Marcia L. Rock

REACH: A Framework for Differentiating Classroom Instruction.

Today, teachers are responsible not only for meeting the diverse needs of all students but also for ensuring improved educational outcomes. Accordingly, school personnel are seeking proven ways to strengthen traditional classroom practices. Beginning with the plight of two teachers—one general and one special education—the authors offer a rationale for differentiating instruction. Then they review the literature on differentiated instruction, highlighting the myths, models, and evidence to support it. The authors draw on the accumulated research to provide a framework for differentiating instruction. Using REACH as a mnemonic, the framework they developed includes a comprehensive inventory and several practical strategies for using it. They revisit the case vignette to illustrate the application of the REACH framework.

Back to Basics: Rules, Praise, Ignoring, and Reprimands Revisited

Research begun in the 1960s provided the impetus for teacher educators to urge classroom teachers to establish classroom rules, deliver high rates of verbal/nonverbal praise, and, whenever possible, to ignore minor student provocations. In that there have been significant advances in the knowledge of what constitutes effective classroom management, a review of past-to-present literature was conducted to determine whether it is time to alter the thinking about one or more of these basic behavioral strategies. The research conducted over the years supports the basic tenets of these strategies, but with some important caveats. Finally, there are several newer strategies that warrant attention.

Use of Strategic Self -Monitoring to Enhance Academic Engagement, Productivity, and Accuracy of Students With and Without Exceptionalities

This study investigated the effects of a strategic self-monitoring intervention (i.e., ACT-REACT) on the academic engagement, nontargeted problem behavior, productivity, and accuracy of students with and without disabilities. Seven boys and two girls of elementary age who received their educational services in two different inclusive classrooms participated in this investigation. The students were taught to use the ACT-REACT strategy during independent math/reading seatwork. ACT-REACT is a combined self-monitoring of attention and self-monitoring of performance intervention designed to help chronically disengaged students take control of their learning. A multiple-baseline-across-subjects design with an embedded reversal indicates that ACT-REACT was an effective strategy for fostering self-management and enhancing the academic performance of students with differing needs in inclusive classrooms.

On the Same Page Practical Techniques to Enhance Co-Teaching Interactions

As increasing numbers of students with disabilities are taught in general education classrooms, co-teaching has become an established method of special education service provision. No longer viewed by education professionals as a collaborative model-come-lately, this shared approach of working side by side with a colleague in a classroom can be a rewarding and at the same time frustrating experience. This article offers co-teachers practical techniques to enhance their interactions and, in turn, improve educational outcomes for all of their students.

Parents as Equal Partners: Balancing the Scales in IEP Development.

Fifteen years ago, as a beginning special education teacher, I was proud of the preparation I had received in developing individualized education programs (IEPs). I was confident in my knowledge and skills and spent long hours after school and on weekends creating detailed IEPs for my students. I conferenced extensively with parents regarding the wonderful educational programs I had created for their children. The parents nodded and smiled in agreement. In fact, they were quite appreciative. Yet they said little about their child. At the time, I was perplexed and often bewildered about their reluctance to contribute to the dialogue. In retrospect, how could they have responded any differently? I was the one monopolizing the discourse.

Virtual Coaching for Novice Teachers

Technology enables university professors to observe and literally whisper in the ear of a teacher during instruction.

ENGAGE: A Blueprint for Incorporating Social Skills Training Into Daily Academic Instruction

Student success in school depends, in part, on adequate social-interpersonal skills. Yet, in a time when all students are expected to reach specified academic goals, school personnel are hard-pressed to find ways to address the social-interpersonal behavior needs of their students. In this article, the authors discuss practical ways for teachers to infuse social skills into academic instruction. The authors begin with a vignette to establish a rationale for merging academic and social skills instruction. Next, the authors briefly review the social skills research, highlight several studies, encapsulate the common overlapping assumptions, and describe the steps required to deliver quality social skills instruction. The authors describe the ENGAGE blueprint as a practical way to incorporate social skills into daily academic instruction. Last, the authors revisit the vignette to illustrate classroom application of the ENGAGE blueprint.

How Are They Now? Longer Term Effects of eCoaching Through Online Bug-In-Ear Technology

In this study, using mixed methods, we investigated the longer term effects of eCoaching through advanced online bug-in-ear (BIE) technology. Quantitative data on five dependent variables were extracted from 14 participants’ electronically archived video files at three points in time—Spring 1 (i.e., baseline, which was the first semester of enrollment without eCoaching feedback), Spring 2 (i.e., 1 year later with eCoaching feedback), and Spring 3 (i.e., 2 years later after exiting the program without eCoaching feedback). Qualitative data were collected by means of interviews with participants regarding their ongoing participation in eCoaching. Quantitative analysis, using repeated-measures ANOVA, confirmed initial improvements in participants’ teaching practices and P-12 student engagement generally withstood the test of time. Also, qualitative findings indicated, as time went on, participants had more positive than negative attitudes toward eCoaching through advanced online BIE.

eCoaching: The Effects on Co-Teachers’ Planning and Instruction:

Although co-teaching has become a popular approach to special education service provision in inclusive classrooms, practitioners have struggled to carry it out well. One suggestion for improvement has been to provide co-teachers with training that includes coaching. In this study, we used single-case (ABAB) withdrawal design, to investigate the effects of eCoaching, delivered through online bug-in-ear technology, on co-teachers as they planned and carried out co-teaching. Participants included three co-teaching dyads (n = 6); each comprised of one general and one special educator. Visual inspection of graphed data along with quantitative analysis (i.e., percentage of non-overlapping data) confirmed that eCoaching increased participants’ use of varied co-teaching models and student-specific accommodations, while co-teachers’ interviews and students’ time samples verified social validity. Taken together, these findings lead to better understanding of the benefits and limitations of eCoaching with co-teachers.

Graphic Organizers Tools to Build Behavioral Literacy and Foster Emotional Competency

Too frequently, current approaches to discipline de-emphasize the importance of social, emotional, and behavioral instruction and overemphasize the use of punishment. When reactive, punitive consequences are the primary form of discipline, a negative school climate emerges. To prevent an unconstructive learning environment, educators need to teach students the knowledge, skills, and abilities that lead to the development of emotional competency. This article describes creative ways to use graphic organizers to effectively manage educational environments, build behavioral literacy in students, and create a learning community that celebrates diversity and empowerment.