Teaching Students with Mild Disabilities: Instructional Technique

Table of Contents

Introduction
Main Text
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Nowadays approximately 130,000 somehow disabled children are born within the USA. (Debbie Tipton, 2002) The disabilities these babies have vary in their degree, progression and they also vary in their form. The researches, done in this sphere include the publications, devoted to the methods of teaching and developing special programs for children with special needs. Likewise Siegfried Engelmann, a passionate philosopher and professor of the University, an author or co-author of more than 100 articles and chapters of professional books, and more than a dozen professional books and monographs (University of Oregon College of Education, 2008), who developed and promoted the program of Direct Instruction. He devoted 40 years of his life to the program, called to do its best to teach disabled children the basic academic skills: read, write, listen, speak, organize information and do math. (Rory Donaldson, 2001) As a result there is an obviously primary and accurate method which embraces the sound ambitions of its author, the broad target audience for the program, as well as the materials, provided to help the teachers to gradually implement it to the learning environment.

Main Text

Siegfried Engelmann has succinctly emphasized that it is teacher, who is responsible for the result of the program as they [teachers] know that they are using tools that really work. (Rory Donaldson, 2001). The author of the program is a philosopher, professor, who comes from the sphere of advertising. His first wonders why the communicational lessons studied in the sphere of business in depth are not implemented in the educational process and are not applied to children. His discontent with the methods of study brought him to the recognition of a dearth of research on how children learn. (Siegfried F. Engelmann biography, 2007). The first attempts to the drafts of the method brought the author to almost an obsession with it. Using his own children, and the children, living in the neighborhood, he experimented with the aim that the theory would become a practice one day and would be lived out within education process. The efficacy of the program is not only stated by its author. What is more, it is proved by practice, which showed that the method of DI is one of the most effective ones to be used. The authors claims were justified thanks to the program Project Follow Through, launched in 1964 aiming at researching what educational methods really work. The result showed the unquestionable advantage of the method of Direct Instruction, compared to the other methods. Indeed the program is being acknowledged as one of the most effective ones today. According to the researchers Since the conclusion of Project Follow Through study after study have confirmed the same results (Rory Donaldson, 2001). Siegfried Engelmann has been named the Council of Scientific Society Presidents 2002 recipient of the CSSP Award of Achievement in Education Research. (University of Oregon College of Education, 2008). It makes it easy to understand that the authors claims and his aspiration for the method are quite accurate and applicable in the education process.

Any child can become a recipient of the program, pioneered by Siegfried Engelmann. Even though the focus of the materials, used for the program can be applied to the K-8 grades (Rory Donaldson, 2001), it is applicable to the various age groups starting with Kindergarten, ending with the high school ages. However, heres [in the materials] a hint for ALL teachers, all grades, all schools. (Rory Donaldson, 2001). The vast scope of the target audience of the program is achieved through the method, used within this program. The aim is not to divide the children into the age groups, but rather divide them according to the skills they possess to make groups, which can be easily taught the same material on the same level. Thus a wide range target the author aims to reach is able to be taught. It can be regarded as a big asset of the program as the main aim of each class is to teach every student, who sits in the class the basic units. This teaching approach makes the program almost impossible to be used in inclusionary classrooms. As the teaching process on the same topic lasts until all to one students of it grasp the idea and acquire the skills on the topic, it can be very slow, which is not acceptable in the ordinary comprehensive schools. Still, it is a big asset for the classes where disabled children are taught as it gives the opportunity for everybody in the classroom to follow the material being presented. As the program is oriented on a special target audience, namely handicaps, it is a good method to be used to teach them.

The materials, developed specially according to the program enable the teachers who use them to take advantage of research regarding learning and retention rather than being left to their own devices. (Rory Donaldson, 2001). It means that the program starts with the teachers acquaintance with the materials for the program. This is defined as a starting point on each advertising web site. For example in one of the articles presented to promote the program, in How to begin section it is stated Order the appropriate material from SRA/McGraw Hill. Read, practice and learn how to deliver this basic program (Rory Donaldson, 2001). So, the cost of the program boils down to the cost of materials, presented as a help to the teachers who apply the method of Direct Instruction. All the materials are presented in the web site, aiming at promoting the program and advertising each book, giving insight into it. Internet is one of the main sources to provide the explanatory notes on the advantages of the program as well as provide people, who are to use the program with materials they may use. The wide net of companion web sites also presents the information on the program, giving links to both the site where one can purchase materials and to the official Siegfried Engelmann web site. Nonetheless there is a developed internet promotion campaign to further launch the program; the materials do not include technological equipment for students. The materials are primarily printed books, devoted specially to one of the activity category. For instance there are the following books presented on the SRA reading materials web site as Reasoning and writing book, Reading mastery, developed for several levels of students. All the materials are categorized to make it easier to see what one needs to purchase. The years of publications of workbooks used for the program vary. The publication dates of materials for purchase vary from 1997 to 2008. Since the materials are a stable basis for the lesson plans, the transformations of the program are not foreseen. The author provides the teachers using his method with maximum materials to make their efforts on the lesson plan development minimal and the effectiveness of the program maximum.

Conclusion

Making a conclusion it should be mentioned that as so many children nowadays are born with disabilities of various nature, form and degree annually, it is necessary to make these children involved in the programs, which can help them learn at least the core skills including reading, writing, reading, organizing and math skills. One of the most effective programs, which justifies the claims of its author is the program of Direct Instruction. The developer of the program a professor of the University Siegfried Engelmann, who has been named the Council of Scientific Society Presidents 2002 recipient of the CSSP Award of Achievement in Education Research (University of Oregon College of Education, 2008), managed to organize a good balance between the materials, presented as supplement for the program with the target audience for it, making his claims accurate and influential. The basic philosophy of the program is simply to teach children the skills they need to acquire with the help of special class division method and developed materials prepared for the program, which can be purchased in either of designed for the program web sites. These factors define the cost for the program and restrict the modifications, which might be made on it. The program has been tested since the 1964 and until today it is being acknowledged as one of the most effective methods to teach children core skills.