LITERACY EDUCATION INTERVENTIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES

By: Jen McCallen and Stephanie

Mendelsohn

A QUOTE TO THINK ABOUT…

“Upon our children, how they are

taught rests the fate or fortune of

tomorrow’s world” – B.C. Forbes

PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT

The purpose of our research is to examine and

introduce approaches, analyze effectiveness, and

consider new possibilities to literacy education for

students with learning disabilities. By doing this, it is

our hope to gain a better knowledge of effective

teaching techniques to use as future teachers in

order to better improve the life of our learners.

LEARNING DISABILITY

Learning disability – a disorder in one or more basic psychological

processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or

written, that may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, speak,

read, write, spell, or to do other mathematical calculations (Lyon 56).

“In defiance of normal intellectual functioning, students with learning

disabilities exhibit academic deficits that impede their progress. While

they have the same needs as other students, their access to creative

and challenging learning opportunities often is impaired” (Kumar and

Wilson 155).

WHY IS THIS AN IMPORTANT TOPIC?

Approximately 5% of all public school students are identified as having a learning disability

(Lyon 54).

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Individuals with Disabilities

Education Act (IDEA), it is the legal right that students with learning disabilities are

provided as solid an education as those without, and they must be given access to all

available educational opportunities in the United States (Kumar and Wilson 156).

“Most teachers rely on lectures, textbooks, and written tests as the primary means of

delivering and evaluating instruction in content-area classes” (Kumar and Wilson 156)

The longer students with learning disabilities, at any level of severity, go without

identification and intervention, the more difficult it is to ensure success in future literacy

endeavors (Lyon)• “Consistent evidence indicates that most early intervention programs of relatively good

quality have meaningful short-term effects on cognitive ability (Conyers et. Al 76).

INTERVENTIONS AND METHODS OF INSTRUCTION

Technological Approaches

Co-Teaching/Inclusion Programs

Early Literacy Program (ELP)

USING TECHNOLOGY TO SUPPORT STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Computer technology can provide cognitively challenging environments for the

development of analytical, critical thinking, reasoning and problem solving skills in

students (Kumar and Wilson 157).

Technology provides students with interesting and motivating learning experiences

that help them to stay on task

Computers are ideal tools for individualizing the mode of delivery of presentation

and style of interaction

According to Wisniewski and Sedlak, additional improvements in

technology provide elementary school children with disabilities

new opportunities to play, learn, and socialize in mainstreamed

settings (297).

Definition: The placement of students with disabilities in a general education classroom full

time with special education support services provided within the classroom setting (Klingner

and Vaughn 20)

Teachers should create a positive and literacy-rich learning environment where students

with learning disabilities feel motivated and are able to establish a sense of belonging. They

should be “judged based on not what others can do, but based on what they can” (Nolen 98).

Through co-teaching, teachers support students with learning

disabilities by using more interactive models, and using less fully

cohesive models such as duet teaching

Results: Students felt more comfortable as they were not singled

out as being “special ed” and were willing to participate; students grew

both socially and academically

CO -TEACHING/ INCLUSION PROGRAMS

THE EARLY LITERACY PROGRAM (ELP)

Drag picture to placeholder or click icon to addCurriculum established by a team of

researchers and special education teachers

from five urban elementary schools

Special education researchers conceptualize

literacy instruction from a Vygotskyian

perspective (Englert et. Al 2).

Literacy activities permitted access to higher

order cognitive processes even though the

activities were to be implemented with

primary-grade students. They were

interrelated and embedded in thematic unitsExamples: oral literacy (oral storytelling, story dictation, listening to oral stories) and written literacy (reading and writing stories)

HOW CAN TEACHERS/PARENTS

CONTRIBUTE?

“When educators direct their efforts toward learning and understanding how all

children experience the world, and when they strive to become familiar with the

complex context (including culture and language) in which students, educators,

and families live and learn, they are better equipped to respond to students’ needs

and concerns” (Bernhard 2384).

Teachers should establish an optimal learning environment – incorporating

student’s knowledge and personal experiences and increasing teacher-student

interaction

Parental coping strategies that emphasize the use of social support is highly

associated with family strengths – “emotional support can be sought from parents

of children with disabilities by joining support groups” (Judge 267).

CONCLUSIONS

Based on our findings, we feel that there is a definite need for practice. Schools must implement

literacy interventions that support students with learning disabilities.

Research shows that without specific efforts to support students with learning disabilities,

students will not be able to thrive academically in the future as the “core of children’s school

success is their literacy achievement” (Xue and Meisels 191). As basic reading skills are critical for

future academic success, students need well-informed teachers to employ interventions early on.

After analyzing these three approaches, we feel that each approach has its limitations. For

example, technological aid in the classroom may not be available/accessible and it is difficult for

teachers to choose the most effective programs to utilize. Co-teaching requires a great deal of

planning and collaboration among teachers; in addition, students with learning disabilities are

overrepresented among teachers’ concern, indifference, and rejection nominations (Cook 316).

However, there is a lack of knowledge on the approach that yields the most astonishing results,

which suggests the need for further research.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Lyon, G. Reid. (1996). Learning disabilities. The Future of Children, 6(1), 54-76.

Tobin, Ruthanne. (2005). Co-teaching in language arts: supporting students with learning disabilities. Canadian Journal of Education, 28(4), 784-801.

Nolen, Susan B. (2001). Constructing literacy in the kindergarten: task structure, collaboration and motivation. Cognition and Instruction, 19(1), 95-142.

Xue, Yange, & Meisels, Samuel J. (2004). Early literacy instruction and learning in kindergarten: evidence from the early childhood longitudinal study:

kindergarten class of 1998-1999. American Educational Research Journal, 41(1), 191-229.

Kumar, David, & Wilson, Cynthia L. (1997). Computer technology science education, and students with learning disabilities. Journal of Science Education and

Technology, 6(2), 155-160.

Englert, Carol S., Raphael, Taffy E., & Mariage, Troy V. (1994). Developing a school-based discourse for literacy learning: a principled search for

understanding. Learning Disability Quarterly, 17(1), 2-32.

Klingner, Janette K., & Vaughn, Sharon. (2002). The changing roles and responsibilities of an LD specialist. Learning Disability Quarterly, 25(1), 19-31.

Bernhard, Judith K. (2006). Identity texts and literacy development among preschool english language learners: enhancing learning opportunities for children

at risk for l earning disabilities. Teachers College Record, 108(11), 2380-2405.

Judge, Sharon L. (1998). Parental coping strategies and strengths in families of young children with disabilities. Family Relations, 47(3), 263-268.

Cook, Bryan G. (2004). Inclusive teachers’ attitudes toward their students with disabilities: a replication and extension. The Elementary School Journal,

104(4), 307-320.

Conyers, Liza M., Reynolds, Arthur J., & Ou. Suh-Ruu. (2003). The effect of early childhood intervention and subsequent special education services: findings

from the chicago child-parent center. American Educational Research Association, 25(1), 75-95.

Wisniewski, Lech & and Sedlak, Robert. (1992). Assistive devices for students with disabilities. The Elementary School Journal, 92(3), 297-314.

Zarillo, J.J. (2008) Excerpt from Teaching Elementary Social Studies: Principles and Applications, 40-45.

Literacy Education – Teaching Literacy. (2008). Caliteracy.org