Susan P. Miller

Effects of Social Skill Instruction for High-Functioning Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders

The purpose of this study Was to investigate the efficacy of using the SCORE Skills Strategy (Vernon, Schumaker, & Deshler, 1996) to teach high-functioning adolescents With autism spectrum disorders five important social skills. Ten male participants ranging in age from 12 to 17 took part in a 10-Week program. Results obtained using a multiple-baseline-across-skills design and a multiple-probe design indicate that all of the boys made significant gains in performance of the five targeted social skills and that the SCORE Skills Strategy is a viable program to use With high-functioning adolescents With autism spectrum disorder. The results further indicate that consumer satisfaction Was high for both the participants and their parents.

Teaching mathematics to students with mild-to-moderate mental retardation : A review of the literature

A systematic search of the literature from 1989 through 1998 was conducted to identify and analyze mathematics interventions for students with mild-to-moderate mental retardation. We found that the focus of instruction has shifted from basic skills instruction to computation and problem-solving instruction. Techniques such as constant-time delay, peer tutoring, time trials, and direct instruction proved beneficial in improving mathematics skills. Further, students with mental retardation learned to employ cognitive strategies successfully when these techniques were included. Although this information is promising, we recommend that further studies be conducted in secondary schools and in inclusive settings.

Professional Coaching A Method for Increasing Effective and Decreasing Ineffective Teacher Behaviors

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effectiveness of using professional coaching to increase positive teacher behaviors and decrease negative teacher behaviors. The subjects in this study were six teachers enrolled in a 5-week summer practicum to provide learning strategies instruction to upper elementary through high school students. A team-teaching format was used. Each team participated in two structured coaching sessions. Data were collected during three study phases: baseline, treatment, and posttreatment. The coaching sessions were effective for improving teacher skills. Moreover, these skills were maintained for 3 months following the treatment and generalized to new settings. These findings have implications for teacher training at both preservice and inservice levels.

Using Peer Coaching in Preservice Practica

Providing effective supervision to preservice students enrolled in field-based practica continues to be a major challenge for university faculty. Fiscal and time constraints have necessitated the need to explore alternative models for providing feedback to students while they are placed in public school settings. Recently, researchers have begun to examine the appropriateness of infusing peer coaching procedures into teacher education programs. The results have been promising. The purpose of this particular study was to compare traditional university supervision to peer coaching procedures that were used to promote the acquisition of effective teacher behaviors. The firtdings of this investigation suggest that traditional university supervision and peer coaching procedures were equally effective for increasing desired teacher behaviors and decreasing undesired teacher behaviors. Moreover, students and their cooperating teachers both responded favorably to the peer coaching process.

Mnemonics: Enhancing the Math Performance of Students with Learning Difficulties

Provides examples of acronym mnemonics that have been used successfully to improve the math performance of students with learning disabilities

Helping Students with Disabilities Understand What Mathematics Means.

instructional process ensures that educators integrate various modes of representation into mathematics instruction for teaching important concepts. Regardless of the mode of representation that the teacher selects for a particular lesson (manipulative models, pictures, or tallies), he or she also displays written number symbols to ensure that students make a connection between the conceptual and abstract representations. For example, if a teacher is using Unifix cubes to demonstrate the concept of subtraction, students should see the numerical representation of the problem (e.g., 8 – 3 =___ ), as well as the cubes. To ensure that students pay attention to the numerical representations in addition to the manipulative or pictorial models, students should read the problem aloud before and after they build the concrete or pictorial model to represent and solve the problem. Guideline 2: Consider Appropriate Structures for Teaching Specific Concepts One of the most important aspects of planning and implementing instruction intended to teach mathematical concepts is determining the appropriate lesson structures to use with a specific concept. The lesson structure is the framework, or the way that the teacher will demonstrate the concept and the way that the students will practice it to increase their conceptual understanding. Although educators agree that using manipulative devices, pictures, and diagrams to represent mathematical concepts is beneficial (Miller, Butler, & Lee, 1998), teachers must also consider the best way to use these materials. Different concepts seem to lend themselves to particular conceptual lesson structures. Included among these structures are comparing and contrasting, examples and nonexamples, and stepby-step processes (Hudson & Miller, 2006). The Compare-and-Contrast Lesson Structure The compare-and-contrast lesson structure is helpful when students need to recognize similarities and differences while they learn the target concept. This lesson structure is particularly useful when teaching geometry, numbers and operations, and measurement standards (Kamii & Clark, 1997; NCTM, 2000). For example, a teacher who is explaining the concept of weight can demonstrate by holding one object in each hand and comparing the weight of the two objects (e.g., “Hmm, which is heavier?”). The teacher can let students handle the objects, which should have distinctly different weights. After the demonstration, students can work in pairs to weigh the objects, compare them, and identify the heaviest object in a set of objects. The compare-and-contrast lesson structure is also useful when teaching such fraction concepts as equivalent fractions (NCTM, 2000). Fraction bars and plastic fraction pies, as well as number lines, are concrete and pictorial materials that allow students to compare fractions and identify equivalent fractions. At the concrete level, students can stack fraction foam pieces to observe the representation of equivalence, such as 4/8 = 2/4 = 1/2, as shown in Figure 4. The teacher can also use a fraction number line to show equivalence. The Example-and-Nonexample Lesson Structure The example-and-nonexample lesson structure is another way to teach a concept. The teacher provides multiple examples of the concept, along with nonexamples that allow the student to discriminate and identify representations of the concept (NCTM, 2000). For example, if the instruction focuses on the concept of a polygon, the teacher begins by showing many examples of polygons of different sizes and shapes, as well as examples of polygons in different positions. The teacher points out the characteristics of a polygon and then elicits these characteristics from the students. When students are consistently able to identify the concept’s 30 ■ COUNCIL FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN 3 ❒ ❒ ❒ +2 ❒ ❒ ❒ ❒ ❒ ❒ 2 ❒ ❒ ❒ ❒ 4 4 ❒ ❒ ❒ ❒ –2

Peer Coaching Within an Early Childhood Interdisciplinary Setting

Describes procedures for establishing peer coaching partnerships across disciplines

Developing Addition with Regrouping Competence among Second Grade Students with Mathematics Difficulties

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of using the concrete-representational-abstract (CRA) teaching sequence with integrated strategy instruction for developing addition with regrouping competence among students with learning difficulties in mathematics. A total of 16 lessons were provided to 24 students during a six-week summer program. Students who received CRA with integrated strategy instruction outperformed comparison students on both computation and fluency. The two groups performed similarly on word problems and a discrimination/review measure. Based on these results, practical implications and suggestions for future study are provided.

Using Structured Parent Groups to Provide Parental Support

Discusses effectiveness of parent support groups in helping educators meet rising academic standards

Collaboration in Preparing Urban Teachers.

Abstract The Urban Teaching Partnership Program (UTP) is a field-based, post-baccalaureate teacher education program that was developed, as one effort to meet the national and local shortage of teachers in urban contexts. The UTP offers an intensive route to teacher licensure in the state of Nevada for individuals with baccalaureate degrees outside of education. The purposes of UTP are to prepare teachers for urban contexts, blend the theory and practice of teaching, and offer experienced teachers professional development and mentoring opportunities. The College of Education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and the Clark County School District (CCSD) were partners in the development and implementation of this program. The purpose of this article is to provide information related to the program, especially in the areas of development, implementation, and evaluation.