mnemonic Instruction Combines presentation of unfamiliar information with explicit strategies for recall Formative Evaluation The ongoing collection of information in order to evaluate the effectiveness of instructional implementations and to determine whether adaptations to the instruction are necessary Direct Instruction Goal is to accelerate student learning by maximizing efficiency in the design and delivery of instruction

Current Practice Alerts “Use Caution” Learning styles Cooperative learning Social skills instruction Reading recovery Co-teaching High-stakes assessment

Teaching Children with ADHD Three-pronged strategy for successful instruction: Evaluate the child’s individual needs and strengths Select appropriate instructional practices For children receiving special education services, integrate appropriate practices with an IEP

Teaching Children with ADHD Components necessary to implement strategies with success Academic instruction Behavioral interventions Classroom accommodations