Research-based strategies are important to practice for children with disabilities. There have been numerous strategies throughout education that have proven again and again to be beneficial to the student. Although this is my first year as a paraprofessional, I have seen certain research-based strategies play out well in the middle school classroom. I feel as though the most successful teachers are the ones who practice different research-based strategies in their classrooms daily. Classroom instruction has one of the biggest impacts on student learning than any other factor. Strategies in the classrooms can really help students grasp an understanding of the content and meet their learning goals. I hope to one day as a teacher, be able to understand and master which strategies are the most beneficial to my students.
Research-Based Reading and Math Strategies
Read 180 is an effective reading intervention program used throughout the world. At Hickory Middle School, where I am currently working as a special education paraprofessional, we use this program as well. This program has proven to be very effective at our middle school. The Read 180 program helps to engage those students who are currently reading below grade level in a highly motivating technology enhanced acceleration program. Read 180 uses different center or stations with the program in which the kids engaged in because they get to move around. The use of computers for certain activities in Read 180 is very appealing to the children. Spelling is reinforced throughout Read 180. The only con I have found within this program in my opinion is that sometimes the students are required to work alone on individual computers while the teacher and I are doing group work. At times, this can be challenging, because the student has to solely work alone during this period. Also, we only work with their lexile score level and not the level of the current grade.
Wordsalive Vocabulary Aquisition Model
This vocabulary model combines researched-based strategies into a student-friendly graphic organizer appropriate for vocabulary instruction in any content area and for learners in graders 5-9. A student moves from associating a narrow meaning of the word to a broader comprehension of the word. The comprehension stage may involve finding generalizations, categories, antonyms and examples of the new word to acquire a real and personal understanding of a word. In the 6th grade inclusion English class I am currently with, we have a "Word to Own" map in which the students get one word a day. Our students use the Wordsalive techniques to define and understand the word on their word maps. The students are also are asked to use the word in a sentence, find antonyms and synonyms, and draw a picture of their map illustrating the word. This method seems to be effective. I have notcied students using the words they have learned in writing and also at times in their daily vocabulary usage.
There are many research-based strategies in math that are often used for students with disabilities. Math manipulatives is one strategy I have seen in my first year at Hickory Middle that has proven to be effective and engaging for students with learning disabilities. The use of pattern blocks, number lines, tiles, interlocking cubes and other visual methods will expand students’ understanding. Each student may take to one exercise with better understanding than another. We also use a hands-on, interactive Smart Boards” in our math classroom to complete math problems. The smart board is great for those students with limited motor skills and accommodates different learning styles. The problems “come alive” and really captures the attention of the students.