Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

Improving Peer-To-Peer Learning For Students With Extensive Support Needs In Inclusive Classrooms, Zachary Michael Deets

Dissertations and Theses

Inclusive learning opportunities lead to better outcomes for students with extensive support needs (ESN). In the absence of targeted intervention, however, students with ESN are unlikely to interact meaningfully with their peers or the general education curriculum. The literature describes evidence-based strategies in support of the meaningful inclusion of students with ESN in inclusive classrooms, including the use of technology to mediate learning experiences and nondisabled peers as learning "interventionists." This dissertation introduces an intervention package, Technology-Assisted Peer-Mediated Academic Support (TAPMAS), incorporating Technology-Aided Instruction and Intervention (TAII) and Peer-Based Instruction and Intervention (PBII), as a model of how educators may …

Paraprofessionals Who Work With Elementary Grade Students With Significant Disabilities In Inclusive Settings, Regina Moreno

Dissertations and Theses

The use of paraprofessional services is an established and crucial aspect in the pursuit of a free and appropriate public education for students with disabilities. Paraprofessionals are often the primary providers of instruction for students with severe disabilities yet are the least trained instructional personnel in schools. Identified competencies and necessary training content for paraprofessionals who serve students with severe disabilities are nearly absent in the professional literature.

This study extended the current literature regarding paraprofessionals who serve students with disabilities in public schools by focusing specifically on those paraprofessionals who serve students with severe disabilities in inclusive general education …