Online June 2011
| Volume 68 | Number 9
Interventions: What's Working
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Kathy King-Dickman
Given just 30 minutes a day in which to implement a reading program in a small, rural middle school, the author designed a program in which students learn comprehension strategies, are matched with reading materials at just right levels of difficulty, and engage in closely monitored independent reading. The program, based on a readers' workshop model, has resulted in impressive test score gains. More important, it has created a schoolwide culture in which students love to read.
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Jane A. G. Kise
A study in which 100 students were filmed completing the same mathematics tasks revealed significant differences in how students with different learning styles approached mathematics. As a result, a group of math teachers and their coach decided to differentiate for Jungian learning styles during math interventions. The author describes the four combinations of learning preferences as (1) "Let me master it!" (2) "Let me do something!" (3) "Let me think!" and (4) "Let me brainstorm!" Differences among the styles had implications in the areas of student practice, instruction and feedback, numbers and manipulatives, and student mistakes.
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Caltha Crowe
Sometimes students get stuck in a cycle of misbehavior that keeps them from learning. Their resulting academic struggles then lead to further misbehavior. Teachers who have tried multiple interventions without success may be able to help these students by creating a behavior agreement in which the student agrees to take on a positive behavior and the teacher agrees to provide a reward. Caltha Crowe explains how to create agreements and discusses some of the pitfalls of using behavior agreements.
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Shirley Curtis
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Kristen Hirst and Scott B. Waltz
A group of 6th graders from a low-income background get an early start on thinking about college through the College Club, a series of lessons introducing elementary school students to different options for higher education. Students discussed what kind of education would be suitable for specific careers, met a panel of college students with backgrounds similar to their own, and visited a local college campus with their families.
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Michael G. Moore
To help 8th graders who had high academic ability but lacked encouragement outside school, a South Dakota middle school partnered with the local high school and two higher institutes of higher education to create a course called High School Readiness and Career Exploration. Students met representatives from each of the schools and participated in hands-on activities, such as taking blood pressure and practicing CPR with guidance from medical school staff. School leaders believe that experiencing high school, postsecondary, and career options through community partnerships at the middle school level is opening pathways for students who might not have otherwise have had the opportunity.
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Lee Ann Jung and Gerry M. Swan
Education leaders need an effective intervention planning and progress monitoring process that's practical for implementation schoolwide. The authors describe an intervention planning process that schools can use with any struggling learner. This process works for students who don't qualify for special services; it also layers seamlessly over an existing IEP or RTI structure. The five crucial components of the form include measurable outcomes, clearly defined interventions, a data collection system, visual data, and a web-based platform.
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Allyson E. Kemp
To meet her students' needs, a teacher of advanced English language learners revises her curriculum so that students work independently on assignments they bring in from other classes. Students focus on being self-directed, that is, they learn how to set, prioritize, and balance scholastic and personal goals; practice self-discipline; advocate for themselves; reflect on what they have accomplished; and plan next steps. This approach nurtures the growth of a positive academic identity—the belief that the students can be successful and flourish in a scholarly environment.
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Colleen Swain
Because the middle and high school years can be challenging for students, teachers need to make their classrooms into oases of care and support. The author describes strategies that she has used as a middle school, high school, and college teacher to build strong bonds with students, create a sense of classroom community, and establish stable routines. These approaches, she writes, are compatible with culturally responsive instruction.
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Mimi Brodsky Chenfeld
All in one day, three separate early childhood educators told Chenfeld they were at their wits' end watching very young kids be taught, and harmed, in hyper-pressured classrooms. Chenfeld, a longtime advocate for young children's developmental needs, searched for words of wisdom to help teachers like these remain in the fray. She describes how spinning skaters keep whirling around without losing their balance; by focusing their eyes on one immovable spot as they spin. Chenfeld exhorts teachers to keep their eyes, hearts, and minds constantly on the "sacred spot" of developmentally appropriate learning for young children.
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Naomi Thiers
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