Effective Teaching Strategies

in Special Needs Education

What works ?

Philippe Tremblay
Université Libre de Bruxelles
Tivat, Montenegro
November 2007
Moving Towards Inclusion
„ Teachers must be able to problem solve and
have the ability to informally assess the skills a
student needs

„ Teachers must be able to set high but

alternative expectations and assessments
which are suitable for the students

„ Teachers must be able to modify assignments

and include all students in the lesson

„ Teachers need to learn how to value all kinds of

skills, not just academic ones, and provide daily
success for all students
Modifying & Adapting
Curriculum
1. Size--Teachers
Size should modify how many items the
student is expected to learn or finish.

2. Time--Students
Time should be given more time for
learning, completing a task, or taking a test.

3. Level of support given--amount

given of personal
assistance increased for students with special
needs
Modifying & Adapting Curriculum
1. Teaching method--Teachers must change the
way that instruction is delivered to the students.

2. Level of difficulty--Skill
difficulty levels, problem types, and
rules on how to approach the work should be
modified to fit needs.

3. Assessment--
Assessment Modify how the student can
respond to the instruction given, whether through
hands-on materials, verbal responses, or
communication books
22 teaching strategies
(Mitchell, 2008)
1. Inclusive education
2. Cooperative group teaching
3. Peer tutoring
4. Collaborative teaching
5. Parent involvement
6. School culture
7. School-wide positive behavioural support
8. Indoor environmental quality
9. Classroom climate
10. Social skills training
11. Cognitive strategy instruction
12. Self-regulated learning
24 teaching strategies
13. Memory strategies
14. Reciprocal teaching
15. Phonological awareness
16. Cognitive behavioral therapy
17. Functional behavioral assessment
18. Direct instruction
19. Review and practice
20. Formative assessment and feedback
21. Assistive technology
22. Augmentative and alternative communication
+ Differentiated Instruction
What do we mean by evidence?
1. The intervention is clearly described and followed
2. Behavioural outcomes are clearly described
3. Learner characteristics are clearly described
4. Variables are controlled
5. There is no contamination
6. Side effects are acceptable
7. There is a sound theory underlying the intervention
8. There has been adequate follow-up
9. The research has been carried out in natural
conditions
10. The published results have been reviewed by peers
11. The research has been replicated
12. The intervention is cost effective
13. The research has practical significance
14. The research is accessible
Parent Involvement
‘Respect parents’ rights, skills and
needs’

„ Parents’ roles
„ Why develop partnerships?
„ Why do some parents need support?
„ What are the levels of parent
involvement?
„ How can we develop effective
partnerships?
„ Barriers
 Cooperative learning
¾ Group of students with different abilities
working together to accomplish a goal
(Johnson & Johnson, 1989).
¾ Cooperative activities compliment direct
instruction and are structured so students
are positively interdependent but individually
accountable for their work.
¾ Teachers can efficiently provide help as
needed for all students.
 Cooperative Group Teaching
‘Help learners to learn from each other’
„ Four essential ideas:
{ Interdependence
{ Individual accountability
{ Cooperation
{ Evaluation
„ Two types of groups
{ Mutual assistance groups
{ Cooperative groups (jig-saw puzzle)
„ What are the teacher’s roles in cooperative group teaching?
{ Design appropriate group tasks
{ Teach group process skills
{ Deal with problems
Peer Tutoring
“Utilize peers to teach each other”

Elements of Peer Tutoring include:

1. Peer Assisted Learning

2. Role Modelling

3. Mentoring

4. Facilitating experiences of school life

Benefits of peer Tutoring

¾ Enhance a Sense of Community

¾ Increase Student Motivation

¾ Increase Student Learning

 Peer Tutoring
„ One student acts a tutor and one as the tutee. Students
can be same-age or cross-ages
„ Typically 20 minutes of tutoring and 7 minutes of testing
„ For drills, exercises, reading, etc..
„ New materials,
„ Teacher input,
„ Whole-class explicit instruction,
„ Active student responding,
„ Exchangeable roles,
„ Correction systems,
„ Public displays of results,
„ Social rewards.
Cognitive Strategy Instruction

‘Teach learners ways of thinking’

„ What is cognitive strategy instruction?

„ Some learners have inefficient learning strategies.
„ General strategy instruction
think ahead
think during
think back
„ Specific strategy instruction, e.g., story-writing:
Why, Who, Where, What, How
Learning Strategies
„ Acronym (ex. : What they know, what they want to know, what they
learn (KWL)
„ Semantic mapping
„ Discussion webs
„ Rhyme/Song
„ Movement/Hands on learning
„ Storytelling/Drama
„ Key Word Picture
„ Alternative Algorithm
„ Scaffolding
„ Lecturing/Activating prior knowledge
„ Manipulation
„ Analogy
„ Technology
 Lecturing

A common teaching strategy, is an effort to

quickly cover the material: however, it often
overloads and over-whelms students with
data, making it likely that they will confuse
the presented facts
 Adaptation of KWL

K W H L
(what I know) (what I want to (how I can find (what I learned)
know) this information)
Scaffolding

„ Bridges the gap between what students know

and can do and the intended goal
„ Provides temporary support to students when
new skills or concepts are presented
„ Includes cueing, prompting, questioning,
modeling, telling or discussing
„ Is gradually removed as students demonstrate
mastery
„ Is no longer provided when students can
perform the task independently
Critical Features of Scaffolded Instruction

„ Modeling with verbal commentary

„ Student imitation of the skill as
modeled by the teacher
„ Removal of the scaffolds (less
assistance and more feedback)
„ Independent task performance by the
student
 Scaffolding and ZPD

„ Learning only occurs when students are

“stretched” beyond their current competency.

„ The metaphor of “scaffolding” has been used

to describe the support that enables a learner
to complete a task that would otherwise be
unattainable without assistance.

„ Social interaction between a learner and an

individual with additional expertise are
necessary.
Zone of Proximal Development

„ The task must have the right level of difficulty

to promote learning.
„ A too difficult task will frustrate the learner
and make learning impossible.
„ A too easy task results in not enough
productive work to build dendrites.
Types of Scaffolding

Modeling Bridging
„ Give clear examples „ Connect ideas and
„ Show finished work show inter-
„ Walk your students relationships
through a process „ Activate prior
knowledge and
experience
 Types of Scaffolding

Contextualization Questioning
„ Provide „ Ask higher order
environments your questions (why?
students are familiar How? So what?)
with that will help „ Open a window of
illuminate and clarify doubt and possibility
new concepts for „ Ask “leading
them questions” to stretch
„ Use analogies and thinking
metaphors
 Types of Scaffolding

Metacognitive Text Presentation

Development „ Ask students to
„ Plan how to tackle present learned
problems concepts in an
„ Be consciously alternative format
aware of processes
„ Teach self-
assessment
strategies
„ Decide on steps in
solving problems
Direct Instruction

Careful, systematic presentation and

instruction of materials (Carnine, 1991).

a. Show the student the process

b. Demonstrate how to perform the skills
c. Ask the student to imitate what you do
d. Provide opportunities for frequent response /
reinforcement through cues
e.Reduce the cues as the student responds correctly
 Classroom Climate
‘Create a positive, motivating classroom
climate’
Three main factors:
1. Relationships
2. Personal development
3. System maintenance
„ Create a safe and trustworthy environment
„ Help learners set goals
„ Provide a motivating learning environment
„ Convey high, but realistic expectations
„ Establish clear rules and boundaries
„ Take up appropriate positions in the classroom
 Formative Assessment and Feedback

‘Regularly check and inform learners of their

progress’

„ The underlying idea:

{ assessment should serve an educational purpose

{ formative assessment vs. summative assessment

{ it is important to probe for knowledge

{ feedback is valuable

„ What is feedback?
{ timely

{ explicit

{ focus on strategy, not ability or effort

{ able to be used by learners

 Two Views of Assessment --

Assessment is for: Assessment is for:

Gatekeeping Nurturing
Judging Guiding
Right Answers Self-Reflection
Control Information
Comparison to Comparison to
others task
Use with single Use over multiple
activities activities
 THINKING ABOUT
ON-GOING ASSESSMENT
STUDENT DATA TEACHER DATA
SOURCES MECHANISMS
1. Journal entry 1. Anecdotal records
2. Short answer test 2. Observation by checklist
3. Open response test 3. Skills checklist
4. Home learning 4. Class discussion
5. Notebook 5. Small group interaction
6. Oral response 6. Teacher – student
7. Portfolio entry conference
8. Exhibition 7. Assessment stations
9. Culminating product 8. Exit cards
10. Question writing 9. Problem posing
11. Problem solving 10. Performance tasks and
rubrics
Exit Card

„ Before class ends, ask students to answer

(in writing) two or three simple questions to
elicit information that will help you adjust
your next lessons.

„ Example: What would you say was the

main point of today’s work? What is the
main confusion/unanswered question you
are leaving class with today?
Differentiated Instruction

„ Teaching Different Students Differently

„ By Altering Readiness, Interest,

Learning Preference

„ on Content, Process, or Product

 Differentiation of Instruction
‰ Differentiation means changing the pace,
level, or kind of instruction to meet each
student's individual learning needs.
‰ Curriculum compacting (compressing
curriculum material into a shorter time
frame, and allowing students to demonstrate
mastery of content they already know)
‰ Ability grouping
‰ Flexible grouping
‰ Individualized instruction (independent
study projects).
Differentiated Instruction Defined

“Differentiated instruction is a teaching

philosophy based on the premise that teachers
should adapt instruction to student differences.
Rather than marching students through the
curriculum lockstep, teachers should modify
their instruction to meet students’ varying
readiness levels, learning preferences, and
interests. Therefore, the teacher proactively
plans a variety of ways to ‘get at’ and express
learning.” (Carol Ann Tomlinson)
Four Common Barriers to Differentiated
Instruction

„ Lack of curriculum clarity

„ Lack of understanding of where
students are and who they are
„ Lack of use of effective instructional
approaches
„ Inability to manage flexible settings
The Foundation of Differentiated
Instruction

„ Learners need to make their “own” meaning of

content
„ Learning is best when content is “powerfully
organized”
„ Learning is best when it matches where learners
are and then takes them a bit farther.
„ Students have a wide range of:
{ abilities and skills
{ interests
{ intelligences.
 How Does Research Support
DI?
„ Differentiated Instruction is the result of a synthesis of
a number of educational theories and practices.
„ Brain research indicates that learning occurs when
the learner experiences moderate challenge and
relaxed alertness –readiness
„ Psychological research reveals that when interest is
tapped, learners are more likely to find learning
rewarding and become more autonomous as a
learner.
„ BUT !!!
 Differentiation of Instruction
Is a teacher’s response to learner’s needs
guided by general principles of differentiation

Respectful tasks Flexible grouping Continual assessment

Teachers Can Differentiate Through:

Content Process Product

According to Students’

Readiness Interest Learning Profile

8 Key Principles of a Differentiated Classroom

1. The teacher is clear about what matters in subject matter.

2. The teacher understands, appreciates, and builds upon student differences.

3. Assessment and instruction are inseparable.

4. The teacher adjusts content, process, and product in response to student

readiness, interests, and learning profile.

5. All students participate in respectful work.

6. Students and teachers are collaborators in learning.

7. Goals of a differentiated classroom are maximum growth and individual

success.

8. Flexibility is the hallmark of a differentiated classroom.

What is essential content?

„ What the learner should know, understand

and be able to do at the end of a unit of
instruction (uses levels of learning).

„ Answers the question “Why should we learn this?”

„ Makes connections between isolated facts and

skills so they have meaning.
Know
„ These are the facts, vocabulary, dates,
places, names, and examples you want
students to give you.

„ The “know” is massively forgettable.

„ “Teaching facts in isolation is like trying to

pump water uphill.” (Carol Tomlinson)
Understand
Major Concepts and Sub-concepts

„ These are the written statements of truth, the core to the

meaning(s) of the lesson(s) or unit. These are what connect
the parts of a subject to the student’s life and to other
subjects.

„ It is through the understanding component of instruction that

we teach our students to truly grasp the “point” of the lesson
or the experience.

„ Understandings are purposeful. They focus on the key ideas

that require students to understand information and make
connections while evaluating the relationships that exist
within the understandings.
 A Student who UNDERSTANDS something
can…
„ Explain it clearly, giving examples
„ Use it
„ Compare and contrast it with other concepts
„ Relate it to other instances in the subject studies, other subjects and
personal life experiences
„ Transfer it to unfamiliar settings
„ Discover the concept embedded within a novel problem
„ Combine it appropriately with other understandings
„ Pose new problems that exemplify or embody the concept
„ Create analogies, models, metaphors, symbols, or pictures of the
concept
„ Pose and answer “what-if” questions that alter variables in a
problematic situation
„ Generate questions and hypotheses that lead to new knowledge and
further inquiries
„ Generalize from specifics to form a concept
„ Use the knowledge to appropriately assess his or her performance, or
that of someone else.
Able to DO
Skills

„ These are the basic skills of any discipline. They include the
thinking skills such as analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing.
These are the skills of planning, the skills of being an
independent learner, the skills of setting and following criteria,
the skills of using the tools of knowledge such as adding,
dividing, understanding multiple perspectives, following a
timeline, calculating latitude, or following the scientific method.

„ The skill portion encourages the students to “think” like the

professionals who use the knowledge and skill daily as a
matter of how they do business. This is what it means to “be
like” a doctor, a scientist, a writer or an artist.
Social Studies
Students will:

Know:
Names and roles of groups in the feudal class
system.
Do:
Research
See events through varied perspectives
Share research & perspectives with peers
Understand:
Roles in the feudal system were interdependent.
A person’s role in the feudal system will shape
his/her perspective on events.
 KDU – Circulation
Know:
„ 3 types of blood vessels—arteries, veins and capillaries.
„ Human heart has 4 distinct chambers.
„ Blood flows away from the heart in arteries and back to the
heart in veins.
Do:
„ Trace the blood flow through the heart and lungs
„ Analyze the effect of different chemicals on blood vessel

Understand: Interdependence, health

„ Describe in detail how the circulatory system and other
systems are interdependent.
„ Understand that heart health is an interaction of genetics and
environment.
Differentiated Content
„ Reading Partners / Reading Buddies
„ Choral Reading/Antiphonal Reading
„ Flip Books
„ Split Journals (Double Entry – Triple Entry)
„ Books on Tape/Highlights on Tape
„ Digests/ “Cliff Notes”
„ Note taking Organizers
„ Varied Texts
„ Varied Supplementary Materials
„ Highlighted Texts
„ Think-Pair-Share/Preview-Mid view-Post view
Differentiated Process

„ Different kind of Activities

„ Interests
„ Grouping
„ Learning styles
„ Contracts
„ …
Learning Styles
‰ Are you an auditory learner, someone who
learns best by listening and talking?
‰ Are you a kinesthetic learner, who learns best
by actively exploring your environment?
‰ Or are you a visual learner, who learns best by
watching and then by visualizing what you have
learned?
‰ Are you a tactile learner who learns best by
writing, drawing, taking notes, using hands-on
manipulations, and involving your emotions and
feelings while learning?
 The Equalizer
1. Foundational Transformational

Information, Ideas, Materials, Applications

2. Concrete Abstract
Representations, Ideas, Applications, Materials

3. Simple Complex
Resources, Research, Issues, Problems, Skills, Goals

4. Single Facet Multiple Facets

Directions, Problems, Application, Solutions, Approaches, Disciplinary Connections

5. Small Leap Great Leap

Application, Insight, Transfer

6. More Structured More Open

Solutions, Decisions, Approaches

7. Less Independence Greater Independence

Planning, Designing, Monitoring

8. Slow Quick
Pace of Study, Pace of Thought
 Flexible Grouping
„ Students are part of many different groups (and
also work alone) based on the match of the task
to student readiness, interest, or learning style.
„ Teachers may create skills – based or interest –
based groups that are heterogeneous or
homogeneous in readiness level.
„ Sometimes students select work groups, and
sometimes teachers select them. Sometimes
student group assignments are purposeful and
sometimes random.
 Example of flexing grouping

1 3 5 7 9
Teacher and whole Students and teacher The whole class The whole class is The whole class listens to
class begin exploration come together to share reviews key ideas and introduced to a skill individual study plans and
of a topic or concept information and pose extends their study needed later to make establishes baseline
questions through sharing a presentation criteria for success

Students engage in further Students work on varied In small groups selected by Students self-select interest
study using varied materials assigned tasks designed to students, they apply key areas through which they will
based on readiness and help them make sense of key principles to solve teacher- apply and extend their
learning style ideas at varied levels of generated problems related understandings
complexity and varied pacing to their study

2 4 6 8
Designing a Differentiated Learning
Contract
A Learning Contract has the following components

1. A Skills Component
ƒ Focus is on skills-based tasks
ƒ Assignments are based on pre-assessment of students’ readiness
ƒ Students work at their own level and pace

2. A content component
ƒ Focus is on applying, extending, or enriching key content (ideas,
understandings)
ƒ Requires sense making and production
ƒ Assignment is based on readiness or interest
 Designing a Differentiated Learning
Contract

3. A Time Line
ƒ Teacher sets completion date and check-in requirements
ƒ Students select order of work (except for required meetings and
homework)

4. The Agreement
ƒ The teacher agrees to let students have freedom to plan their time
ƒ Students agree to use the time responsibly
ƒ Guidelines for working are spelled out
ƒ Consequences for ineffective use of freedom are delineated
ƒ Signatures of the teacher, student and parent (if appropriate) are
placed on the agreement
Differentiated products

„ Choices based on readiness, interest, and

learning profile
„ Clear expectations
„ Timelines
„ Agreements
„ Product Guides
„ Rubrics
„ Evaluation
 Possible Products
Map Lecture Book List Toy
Diagram Editorial Calendar Article
Sculpture Painting Coloring Book Diary
Discussion Costume Game Poster
Demonstration Placement Research Project Magazine
Poem Blueprint TV Show Computer
Profile Catalogue Song Program
Chart Dialogue Dictionary Photographs
Play Newspaper Film Terrarium
Dance Scrapbook Collection Petition
Campaign Book Trial Drive
Cassette Questionnaire Machine Teaching
Quiz Show Flag Book Lesson
Banner Scrapbook Mural Prototype
Brochure Graph Award Speech
Debate Debate Recipe Club
Flow Chart Museum Test Cartoon
Puppet Show Learning Center Puzzle Biography
Tour Advertisement Model Review
Timeline Invention
 ASSESSING TEACHER CREATED PRODUCTS
1 2 3
T A L 4
NG S EN
G
IN N T
RO E AR SE
ST PR M AB

1. Product designed to expand on all key concepts

2. Product designed to expand on all key principles / generalizations
3. Product designed to expand on all key skills.
4. Product facilitates students use and extension of key knowledge.
5. Product rationale is made clear to students.
6. Clear directions are provided that are both thorough and open.
7. Product provides clear criteria for successes at a high level of expectations for content,
process and product.
8. Product assignment necessitates creativity.
9. Product assignment supports creativity.
10. Product challenges a full range of readiness levels.
11. Product allows/encourages pursuit of student interest.
12.. A menu of product options and/;or working arrangements supports varied learning profiles.
13. On going support is provided as needed throughout product assignment.
14. Product uses timelines, check in dates or process logs.
15. Product encourages varied forms of research, expressions, and technology.
16. Product provides formative and summative evaluation by peers.
17. Product provides formative and summative evaluation by self.
18. Product provides formative and summative evaluation by teacher.