Theories and Approaches to Working with Students with Mild Disabilities

1
Theories and Approachesto Working with Students
with Mild Disabilities

• Week 10 Week of March 17, 2002Theories of
  Learning Developmental Behavioral and
  Cognitive/Learning Strategies
• Read Lerner, Chapter 6.
• Do the seventh set of postings (Week 10).

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Week 10 Advance Organizer
When the reading assignment is completed, the
student will be able to

1. Know the implications of developmental psychology
   for learning disabilities.
2. Know the implications of behavioral psychology
   for learning disabilities.
3. Know the implications of cognitive psychology for
   learning disabilities.
4. Explain the information-processing model and its
   implications for learning disabilities.

Continued
3
Week 10 Advance Organizer

• Compare and contrast direct instruction and
  cognitive instructional approaches.
• Describe the concepts of learning strategies,
  metacognition, and styles of learning, and
  discuss their implications for students with
  learning disabilities.
• Discuss how the social interactions involved in
  learning affect learning.

Continued
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Week 10 Stages of the IEP Process
Referral Stages
Assessment Stages
1 PrereferralActivities
2 Referral and Initial Planning
3 MultidisciplinaryEvaluation
4 Case Conference or IEP Meeting Writing the IEP
Instruction Stages
5 Implementing the Teaching Plan
6 Monitoring the Students Progress
Adapted from Cases in Learning and Behavior
Problems A Guide to Individualized Education
Programs, by J. Lerner, D. Dawson, and L.
Horvath, 1980.
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Week 10 Theories of Learning

• Why theory is important
• Developmental psychology and maturational
  theories
• Behavioral psychology and direct instruction
• Cognitive psychology psychological-processing
  and information-processing models
• Metacognition and learning strategies

Adapted from Lerner, 8th edition, p. 62
6
Week 10 Components of the Behavioral Unit

• A
• Antecedent Event
• Stimulus

B Target Behavior Response
C Consequent Event Reinforcement
Adapted from Lerner, 8th edition, p. 63
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Week 10 The Computer System
Memory
Input Devices
Output Devices
Keyboard
Monitor Screen
CentralProcessingUnit(CPU)
Joystick
Printer
Graphics Pad
Braille Printer
Switches
Speech
Mouse
Spellcheck
Touch Window
E-mail (sending)
Voice Recognition
Discs
CD-ROM
E-mail (receiving)
Adapted from Lerner, 8th edition, p. 64
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Week 10 The Human Information-Processing System
Memory
Input Devices
Output Devices
Auditory
Motor Response
The BrainCognitive Processing System
Visual
Behavior
Listening
Talking
Reading
Writing
Environmental
Learning
Touching
Adapted from Lerner, 8th edition, p. 65
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Week 10 An Information-Processing Model of
Learning

• Executive Control (Metacognition)
• Planning, evaluating, regulating the information
  processing routines

External
Thought
SensoryRegister
Short-TermMemory
WorkingMemory
InputStimuli
Output
Episodic
Semantic
Long-TermMemory
Internal
Behavior
Lost information through decay
Lost information because of decay or ineffective
control processes
Lost information because of loss of strength
Adapted from Lerner, 8th edition, p. 66
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Week 10 Graphic Organizer
Adapted from Lerner, 8th edition, p. 67
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Week 10 Learning Strategies

• Metacognition
• Learning strategies instruction
• Styles of learning
• Social interactions and learning

Adapted from Lerner, 8th edition, p. 62
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Week 10 Chapter Summary
The purpose of theory is to bring form,
coherence, and meaning to what we observe in the
real world. Theory serves as a guide for
activities and for structural thought. Theories
are meant to be working statements, not eternal
truths. Theory building implies the development
of conceptual frameworks that take into account
the shortcomings of earlier theories.
Continued
Adapted from Lerner, 8th edition
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Week 10 Chapter Summary
Developmental theories of learning disabilities
stress the relationship of the natural
progression of child growth to the sequential
development of cognitive abilities. A state of
readiness is needed before the child can acquire
certain abilities. Forcing a child to learn
before he or she has reached the state of
readiness can lead to academic failure and create
learning disabilities.
Continued
Adapted from Lerner, 8th edition
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Week 10 Chapter Summary
Behavioral theories of learning disabilities
emphasize direct teaching and mastery of academic
skills. These theories analyze each academic
task in terms of the subskills that lead to
achievement of that task and of explicit and
direct instruction in each of the
subskills. Cognitive psychology deals with the
way human beings learn, think, and know.
Concepts in cognitive psychology have been
broadly elaborated over the years, and ideas in
the field of learning disabilities reflect these
changes. Theories of psychological-processing
and information processing models, and cognitive
learning theories are reviewed.
Continued
Adapted from Lerner, 8th edition
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Week 10 Chapter Summary
Learning strategies instruction teaches students
with learning disabilities how to use the
learning approaches used by good learners.
Students learn how to learn. The methods involve
metacognition (or directing ones learning).
Styles of learning and the social context of
learning are also discussed.
Adapted from Lerner, 8th edition
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Week 10 Stages of the IEP Process
Referral Stages
Assessment Stages
1 PrereferralActivities
2 Referral and Initial Planning
3 MultidisciplinaryEvaluation
4 Case Conference or IEP Meeting Writing the IEP
Instruction Stages
6 Monitoring the Students Progress
5 Implementing the Teaching Plan
Adapted from Cases in Learning and Behavior
Problems A Guide to Individualized Education
Programs, by J. Lerner, D. Dawson, and L.
Horvath, 1980.
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Week 10 Stage 5 Implementingthe Teaching Plan

• Theories of Learning
• Approaches/Models of Teaching
• Instructional/Remediation Strategies

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Week 10 Relationship Among Theories, Approaches
and Instructional Strategies
Instructional Strategy 1
Approach 1
Instructional Strategy 2
Instructional Strategy 3
Instructional Strategy 4
Theory 1
Approach 2
Instructional Strategy 5
Instructional Strategy 6
Instructional Strategy 7
Approach 3
Instructional Strategy 8
Instructional Strategy 9
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Week 10 Relationship Among Theories, Approaches
and Instructional Strategies
Graphic Organizers
Learning Strategies Instruction
Mnemonics
Sentence Writing Strategy
Instructional Strategy 4
Cognitive Learning Theory
Approach 2
Instructional Strategy 5
Instructional Strategy 6
Instructional Strategy 7
Approach 3
Instructional Strategy 8
Instructional Strategy 9
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Week 10 4 Essential Criteria of Learning
Theories

1. An explicit set of assumptions
2. Explicit definitions of key terms in the theory
3. Specific testable propositions derived from
   assumptions
4. They address the underlyingpsychological
   dynamicsof learning

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Week 10 Specific Functionsof Learning Theory

1. Serves as a guide for planning instruction
2. Evaluates current products for classroom use and
   current practice
3. Diagnoses problems in classroom instruction
4. Evaluates research conductedon theories

Gredler, 2001
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Week 10 Specific Functionsof Learning Theory

1. Serves as a guide for planning instruction
2. Evaluates current products for classroom use and
   current practice
3. Diagnoses problems in classroom instruction
4. Evaluates research conductedon theories

Gredler, 2001
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Week 10 Examples of Models of,or Approaches
to, Teaching

• Cooperative Learning
• Advance Organizers
• Direction Instruction

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Week 10 Historical Development of Theories
Related to Learning Disabilities

• Medical Approach (1940s to 1950s)
• Psychological Process Approach (1960s)
• Behavioral Approach (1970s)
• Cognitive/Learning Strategies(1990s)