WELCOME !!!
Comprehensive Literacy for Students with Disabilities
What’s Happening?
• Overview of our four days
• Expectations
• Agenda
• Lunch
• Concerns/Questions
Participant Responsibilities
• Honor the quiet signal
• Turn off phones/computers
• Listen respectfully
• Participate actively
CollaborationAbsence of threat
Enriched environment
Choice
Adequate time
FeedbackMeaningful content
Facilitator Responsibilities
Providing a Brain Based Environment
• Each participant will develop his or her own Change in Practice Plan after completing the training modules.
• The Change in Practice Plan:– begins with what you already know– details the aspects of literacy assessment and teaching
that you plan to change as a result of the training– lists resources required– specifies how the effects of this change will be
documented and measured
Define it…
• Comprehensive…– broad in scope – covering completely or broadly : inclusive
• Literacy…– the ability to read and write – the ability to use language effectively
A Bit of History…
Karen Erickson, Ph.D.Center for Literacy and Disability Studies, UNC
CARD Summer Institutes
Dr. Karen EricksonCenter for Literacy
Studies UNC-Chapel Hill
FDLRS Technology Coordinatin
gUnit (ATEN)
• Wikispace• Vodcasts• Website links• Connect
SPRINGS Miccosukee
PAEC WESTGATE
Pasco
Think-Write-Share
Important Conclusions of Literacy Research…
• The process of learning to read and write is a continuum that begins at birth and perhaps before
• Emergent literacy behaviors are fleeting and variable depending on text, task, and environment
Literacy in AAC Koppenhaver & Erickson June 24-June 29, 2007
Important Conclusions of Literacy Research…
• Children learn written language through active engagement with their world.
• Reading, writing, speaking (augmented communicating), and listening abilities develop concurrently and are interrelated rather than sequentially developed.
Literacy in AAC Koppenhaver & Erickson June 24-June 29, 2007
Important Conclusions of Literacy Research…
• Technologies, media, and materials can dramatically impact emergent literacy demonstrations.
• The functions of print are as integral to literacy as the forms
• Written language activities and experiences should not be withheld while speech, language, motor, or other skill(s) developing to an arbitrary prerequisite level.
Literacy in AAC Koppenhaver & Erickson June 24-June 29, 2007
Beliefs…
• Literacy is for everyone and has many different forms
• Federal mandates support literacy for everyone
• Several barriers can be overcome concerning literacy instruction for students with severe disabilities
• Literacy skills enhance ones quality of life in many ways.
• Literacy instruction is as important for students with significant disabilities as it is for everyone else
Again, a little history…
• National Early Literacy Panel (NELP)
Two Views…Readiness/Mastery View
•Literacy is learned in a predetermined, sequential manner that is linear, additive, and unitary•Literacy learning is school-based•Literacy learning requires mastery of certain pre-requisite skills•Some children will never learn to read
Current/Emergent View
•Literacy is learned through interaction with and exposure to all aspects of literacy (i.e. listening, speaking, reading, and writing)•Literacy is a process that begins at birth and perhaps before•Literacy abilities/skills develop concurrently and interrelatedly•All children can learn to use print meaningfully
Koppenhaver, Coleman, Kalman, Yoder. The Implications of Emergent Literacy Research for Children With Developmental Disabilities.
Typical Literacy Development
• Emergent Literacy
• Early Conventional Literacy
• Provides a structure for understanding where our students are in literacy development – Helps us identify appropriate goals &
activities
Recognizing what we do with typically developing children to support emergent
literacy development
Conditions of Literacy Learning (Cambourne, 1993, 2003)
• High expectations• Active engagement: Freedom to experiment & in order
to become problem-solvers• Attribute meaning to ALL attempts• Foster rich social interactions – lots of TALK & fun!• Approximations/errors are accepted & celebrated• Loads of models- 24/7 immersion • More knowledgeable other
In Summary...• Consider typical literacy development... emergent
literacy...conventional literacy...
• Support use of communication devices during reading & writing
• Call your student a communicator, a writer & a reader• Give students opportunities to experiment• Celebrate & attribute meaning to attempts• Observe for changes over time: they CAN do it
“Nobody is TOO anything...”
FRAMEWORK
http://www.four-blocks.com/
RESEARCH• Four Blocks Literacy Model
Website: http://www.four-blocks.com/research.htm
• Pat & Dottie’sWebsite: www.wfu.edu/fourblocks
• Children with Disabilities: Reading & Writing the Four-Blocks Way by Karen Erickson & David Koppenhaver
• Four Blocks Literacy Model Website: http://www.four-blocks.com/research.htm
• Pat & Dottie’sWebsite: www.wfu.edu/fourblocks
• Children with Disabilities: Reading & Writing the Four-Blocks Way by Karen Erickson & David Koppenhaver
PHILOSOPHYChildren are different in the way they learn, so
several different approaches are incorporated daily into reading/writing instruction.
Children enter our classes at varying language & literacy levels, so each instructional block is as multi-level as possible.
Children have different personalities/needs, so substantial instructional support is provided to students who struggle and who need challenge.
Children With Disabilities: Reading & Writing the Four
Blocks WayDeveloped by Karen Erickson &
David Koppenhaver
• Implemented at the Center for Literacy & Disability Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill– Students with Communication
Disorders– Students with Moderate – Severe
Cognitive Impairments– Students with Learning Disabilities
Adapting the Four Block Model for Students with Disabilities
• Disability type or label does not provide instructional information
• Consider the areas of significant difference:– Communication– Cognition– Physical abilities– Senses (vision/hearing)– Affect– Attention
Adapting the Four Block Model
for Students with Disabilities• Adapt only in the areas of need.
• Try to develop adaptations that do not
significantly change the objective of the activity.
• Multi-level materials are available in
each block.
• Use assistive technology as a tool
to support students in Four Block activities.
So…let’s go explore our blocks!!
Assumptions / Conditions for Learning
• All learners have a means of communication & interaction.• Teachers hold the expectation that their students can learn.• Learning is supported across environments.• Teachers engage in ongoing reflection and problem solving.• Learners are cognitively engaged and supported in
achieving cognitive clarity.• Learners are presented with instruction that is intrinsically
motivating. • Learners have a personal connection with the curriculum.• Comprehensive instruction is offered every day (repetition
with variety) to help students move beyond skill acquisition to application.