Education Commons^™

Reading Between The "Signs", Sarah Durchenwald/Williamson

Graduate Research Papers

Teaching reading to hearing students, with the supplemental support of American Sign • Language, is a relatively new concept. Many components associated with sign language reinforce basic concepts of English. It teaches individual letter sounds, and names, and many of the signs for words emphasize beginning sounds, as well as meaning. Another important component of sign language is its bodily kinesthetic form of learning. Many students in public schools today are not learning through traditional teaching strategies. Incorporating sign language provides a multi-sensory approach to literal hands-on learning.

The following research outlines the principles behind teaching effectively using sign language …

Indivisible, With An Education For All : Differentiation Strategies Used In A Multi-Categorical Classroom, Stephanie Elizabeth Francis

Graduate Research Papers

This article focuses on a pilot study that examines the effectiveness of differentiation strategies when used in a multi-categorical classroom. The writer, a gifted and talented facilitator in a rural Iowa school district, team taught with two other teachers in a classroom where identified learning-disabled and gifted students were clustered together. The purpose of this clustering was to determine the impact of alternative strategies upon special needs students when implemented in a common learning environment. The writer concludes that with careful planning, differentiation can be a positive instructional strategy in a multi-categorical classroom. She also offers recommendations for educators and …

Development Of Writing Through Journaling With Senior Educable Mentally Handicapped, Bonita M. Custer

Graduate Research Papers

Recognizing that many senior high school students who are labeled Educable Mentally Handicapped (the term used in Nebraska) have had few opportunities to have fulfilling experiences in school, a rich literature-based language arts program was developed for a class. This group had many opportunities to respond with their ideas and feelings, one of which was journaling.

As the school year progressed, I, as their teacher, found that I was modifying and changing my daily instructional plans because their reading and writing generated ideas and instructional needs. In their journals, they began to write more freely with more skill and creativity. …

Collaborative Education : Working Together Toward Accommodating All Learners In The Regular Classroom, Anita A. Quirk

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this article is to inform readers about the efficacy of collaborative teaching. A review of pull-out resource room structure is presented, focusing on the amount of time students miss from the regular classroom. Scheduling is mentioned as a concern, as pull-out students are away from their regular classroom peers and environment for extended periods of time. Its effective and appropriate links to PL 94-142, PL 101-476, and the IDEA are presented.

Collaborative teaching is then defined as an alternative to students being pulled out to receive resource room services. The premises of collaborative teaching are shared. Included …

A Review Of Empirically Based Preference Assessments' Ability To Identify Reinforcers For Individuals With Disabilities, Jennifer A. Sellers

Graduate Research Papers

Research on empirically based preference assessments has been conducted to determine their effectiveness in identifying reinforcers. This paper reviews the effectiveness of five empirically based preference assessment procedures in identifying reinforcers for individuals with disabilities. The procedures are discussed in relationship to reinforcer-based treatments. The five preference assessment procedures reviewed are: 1) single stimulus, 2) paired choice, 3) multiple stimulus, 4) triad, and 5) verbal. The preference assessments differed in the number of highly reinforcing stimuli they identified, whether or not they provided rank orders of reinforcers, and the amount of time it took to conduct them. All of the …

Home Visits : Building A Team Approach With Families With Children With Special Needs, Linda S. Jacoby

Graduate Research Papers

This paper is a review of the literature concerning home visits as a means of team building with families with children who have special needs. The primary focus is to consider the needs, problems, and guidelines for conducting home visits. Home visits have a lengthy history in early childhood education. They offer some unique insights and opportunities for educators and families. Careful planning and follow-up is necessary for a successful program.

Criticisms of home visits concern primarily the issues of limited financial resources and time constraints. Planning, scheduling, and conducting the visit are discussed in this paper; also, a discussion …

The Impact Of Technology Integration On The Elementary Classroom With Reading Disabled Students, Donna Heying

Graduate Research Papers

The content of this paper will discuss and review the current literature in the area of technology integration in the elementary classroom, especially those classrooms with learning disabled students. The areas to be covered in this paper include technology's impact on student learning, legal reasons to use technology in the classroom, effective integration principles for technology integration, software and equipment for learning disabled students, Internet integration, and web-based instruction. All of these areas have an influence on how technology is integrated into the elementary classrooms and how effective that technology can be.

Curricular And Instructional Adaptations For Special Needs Students In The General Education Setting, Kelly Bohning

Graduate Research Papers

The primary focus of this article is to address when regular education teachers should make adaptations for students in the general education setting and to determine the kinds of adaptations that general education teachers can make for their students. This article also links curricular and instructional adaptations to the research on effective schools. Steps for setting up an inclusive science classroom are presented. Various adaptations in the science classroom are discussed. The findings of this research report indicate that there are a variety of instances where it is appropriate for teachers to make adaptations for students in the general education …

Nurturing At-Risk Students' Writing Abilities, Carol A. Schmidt

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this journal article was to review current professional literature on the writing process and the importance of voice in writing and then to design and implement a writing program for at-risk sixth grade students. The writing process is an effective means for children to create meaning, especially for at-risk students.

In the writing process, the writer's voice gives the best sense of a writer's potential. This driving force was the basis of the instructional project in writing developed for at-risk sixth grade students.

Helping Children With Difficulties Learn : An Overview, Sherry Marie Jack

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this paper is to integrate multiple variables related to learning for children with special needs. Regarding the first variable, intelligence, the paper considers its history, development, and biological foundations. Gardner's contemporary theory of Multiple Intelligence is also discussed. Then a discussion of learning styles, including the history, identification procedures and matching styles to instruction, is provided. Finally, the paper takes a historical journey through the learning process, to discuss the works of numerous authors in their related fields.

Nurturing Reading Comprehension Of Attention Deficit Students By Improving Their Inferential Skills, Paula Decker

Graduate Research Papers

Inference-making is a necessary component of reading comprehension. Many attention deficit students have shown some degree of reading comprehension deficiencies. Due to the nature of their disability – staying focused, sticking to a task, and noticing details – inference-making may be difficult for them.

This article suggests that by modifying and enhancing existing teaching methods and strategies, the instructional needs of ADD/ADHD students would be met. It offers some lesson and teaching modifications that have shown to be helpful in this author's experience.

When teachers are aware of the characteristics and limitations of students with an attention deficiency, they can …

Integrating Writing Across The Curriculum Enables Special Needs Students To Become Writers, Gretchen Peterson-Kobriger

Graduate Research Papers

Elementary students with language and learning disabilities became independent writers and readers after the classroom instruction changed from a teacher directed, segmented, skill deficit approach which is typically found in special education classrooms to a classroom which embraced whole language philosophies and provided students with the necessary conditions for learning written language. This paper describes the specific changes in teaching philosophy, instructional practices, methods, and strategies which were implemented in my classroom. It demonstrates how individual student challenges were met which enabled the students to increase their self-esteem and awareness of themselves as writers.

Inclusion Of An Autistic Child Into A Self-Contained Third Grade Classroom, Arlene M. Belt

Graduate Research Papers

This article describes the disorder of autism in the spectrum of pervasive developmental disorders, the challenges that the autistic child faces, and the inclusion of an autistic child, a nine-year old boy, into a self-contained third grade classroom. Through details of his life, the reader is given an intimate look at the personal and educational issues he faces as he struggles to cope with his disability. In addition to focusing on how the disorder affects an individual, the paper stresses the importance of parents and professionals working together to develop and implement teaching strategies that will assist such a child …

Inclusion And Inclusive Classrooms At The Preschool Level, Michele Keefer

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this review of literature is to examine previous research concerning inclusive classrooms at the preschool level and to determine the most appropriate guidelines for inclusion. Benefits and problems of inclusion were discussed. Guidelines for developing and implementing inclusive programs were suggested. Also, a summary, conclusions, and recommendations are included in the last chapter.

Fostering Acceptance Of Disabled Persons By Appreciating Individual Differences, Allison R. Clausen

Graduate Research Papers

Although the federal law, Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (Public Law 94-142), requires school districts to provide a free, appropriate, and public education to all children with disabilities between the ages of three and 21, studies have indicated a need for programs to develop more positive and accepting attitudes toward the handicapped. This can be accomplished by providing nondisabled children structured experiences with disabled children at an early age when their perceptions of individual differences are being formed.

This article discusses the educational experiences of Joey, a fifth grade student diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Joey is …

Asperger's Syndrome : A Review Of Literature, Tracy L. Gappa

Graduate Research Papers

This paper contains a review of literature on Asperger's Syndrome (AS). This disorder is characterized by deficits in social interaction skills and communication skills (such as the absence of eye contact or facial expressions). Individuals with AS also insist on routines in behaviors, and pursue a relatively narrow range of interests and activities. Etiology is thought to be multifactoral. Studies have indicated that AS may be influenced by genetic factors as well as pre-, peri-, and postnatal trauma. The disorder is also more common among boys than girls.

In this paper, the general clinical features of AS are reviewed, with …

Mental Health Services For The Deaf And Hard-Of-Hearing, Laura Scheffert James

Graduate Research Papers

In an effort to help increase the reader's understanding of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, the author of this paper will attempt to describe and define this population. Specific mental health concerns of this population reviewed in the literature will be noted, and mental health needs of the population will be identified. Ethical and legal considerations found in the literature will be reviewed. Characteristics of specialized training programs for counselors working with the deaf and hard-of-hearing will be discussed, and recommendations for the establishment of more effective, comprehensive, and specialized training programs for counselors working with deaf and hard-of-hearing clients …

Meeting The Needs Of The Learning Disabled-Gifted Child : A Problem Of Non-Identification, Jill R. Nooren

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to ascertain possible solutions to remedy the pervasive problem of the failure to identify and meet the needs of learning disabled-gifted children. Using a literature review, the writer sought to determine the characteristics of learning disabled-gifted children, perceived barriers to the identification of learning disabled-gifted children, and programming approaches that would best meet the needs of these unique learners.