Paraeducators provide important support and instruction to children in educational settings. As classroom leaders, general education and special education teachers must provide quality supervision and professional development for the paraeducators working in their classrooms. Despite the infusion of paraeducators in educational settings over the…

This article describes several techniques for structuring storybook reading interactions to best promote emergent literacy development for young children with disabilities. Techniques are presented for increasing the appeal and interactive nature of shared storybook reading and ways to promote children's awareness of naturally occurring literacy…

This article describes a way to provide systematic connections between mathematics and science for students with disabilities through hands-on lessons, word problems, and opportunities for problem-solving. Sample units are presented that integrate science and mathematics at the K-8 level and explore interrelationships among multiplication and…

This article explores ways that teachers can build competence in students who have difficulties in communicating with others, rather than focus on their deficits. Tips include ways to interpret body language, encourage group membership, ways to influence student behavior, and ways to encourage communication and independent decision making by…

This article describes using a graphic representation technique to teach students with learning disabilities to be effective problem-solvers. It discusses the key aspects of this instruction, shows how to use the strategy for solving word problems, and discusses how to assess students' problem-solving performance. Examples are provided. (Contains…

This article describes strategies for integrating alternate assessments into the context of ongoing instruction and for enabling students with disabilities to take a more active role in the construction and self-evaluation of their own assessments. Fourth-grade, seventh-grade, and middle school examples of integrating assessment and instruction…

This article describes the PROVE strategy, which provides students with learning disabilities with a procedure for naming a concept, providing evidence (both why and how), and defending it. Research results are presented that indicate students with (n=12) and without (n=26) disabilities benefited from the PROVE strategy. (Contains references.) (CR)

This article explores how to identify students with traumatic brain injury (TBI), difficulties students with TBI may face in the classroom, where the best placements might be, and what teaching strategies are effective. A classroom observation checklist for students with TBI is provided, along with advice on developing instructional plans.…

This article describes a process that teachers can use to translate information in research studies into practical lesson plans. Examples are drawn from the self-determination literature to illustrate how to identify the objective of the study, setting and materials, content taught, teaching procedure, and method of evaluation. (Contains…

This article includes a definition of grading rubrics, a rationale for their use, the benefits of rubrics, and ways to introduce rubrics to students with learning disabilities using the RUBRIC strategy. Rubric resources for teachers are listed, and common problems and suggestions for using grading rubrics are discussed. (Contains 9 references.)…

This article describes "Hot Math," a third-grade intervention conducted with small groups of students with disabilities or in inclusive classrooms that fosters mathematical problem solving. Hot Math integrates two promising practices to promote mathematical problem solving, explicit instruction about transfer and self-regulation strategies.…

This article examines what is meant by access, participation, and progress in the regular education curriculum and suggests a new framework for curriculum reform that holds promise for all students, particularly students with disabilities. The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is presented and materials and methods of UDL are described.…

This article describes Widgets, computer-based learning tools designed to meet the instructional need for computer-based flexible tools that can be used across ability levels. It discusses development of three Widgets for students with mild disabilities: a multiplication with sets Widget, a number sense Widget, and a dollars and cents Widget.…

This article discusses procedures that have been developed to empower students with disabilities to take responsibility for graphing data reflecting their own academic performance. It discusses training methods for teaching students self-graphing and the benefits of self-monitoring. Examples are provided of different types of computer graphs.…

This article reviews some of the existing technology that assists children with low vision in their ability to use environmental cues. It provides recommendations for modification of color and contrast, illumination, space, and time. A chart lists technological assists for environmental cues and vendor information. (Contains references.) (CR)