Sp. Ed. Chart

week6_-notes.docx

Home >Psychology homework help >Sp. Ed. Chart

Introduction

It is not unusual for the teachers of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) to spend less time on academic instruction; consequently these students may not be engaged in academic activities as much as mainstream students. Knizter, Setinberg, and Fleisch (1990) describe this process as bleakness. Keeping current with research-based instructional procedures is a valuable tool to support and develop educators' skills in the design and delivery of effective lessons for students with EBD (Yell, Meadows, Drasgow, & Shriner (2009).

Teaching Reading

Theorists and researchers continue to argue the best approach for teaching reading. Should the approach be meaning-based, code-based, or a continuum of both approaches? Should the teaching of reading skills be based on general comprehension, an approach of phonics and grammatical rules, or a combination of the two? Recently, educators are focusing on a combination of phonics and whole words.

Initially, for the code-based or rules approach, it should be remembered that phonemic awareness and phonics are not synonymous. Phonemic awareness is the understanding of the sounds used to form words. Phonics is knowledge of the specific system of knowing what letters have which sounds in order to place them in the correct order to form the word.

When learning to read, children can learn the whole word by sight or learn to decode and encode with the use of phonics. Obviously they can use some of each approach, but in general a student will be strong in one approach and have to acquire more skills for the other approach. Students who show lower reading levels often lack the phonemic skills. According to Yell et al. (2009), the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) reported in 2000 that letter knowledge and phonemic awareness are the best predictors of how well a student will learn to read in the first two years of instruction. It should not be assumed that a student has received those skills simply because they are past those first two years of school. That being said, it would seem evident that a combination of the two approaches would be most successful.

The direct instruction (DI) model has shown to increase student achievement in reading (Gage & Berliner, (1998). For the DI approach, many teachers incorporate different strategies through specific objectives, curriculum, and sequence. Repeated readings and peer-assisted techniques show improvement in fluency, reading rates, and on-task behaviors. Mnemonics and acronyms are often introduced to help remember academic strategies.

Teaching Writing

There are two models which have been used to teach writing to students.

1. Product-based writing concentrates on the mechanics of writing and uses writing strands to progress. States may deconstruct the mechanics in the mandated standards. These types of writing tasks would be critiqued on spelling, grammar usage, capitalization, and punctuation.

2. Process-based writing includes overlapping and interactive stages:

3. Planning or prewriting;

4. Complete a first draft;

5. Revise the draft with necessary editing; and

6. Producing a final publication.

The problem with this approach is that some students have lower fundamental writing skills and will not be able to complete the first few steps or even a comprehensible finished product successfully. The process approach assumes that the writer already has the skills to complete acceptable sentences with appropriate grammar.

Teaching Math

Approaches used for students with learning disabilities (LD) may be applicable for students with EBD. A kinesthetic approach may be helpful for students who do not comprehend math on paper. The use of manipulatives can often help students visually see the problem and answers. Working on the desk and working on the board may also produce different results. Again, teacher and student attitudes can directly affect the results of skills gained.

The process of learning is diverse and dependent on variables such as physical and cognitive development. Some students are unable to comprehend or retain the basic mathematical skills taught in the first few years of school. Without a solid understanding of the basic skills, students lack a foundation to build upon. Therefore, higher expectations are increasingly frustrating and result in a lower self-efficacy for math. Often, curriculum does not build in enough practice time for these students who lack the basic skills. Teachers must be prepared to put in extra time and effort in order to provide the needed practice for retention. The practice should be provided in different learning formats to compensate for individual learning styles. Tools such as computer, paper, manipulatives, peer tutoring, and larger surfaces such as the board in the classroom can be utilized. Frequent assessment and monitoring of progress will pinpoint the skill areas still needing remediation.

Conclusion

Academic instruction that is structured but engaging and covers basic skills without being boring provide a learning environment that helps promote the success of all students. It is imperative that teachers and administrators be aware of the EBD student's skill levels, interests, and attitudes. Many special-needs children have developed an attitude of won't do or can't do. Although these terms may look the same, they have very different meanings in terms of teaching and learning. If students have experienced repeated failure, it may be the case that those students believe they cannot complete the task at hand or fear they will fail again. Learning takes place for all children in an alert and challenging classroom where students are engaged in the lesson, encouraged, and scaffolded through tasks. Classes that revolve around students seeing, hearing, and doing often create successful learners. Techniques that work well for other students, such as mnemonics and acronyms, can also work for students with EBD; effective teachers in mainstream classrooms and effective teachers in remedial and support classrooms use the same techniques.

References

Gage, N., & Berliner, D. (1998). Educational psychology (6th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Knitzer, J., Setinberg, Z., & Fleisch, B. (1990). At the schoolhouse door: An examination of programs and policies for children with behavioral and emotional problems. New York: Bank Street College of Education.

Yell, M. L, Meadows, N. B., Drasgow, E., & Shriner, J. G. (2009). Evidence-based practices for educating students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Merrill/Pearson.