The objective of ongoing assessment is to determine the degree and nature of student learning, to monitor progress over time and to help teachers make targeted instructional decisions that are most likely to improve student learning. The objective of ongoing assessment is to determine the degree and nature of student learning, to monitor progress… Read More Assessment to Inform Instruction
Dear Teacher, Please Help Me Learn to Write!!
Students can be assisted in the writing process by the use of strategy instruction. A strategy is merely a tool used to complete a task. Cognitive Strategy Instruction is an evidence–based technique with research that supports its effectiveness. Writing development “While students are building the skills they need to advance through the stages of… Read More Dear Teacher, Please Help Me Learn to Write!!
Teaching Writing: Finding the “Right” Adaptations to Make it Happen for Students with Significant Disabilities
Students with significant disabilities can take an interest in writing and begin the early stages of writing when provided with adaptations.Below is a list of emergent writing skills and several links where you will find ideas and adaptations that can assist to “make it happen” for students with significant disabilities. It is often believed… Read More Teaching Writing: Finding the “Right” Adaptations to Make it Happen for Students with Significant Disabilities
More Than an Electronic Pencil
Word prediction software allows the student to type one or two letters and pick from a list of words that will automatically be inserted into the writing. Placement of the word window, color, size and number of choices vary. In this electronic age, it is no surprise that the technologies used with the writing… Read More More Than an Electronic Pencil
Instruction and Behavior: Is there a connection?
Moore, Anderson, & Kumar (2005) suggest that difficult academic tasks, such as writing, can function as an antecedent variable that may lead to escape-motivated behavior. Teachers can identify escape-motivated behavior by collecting data and looking for patterns in behavior. Writing is a very demanding and complex process that requires the incorporation of many different… Read More Instruction and Behavior: Is there a connection?
A Sharper (Mental) Image for Students with Moderate to Significant Disabilities
Question: What is a “mental image”? Answer: A “mental image” implies the ability of a person to generate images of objects and events. The image can include perceptions of oneself engaging in specific activities or behavior. These images can be mediated through a number of different modalities including, visual, tactile, kinesthetic, olfactory, and auditory cues… Read More A Sharper (Mental) Image for Students with Moderate to Significant Disabilities
Assisting Students with Organizing, Thinking, and Representing Knowledge
Research tells us that a variety of activities enhance the development of nonlinguistic representations in the minds of students, and, in turn, have a positive effect on achievement. For teachers to assist students with learning new information by creating nonlinguistic representations so they may better organize their thinking and enhance their recall. Brain researchers… Read More Assisting Students with Organizing, Thinking, and Representing Knowledge
