Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, Apr 3, 2014
ABSTRACT Collaboration and consultation in early childhood settings is essential in supporting ea... more ABSTRACT Collaboration and consultation in early childhood settings is essential in supporting early literacy development; however, building partnerships can be difficult. In this article, we describe a large-scale project entitled Children's School Success (Odom et al., 200338. Odom, S. L., Butera, G., Diamond, K., Hanson, M. J., Horn, E., Lieber, J., & Palmer, S. (2003). Children's school success: An experimental study of a school readiness curriculum. Bloomington: Indiana University.View all references) as a context from which to discuss collaboration and consultation related to literacy acquisition within early childhood settings. Using the lessons learned from this project, we offer several implications for effective collaboration and consultation to enhance children's early literacy acquisition.
Early reading development is a complex process that includes the acquisition of skills such as al... more Early reading development is a complex process that includes the acquisition of skills such as alphabet recognition, phonemic awareness, and vocabulary development. Early educators make important instructional decisions in their classrooms about how to support these skills. Understanding these decisions, and the beliefs and experiences that contribute to them, is critical to informing improvement. This study explored the daily instructional decisions three Head Start teachers made about reading instruction. Specifically, we wanted to examine the relationships between Head Start teachers’ professional, practical and personal experiences and their subsequent instructional choices about reading. Using a multiple case study design, classroom observations, questionnaire, and interview data suggested that teachers held strong beliefs about what constituted appropriate reading instruction. While professional knowledge played a limited role in informing these decisions, their abundant practical and personal knowledge was influential. Understanding teachers’ beliefs about early reading can be an important first step in bringing about change in instructional practices.
An important beginning in bridging early literacy learning between the home and preschool setting... more An important beginning in bridging early literacy learning between the home and preschool setting is to deepen the understanding of families’ literacy beliefs and practices. In this study, 213 families in a rural Midwestern Head Start program completed The Family Early Literacy Survey, which asked participants to share literacy beliefs and practices using both a Likert scale-items and open-ended questions. The findings document that families believed it was important for their child to develop early literacy and that they engaged in strategies such as reading a book with their child or helping them with their homework. However, they reported few home activities related to children’s specific early literacy skills (i.e., writing the child’s name, learning letter sounds), instead relying on the Head Start program to develop these skills. Implications of the findings for building bridges to between preschool programs and families to support children’s early literacy skills are discussed
Progress monitoring in inclusive preschool classrooms should describe all children’s progress tow... more Progress monitoring in inclusive preschool classrooms should describe all children’s progress towards general curriculum outcomes and individual children’s unique outcomes or IEP goals. This research study used the CSS+ Curriculum Framework and progress monitoring process to assess the outcomes of 73 children on these dimensions. Children’s progress monitoring data were analyzed within groupings based on instructional need level (i.e., low, medium, or high) in academic content and social domains. Progress monitoring findings for both the academic and social support level of need groups showed significant progress pre- to post-test on most academic outcomes, but some variation with less consistent gains within the social emotional domain. Goal attainment scaling data demonstrated children’s gains toward achieving their social goals (IEP or specific learning goals) were at the expected level between 50% and 71% of the time. Academic-focused goal attainment was at or above the expected level of between 54% and 76% of the time, based on the learning grouping. Teacher implementation of CSS+ Curriculum Framework appeared to impact change in classroom and instructional practices pre-post intervention.
A oro-ea PUBLICATION Children with autism present educators, researchers, and therapists with per... more A oro-ea PUBLICATION Children with autism present educators, researchers, and therapists with persistent challenges in regard to consistent and long-term treatment gains. Indeed, since the initial description of the syndrome by Kanner in 1943, the literature on the effects of various treatment and educational programs has been replete with pessimism over long-term prognoses for children with autism. The literature of recent decades, however, describes the particular learning challenges and specific cognitive processing deficits such children are likely to exhibit and implies, therefore, effective remedial procedures. Traditionally, procedures for bringing about behavioral change in children with autism have been largely based on an operant conditioning paradigm. Careful control of stimulus presentation and one-to-one teaching methods were first proposed for treatment with children with autism by Ferster in a seminal article in 1961. Shortterm gains are often impressive, and instructional methods based on an operant conditioning paradigm may be most appropriate for initial educational intervention, especially for children with autism who are lower functioning or have behavioral excesses. These instructional methods can be criticized, however, for neglecting to provide opportunities for the social and language learning that occurs in group instruction (Strain, 1983), for failing to produce generalization of treatment effects (Koegel, Koegel, & O'Neill, 1989), and for consuming excessive teacher time (Myles & Simpson, 1990). Behavioral interventions that target "pivotal behaviors" (described as increased general responsiveness to the environment) (Koegel et al., 1989) offer a framework for expanding the instructional technology for young children with autism. However, the larger question is whether an operant conditioning paradigm provides an appropriate perspective for designing effective intervention, especially for higher functioning children. The paradigm is limited, because it does not account for the cognitive processing deficits frequently encountered in these children. Cognitive theory provides a perspective from which interventions for cognitive processing deficits can be designed. The difficulties children with autism encounter in thinking, perceiving, and problem solving can be directly remediated by instructional programs that focus on developing the cognitive processes necessary for optimal growth and development. The philosophical core of cognitive instruction contrasts greatly with the behavioral approaches emanating from the operant conditioning paradigm. Students are viewed as "apprentice learners" (Collins, Brown, & Newman, 1989) who participate in collaborative learning activities as teachers model, demonstrate, and discuss mental strategies used in meaningful task completion. Decontextualized skills and exercises give way to holistic learning environments that emphasize content learning that has meaning and purpose (Haywood, 1987; Reid & Stone, 1991). This interest in teaching cognitive skills is not new in education. Nickerson (198889) reported that various commissions and study groups through the years have stressed the need to make the development of thinking skills an educational goal. However, the application of such theory to individuals with educational or cognitive disadvantages is a relatively recent development (Resnick, 1987). The application
A substantial number of children with disabilities are enrolled in Head Start and it is therefore... more A substantial number of children with disabilities are enrolled in Head Start and it is therefore important to understand how they are included in this context. The inclusion of children with disabilities in eight classrooms across one Midwestern Head Start program is examined in this exploratory case study. How Head Start teachers plan and adapt activities with the needs of all children in mind, how they collaborate with others on behalf of children, and how children with disabilities participate in inclusive classrooms is described. Findings were presented in four cross-case themes: 1) Planning for Children, 2) Adapting Activities for Children with Disabilities, 3) Including All by Facilitating Peer Interactions, and 4) Connecting in a Community. Implications for practice are presente
This research to practice article summarizes the findings from a case study focused on examining ... more This research to practice article summarizes the findings from a case study focused on examining how children with disabilities were included in eight Head Start classrooms in one Midwestern Head Start program. Lessons learned from this study provide important implications for practice. Specifically: 1) Teachers must be provided with support to recognize and address the individual needs of children with disabilities in their classroom; 2) Teacher need to intentionally facilitate peer interactions between children with and without disabilities; 3) Key stakeholders involved in serving children with disabilities should prioritize developing effective partnership; 4) Efforts are necessary to reduce the negative impacts of external factors influencing the quality of inclusive classroom environments.
The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 1998
Disabilities Education Act in 1990), the provision of special education continues to move away fr... more Disabilities Education Act in 1990), the provision of special education continues to move away from restrictive settings to more inclusive, general education environments. Today, more secondary students with special needs are taught in the general education classroom than in any ...
Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, Apr 3, 2014
ABSTRACT Collaboration and consultation in early childhood settings is essential in supporting ea... more ABSTRACT Collaboration and consultation in early childhood settings is essential in supporting early literacy development; however, building partnerships can be difficult. In this article, we describe a large-scale project entitled Children's School Success (Odom et al., 200338. Odom, S. L., Butera, G., Diamond, K., Hanson, M. J., Horn, E., Lieber, J., & Palmer, S. (2003). Children's school success: An experimental study of a school readiness curriculum. Bloomington: Indiana University.View all references) as a context from which to discuss collaboration and consultation related to literacy acquisition within early childhood settings. Using the lessons learned from this project, we offer several implications for effective collaboration and consultation to enhance children's early literacy acquisition.
Early reading development is a complex process that includes the acquisition of skills such as al... more Early reading development is a complex process that includes the acquisition of skills such as alphabet recognition, phonemic awareness, and vocabulary development. Early educators make important instructional decisions in their classrooms about how to support these skills. Understanding these decisions, and the beliefs and experiences that contribute to them, is critical to informing improvement. This study explored the daily instructional decisions three Head Start teachers made about reading instruction. Specifically, we wanted to examine the relationships between Head Start teachers’ professional, practical and personal experiences and their subsequent instructional choices about reading. Using a multiple case study design, classroom observations, questionnaire, and interview data suggested that teachers held strong beliefs about what constituted appropriate reading instruction. While professional knowledge played a limited role in informing these decisions, their abundant practical and personal knowledge was influential. Understanding teachers’ beliefs about early reading can be an important first step in bringing about change in instructional practices.
An important beginning in bridging early literacy learning between the home and preschool setting... more An important beginning in bridging early literacy learning between the home and preschool setting is to deepen the understanding of families’ literacy beliefs and practices. In this study, 213 families in a rural Midwestern Head Start program completed The Family Early Literacy Survey, which asked participants to share literacy beliefs and practices using both a Likert scale-items and open-ended questions. The findings document that families believed it was important for their child to develop early literacy and that they engaged in strategies such as reading a book with their child or helping them with their homework. However, they reported few home activities related to children’s specific early literacy skills (i.e., writing the child’s name, learning letter sounds), instead relying on the Head Start program to develop these skills. Implications of the findings for building bridges to between preschool programs and families to support children’s early literacy skills are discussed
Progress monitoring in inclusive preschool classrooms should describe all children’s progress tow... more Progress monitoring in inclusive preschool classrooms should describe all children’s progress towards general curriculum outcomes and individual children’s unique outcomes or IEP goals. This research study used the CSS+ Curriculum Framework and progress monitoring process to assess the outcomes of 73 children on these dimensions. Children’s progress monitoring data were analyzed within groupings based on instructional need level (i.e., low, medium, or high) in academic content and social domains. Progress monitoring findings for both the academic and social support level of need groups showed significant progress pre- to post-test on most academic outcomes, but some variation with less consistent gains within the social emotional domain. Goal attainment scaling data demonstrated children’s gains toward achieving their social goals (IEP or specific learning goals) were at the expected level between 50% and 71% of the time. Academic-focused goal attainment was at or above the expected level of between 54% and 76% of the time, based on the learning grouping. Teacher implementation of CSS+ Curriculum Framework appeared to impact change in classroom and instructional practices pre-post intervention.
A oro-ea PUBLICATION Children with autism present educators, researchers, and therapists with per... more A oro-ea PUBLICATION Children with autism present educators, researchers, and therapists with persistent challenges in regard to consistent and long-term treatment gains. Indeed, since the initial description of the syndrome by Kanner in 1943, the literature on the effects of various treatment and educational programs has been replete with pessimism over long-term prognoses for children with autism. The literature of recent decades, however, describes the particular learning challenges and specific cognitive processing deficits such children are likely to exhibit and implies, therefore, effective remedial procedures. Traditionally, procedures for bringing about behavioral change in children with autism have been largely based on an operant conditioning paradigm. Careful control of stimulus presentation and one-to-one teaching methods were first proposed for treatment with children with autism by Ferster in a seminal article in 1961. Shortterm gains are often impressive, and instructional methods based on an operant conditioning paradigm may be most appropriate for initial educational intervention, especially for children with autism who are lower functioning or have behavioral excesses. These instructional methods can be criticized, however, for neglecting to provide opportunities for the social and language learning that occurs in group instruction (Strain, 1983), for failing to produce generalization of treatment effects (Koegel, Koegel, & O'Neill, 1989), and for consuming excessive teacher time (Myles & Simpson, 1990). Behavioral interventions that target "pivotal behaviors" (described as increased general responsiveness to the environment) (Koegel et al., 1989) offer a framework for expanding the instructional technology for young children with autism. However, the larger question is whether an operant conditioning paradigm provides an appropriate perspective for designing effective intervention, especially for higher functioning children. The paradigm is limited, because it does not account for the cognitive processing deficits frequently encountered in these children. Cognitive theory provides a perspective from which interventions for cognitive processing deficits can be designed. The difficulties children with autism encounter in thinking, perceiving, and problem solving can be directly remediated by instructional programs that focus on developing the cognitive processes necessary for optimal growth and development. The philosophical core of cognitive instruction contrasts greatly with the behavioral approaches emanating from the operant conditioning paradigm. Students are viewed as "apprentice learners" (Collins, Brown, & Newman, 1989) who participate in collaborative learning activities as teachers model, demonstrate, and discuss mental strategies used in meaningful task completion. Decontextualized skills and exercises give way to holistic learning environments that emphasize content learning that has meaning and purpose (Haywood, 1987; Reid & Stone, 1991). This interest in teaching cognitive skills is not new in education. Nickerson (198889) reported that various commissions and study groups through the years have stressed the need to make the development of thinking skills an educational goal. However, the application of such theory to individuals with educational or cognitive disadvantages is a relatively recent development (Resnick, 1987). The application
A substantial number of children with disabilities are enrolled in Head Start and it is therefore... more A substantial number of children with disabilities are enrolled in Head Start and it is therefore important to understand how they are included in this context. The inclusion of children with disabilities in eight classrooms across one Midwestern Head Start program is examined in this exploratory case study. How Head Start teachers plan and adapt activities with the needs of all children in mind, how they collaborate with others on behalf of children, and how children with disabilities participate in inclusive classrooms is described. Findings were presented in four cross-case themes: 1) Planning for Children, 2) Adapting Activities for Children with Disabilities, 3) Including All by Facilitating Peer Interactions, and 4) Connecting in a Community. Implications for practice are presente
This research to practice article summarizes the findings from a case study focused on examining ... more This research to practice article summarizes the findings from a case study focused on examining how children with disabilities were included in eight Head Start classrooms in one Midwestern Head Start program. Lessons learned from this study provide important implications for practice. Specifically: 1) Teachers must be provided with support to recognize and address the individual needs of children with disabilities in their classroom; 2) Teacher need to intentionally facilitate peer interactions between children with and without disabilities; 3) Key stakeholders involved in serving children with disabilities should prioritize developing effective partnership; 4) Efforts are necessary to reduce the negative impacts of external factors influencing the quality of inclusive classroom environments.
The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 1998
Disabilities Education Act in 1990), the provision of special education continues to move away fr... more Disabilities Education Act in 1990), the provision of special education continues to move away from restrictive settings to more inclusive, general education environments. Today, more secondary students with special needs are taught in the general education classroom than in any ...
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