Video instruction with explanation to another person for intellectually disabled students

Intellectually disabled (ID) students in secondary education are often taught in an individual setting where video instruction is used. Especially, when the instruction is about complex assignments, many students may forget parts of it. In this study, we tried to find out if prompting ID students to explain video instruction would help them to improve their performance. Research with regular students indicated that explaining instructional materials can be effective (Roy & Chi, 2005). In a first experiment with 41 ID students in Dutch secondary education, we varied the complexity of assignments and compared students who first watched and then explained video instruction of assignments (n=21) with students who watched twice but were not required to explain (n=20). It turned out that only for complex assignments, explaining to another person was more effective for students' task performance than just watch video instruction. In the second experiment with 58 ID students, we repeated the study with complex assignments. The students in the experimental group (n=29) improved more after explaining video instructions than the students who only watched videos (n=29). The experimental group also had a more complete mental representation of an assignment and could better assess how well they had performed it

Interactive instruction for students with intellectual disabilities:Enhancing independent learning

In het Nederlandse voortgezet onderwijs gaan moeilijk lerende leerlingen naar het praktijkonderwijs (PrO). Een vooronderzoek toont aan dat 58% van de PrO-docenten hun leerlingen individueel begeleid en dat 42% groepsinstructie geeft. De leerlingen krijgen vaak onderwijs volgens de methode ‘voordoen en na laten doen’. Ze hoeven daarbij weinig na te denken en begrijpen zo de leerstof niet goed. Ze blijven vaak lang afhankelijk van de docent. Dit proefschrift wil laten zien dat groepsinstructie en individuele begeleiding kunnen worden verbeterd. Het eerste experiment toont hoe groepsinstructie interactiever kan worden. De helft van de docenten heeft een praktische opdracht uitgelegd en er vragen over gesteld (directe instructie). De andere helft heeft vanaf het begin naar de ideeën/oplossingen van de leerlingen gevraagd en daarop voortgebouwd (strategie-instructie). Na strategie-instructie werden de opdrachten met meer begrip en zelfstandigheid door de leerlingen uitgevoerd en waren ze kwalitatief beter. Wordt er individuele instructie toegepast, dan kan een aangepaste vorm van video-instructie het onderwijs verbeteren. In het tweede experiment heeft een groep leerlingen telkens twee keer naar een videofilm over een complexe praktische opdracht gekeken. Een andere groep kreeg dezelfde videofilm één keer te zien met de opdracht de beelden de tweede keer aan een ander uit te leggen. Die laatste groep begreep de opdrachten beter en was beter in staat om de opdrachten zelfstandig te maken. Tot slot laat het proefschrift zien dat door training en coaching de docenten hun leerlingen actiever kunnen laten meedenken en meepraten. Door meer interactiviteit in de instructie gaan leerlingen aanzienlijk zelfstandiger werken

An Evaluation Case Study of the Effects of a Learning Style Awareness Program for Ninth Graders at an Independent School

The purpose of this study was to examine the implementation of a year-long learning style awareness program and its effects on locus of control and academic achievement in a ninth grade population. This study was also designed to collect subjective data from students on their perceptions of responsibility for their own achievement, ability to identify their individual learning style, a willingness to ask for help, and in addition, over parental conflict. This study was conducted, using a sample of 76 ninth graders, at an independent college preparatory school in a large Southern California city. All subjects were administered the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) Learning Style Profile and the NASSP hm Study Skills Program. They viewed the F.A.T. City video and attended a workshop on the concept of learning style. Subjects were also administered the Crandall Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Questionnaire and a researcher-designed open-ended questionnaire in both pre and posttest sessions. Subjects\u27 cumulative grade point averages for both eighth and ninth grades were also collected. In addition, their parents and teachers were administered the Learning Style Profile, viewed the F.A.T. City video and attended a similar workshop on learning style. There was significant increase from pretest to posttest in locus of control scores indicating movement from external to internal control. There were no significant increases in locus of control scores between high-achieving and low-achieving students, nor were there any significant changes between male and female subjects. There was a slight drop in GPAs and an increase in parent-child conflict. However, subjects increased their ability to identify individual learning styles. Parents\u27 reactions to the program were very positive. Young teachers were inquisitive about the implications and applications of the concept in their classrooms. Students who were exposed to the video before receiving the results of their Learning Style Profile were better able to identify their own learning style, using terminology from the profile, than those who viewed the video after receiving LSP results

An Inquiry into Gardner\u27s Theory of Multiple Intelligences and Strengths of Students Placed in Special Education under Mildly Disabled Categories

This study explored the strengths displayed by 4th-5th grade students placed in special education under mildly disabled categories as compared to the intelligences defined by Howard Gardner in his Theory of Multiple Intelligences (Gardner, 1983, 1999). These categories consist of Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) and Mildly Intellectually Disabled (MUD). Critics maintain that special education has been focused on the weaknesses of students while overlooking their strengths (Miller, 1993; Armstrong, 2000). Under new legislation and new performance goals for special education, the time has come to focus on students\u27 strengths and equal opportunities for students to learn the curriculum mandated by our state. Theoretically, this study was grounded in John Dewey\u27s (1910) theory of education, specifically transformative thinking, and Maxine Greene\u27s (1995) theory of releasing the imagination. Methodologically, it was grounded in Max Van Manen\u27s (1990) phenomenological hermeneutics (researching the lived experiences of students labeled disabled and their teacher and interpreting the experiences of these students and the strengths they exhibit), and Clandinin and Connelly\u27s (2000) narrative inquiry (telling the stories of a special education teacher and her students). Data collection methods included classroom observations, teacher, parent, and student interviews, research journals, and field notes Key findings of this study indicated that parents, the teacher and the paraprofessional were able to recognize distinct strengths in the student participants. However, the students themselves had difficulty naming their strengths. The strengths observed by the parents, the teacher and paraprofessional, and those identified by the student participants, particularly spatial and bodily-kinesthetic intelligence patterns as identified by Gardner (1983, 1999), are areas most neglected by our school curriculum. Examples given by the student participants of what they found easy to learn were hands-on or experiential types of activities. Perhaps the most significant finding of the study was that the eight intelligence categories formulated by Howard Gardner (1983, 1999) do not fully capture the ways these students demonstrated strengths in the classroom and at home. It is my hope that we can find ways to allow these groups of labeled individuals to have a place in our schools without being isolated in a pull-out program. It is my hope that public school can move beyond the standardized tests that have no meaning once a student leaves school. It is my hope that through telling the stories of these students, all members of society can recognize that these labeled individuals do not fit the mold, but have much to offer society and deserve the chance at life often denied

Enactivism and ethnomethodological conversation analysis as tools for expanding Universal Design for Learning: the case of visually impaired mathematics students

Blind and visually impaired mathematics students must rely on accessible materials such as tactile diagrams to learn mathematics. However, these compensatory materials are frequently found to offer students inferior opportunities for engaging in mathematical practice and do not allow sensorily heterogenous students to collaborate. Such prevailing problems of access and interaction are central concerns of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), an engineering paradigm for inclusive participation in cultural praxis like mathematics. Rather than directly adapt existing artifacts for broader usage, UDL process begins by interrogating the praxis these artifacts serve and then radically re-imagining tools and ecologies to optimize usability for all learners. We argue for the utility of two additional frameworks to enhance UDL efforts: (a) enactivism, a cognitive-sciences view of learning, knowing, and reasoning as modal activity; and (b) ethnomethodological conversation analysis (EMCA), which investigates participants’ multimodal methods for coordinating action and meaning. Combined, these approaches help frame the design and evaluation of opportunities for heterogeneous students to learn mathematics collaboratively in inclusive classrooms by coordinating perceptuo-motor solutions to joint manipulation problems. We contextualize the thesis with a proposal for a pluralist design for proportions, in which a pair of students jointly operate an interactive technological device

REFERRAL DECISIONS OF TEACHERS AND SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS FOR TWICE-EXCEPTIONAL STUDENTS

The accurate and timely referral and identification of twice-exceptional students remains a challenge. In a statewide study, the referral decisions for both special education and gifted programming evaluations made by four participant groups (i.e., general education teachers, special education teachers, gifted education teachers, and school psychologists) were compared. Participants were randomly assigned to read one of three identically described students in a vignette that differed only in the presence of a diagnostic label—autism spectrum disorder (ASD), specific learning disability (SLD), or no diagnostic label. In all, special education teachers made the most special education referrals, while gifted education teachers made the most gifted programming referrals, both regardless of the diagnostic label present. The students with diagnostic labels were recommended for special education referrals significantly more than for gifted programming, while this difference was not evident in the no diagnostic label condition. Moreover, the student with the ASD label was the most likely to be referred for evaluations for both special education and gifted programming out of all three vignette conditions. Overall findings indicated the importance of considering the referral source as well as how the presence of a diagnostic label might influence educational referral decisions, particularly in how this might influence overall multidisciplinary team decisions for these unique learners

The effect of classical music on painting quality, attitude and behaviour for students with severe intellectual disabilities

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a new Pictorial and Musical Visual Arts Program for students with severe intellectual disabilities. In particular, to learn whether the addition of classical music as background helped students improve the quality of their abstract paintings, attitudes and behaviour in class

Teachers’ perceptions of Information and Communication Technology in the teaching of learners with intellectual disabilities

Abstract: The integration of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) into the inclusive educational context is seen in many schools across South Africa as a response to the global educational technological changes taking place. These efforts include strategic plans aimed at ensuring all schools in South Africa are ICT integrated. However, the effectiveness of these efforts in the inclusive educational context falls short. The challenge presented in terms of ICT integration is extending the benefits of ICTs to learners who are mildly intellectual disabled. While some special needs institutions are supported in terms of the availability of ICT infrastructure and devices, pedagogical integration serves to be problematic. The accommodation of learners who are mildly intellectually disabled to share in 21st-century learning experiences is largely ignored. The area of concern is that in terms of the technological knowledge of teachers in the inclusive educational environment, the delivery of lessons that advocates for ICT-integrated learning experiences is limited. The study explored the notion of technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK). The study determined the perceptions of teachers with reference to how the constituents of the TPACK theoretical framework influence each other in an inclusive educational setting. A qualitative approach was followed in order to gain an understanding of the perceptions of special needs teachers regarding the use of ICT in their teaching and learning context. Working from an interpretative paradigm, a qualitative approach underpinned this study to provide an exploratory view of the teachers’ perceptions of ICT in their teaching environment. A single- case study was formulated, expressing the manner in which teachers in a special educational school perceive the role of ICT integration. An analysis of the data generated from the study revealed that some teachers still struggle with the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), and raises the question of how then can their technological knowledge (TK) can be aligned. Pertinent findings that emanated from the study were, teachers conveyed that the learners that they teach continually seek news ways to grasp the particular content. Also, the findings uncovered that many teachers are knowledgeable when it comes to the functionality of devices. However, the integration of ICT for learning purposes is a challenge. The study contributed to an understanding that ICT integration initiatives ought to stress the need for teacher training in inclusive educational settings in attempts to harness an alignment of teaching bodies of knowledge related to the content, pedagogy and technological knowledge.M.Ed. (Information and Communication Technology in Education

Discovery learning with tangible technologies: the case of children with intellectual disabilities

Intellectual disabilities cause significant sub--‐average achievement in learning, with difficulties in perception, attention, communication of ideas, language acquisition, abstraction and generalisation. From a socio--‐constructionist perspective, digital technologies can provide resources to help addressing these difficulties. Tangible technologies are considered particularly promising tools for children with intellectual disabilities, by enabling interaction through physical action and manipulation and facilitating representational concrete--‐ abstract links by integrating physical and digital worlds. However, hands--‐on learning activities remain a recommended but problematic approach for intellectually disabled students. This thesis investigates how and which characteristics of tangible interaction may support children with intellectual disabilities to productively engage in discovery learning. \ud Empirical studies were performed where children with intellectual disabilities used four tangible systems with distinct design characteristics. Four broad themes emerged from qualitative analysis which are central for identifying how to best support exploratory interaction: types of digital representations; physical affordances; representational mappings; and conceptual metaphors. Guidelines for the development of tangible artefacts and facilitation of discovery learning activities with tangibles were derived from these themes. A complementary quantitative analysis investigated the effects of external guidance in promoting episodes of discovery in tangible interaction. \ud This thesis argues that providing tangible interaction alone is not sufficient to bring significant benefits to the experience of intellectually disabled students in discovery learning. Visual digital representations, meaningful spatial configurations of physical representations, temporal and spatial contiguity between action and representations, simple causality and familiar conceptual metaphors are critical in providing informational intrinsic feedback to exploratory actions, which allied with external guidance that creates a minimal underlying structure for interaction, should establish an ideal environment for discovery. \u

Social cognition in intellectually disabled male criminal offenders: a deficit in affect perception?

Purpose: Although intellectual disability (ID) and criminal offending have long been associated, the nature of this link is obfuscated by reliance on weak, historical means of assessing ID and fractionating social cognitive skills. This paper addresses current and future research in social perception, social inference and social problem-solving in ID violent offenders. Methodology: Literature is reviewed on comorbidity of criminal offending and ID, and on social problem-solving impairment and offending. In an exploratory case-control series comprising six violent offenders with ID and five similarly able controls, emotion recognition and social inference are assessed by the Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT) and social problem-solving ability and style by an adapted Social Problem-Solving Inventory (SPSI-R). Findings: Violent offenders recognised all emotions except ‘anxious’, which they tended to misidentify as ‘surprise’. While offenders could interpret and integrate wider contextual cues, absent such cues offenders were less able to use paralinguistic cues (e.g. emotional tone) to infer speakers' feelings. Offenders in this sample exceeded controls' social problem-solving scores. Value: ID offenders, like neurotypical offenders, display specific deficits in emotion recognition- particularly fear recognition. Concurrently, enhanced social problem solving (at least as measured by the SPSI-R) in offenders is a novel preliminary finding which requires follow-up in a larger sample. Findings are discussed within the social processing framework, highlighting the need for tighter service-user baseline measures and further research into the causes of ID offending