Instructing Adolescents with Learning Disabilities

Abstract

A previous meta-analysis indicated that eight instructional factors--Questioning, Sequencing and Segmentation, Skill Modeling, Organization and Explicit Practice, Small-Group Setting, Indirect Teacher Activities (e.g., homework), Technology, and Scaffolding-captured the majority of successful intervention programs for adolescents with learning disabilities (LD). Most important was the Organization/Explicit factor, which contributed significant variance (16%) to effect size. This factor included two important instructional components: advance organization and explicit practice. In this article, we convert these findings into practical guidelines to direct instructional practice.

Classroom Variables and Access to the General Curriculum for Students with Disabilities

“…They found that advanced organizers (defined as curriculum adaptations that direct student focus on information that is particularly salient or important in a reading) were successful. Swanson and Deshler (2003) noted that providing educators with specific examples of how to improve upon high quality instructional strategies such as explicit practice by combining them with content enhancement routines or learning-strategy instruction is also critical to improving outcomes for students with disabilities. Pugach and Warger (2001) observed that the access mandates shift the focus of the "problem" to be solved when teaching students with disabilities from fixing or changing the student to examining the relationship between the student and the curriculum and, when necessary, modifying the curriculum to enable student learning.…”

İlkokul Türkçe Ders Kitaplarındaki Metinlerin Okunabilirlik Düzeylerinin Öğrenme Güçlüğü Olan Öğrenciler Açısından Değerlendirilmesi

“…Diğer öğrencilerle karşılaştırıldığında, okumada güçlük yaşayan öğrenciler okuma etkinliklerine çok daha az zaman ayırmaktadırlar (Swanson ve Deshler, 2003). Bu durum öğrencilerde olumsuz benlik algısına, okuma etkinliklerine karşı ilgi duymama, kendine güvensizlik gibi olumsuz sonuçlar doğurmaktadır.…”

Research and Practice

“…However, there are relatively few resources for helping teachers and administrators understand meta-analysis and the use of ES as they seek to implement educational reform on the basis of research-based evidence (Banda & Therrien, 2008;Swanson & Deshler, 2003).…”