LEARNING DISABLED IN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS.   Term Paper ID:25047 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Examines teaching strategies & techniques, law, special needs, social aspects, support services.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Examines teaching strategies & techniques, law, special needs, social aspects, support services. Paper Introduction: Junior high school is the transition between an elementary education and the more advanced studies of high school. Students with learning problems are at great risk for dropping out of the school system before high school graduation (Larson, 1989, p. 32). These children, who are at risk for school failure, can usually be identified by the time they reach this age group. It therefore, becomes critical to intervene at this time. Strategies for reducing the number of high-risk children in a school can be divided into two categories. The first is to reduce the number of these students by eliminating or removing them from the school campus to schools specially equipped to teach children with learning problems. The second method of reducing the number of high-risk students in a school is for the school itself to take a proactive stance and intervene and modify Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. A study by Chira (1993, p. 421).At these schools the students make exceptional gains in learning. Mahony, M. Junior high school students are usually concerned about their self-image and conforming to the group (Kolstad, Wilkinson, & Briggs, 1997, p.421). When placing learning disabled students in regular education classes,the need and provision for support services should be given properconsideration. This compares to a failure rate of 14percent for these students when placed in special education classes. Small victories in an inclusive classroom. Parents can be persuaded to place their child in themore restrictive environment of the special school. The first is to reduce the number of thesestudents by eliminating or removing them from the school campus to schoolsspecially equipped to teach children with learning problems. 419). Journal of Special Education, 29, 414-432.----------------------- 8 The regular teacher needs tohave a budget to purchase or the ability to acquire special learningmaterials to supplement the curriculum supplied by the school, the teacheralso needs a regularly available time slot to consult with the resourcepersonnel available to the student, the teacher needs extra planning timeto adapt the curriculum to the needs of the individual students, ongoingprofessional development for including learning disabled students in theregular classroom, and a pullout schedule which is not disruptive to theclass or to the learning process (Glazer, 1997, p. 89). Additional services of speech,occupational therapy, physical therapy, auditory training, or visualtraining can be added as needed. As one teacher whohad a special education teacher team-teaching an inclusive ninth gradeenglish class stated, "I realized the class was exhausting," (Mahony, 1997,p. Learning disabled students often suffer socially in regular classeswhere they and the other students know that they are different. Oftenlearning disabled students place the specifics of a concept ahead of theoverlying and general concept itself. To ensure that thestudent's needs and rights are met the placement decision is usually madeby an administration official, a diagnostician, a special educationteacher, a psychologist, the regular education teacher, and the parents.By law the parents are to be included in the placement decision unless theychoose not to participate. The schoolpsychologist or counselor might be the appropriate person to teach theseskills. Student learning and behavior have been shown to be correlated(Larson, 1989). Teaching K-8, 27, 88-89. Students areusually diagnosed by the elimination of other causes of learning problems.There are more than thirty characteristics which can be related to learningdisabilities (Kolstad, Wilkinson, & Briggs, 1997, p. The teacher can then tell which students areunclear on the important points and can reteach or offer assistance tothose students. Resource specialists can provide help on adaptingassignments and on teaching techniques which may be particularlyappropriate for learning disabled students. 88). This act mandated thatchildren with disabilities be given an appropriate education in the leastrestrictive setting. Some of thesecharacteristics are obvious: the reversal of letters and numbers, illegiblehandwriting, and distractibility. It therefore, becomes critical to intervene at this time.Strategies for reducing the number of high-risk children in a school can bedivided into two categories. (1996). Teaching diverse learners: Thedilemmas of inclusion. If the goal is academic and social success, the most appropriate placementif available is the special school dedicated to learning disabled students. A1, A17. If that choice is not available or is unacceptable to the student or theschool based on human rights and inclusionary philosophy, then anappropriate job of educating the student can be accomplished with the useof modifications to the curriculum and the use of specialists. These children, who are atrisk for school failure, can usually be identified by the time they reachthis age group. Kolstad, R., Wilkinson, M., M., & Briggs, L., D. These students are not isolated from their peers andfit-in with the other students as all the students are learning disabled.Given these facts, the team looking for the appropriate placement for alearning disabled student in junior high school can honestly state that themost appropriate learning environment for the student is not in theneighborhood school but is a special school dedicated to the learningdisabled student. Students with learningdisabilities can be taught in inclusive classes if given the propersupport. Glazer, S., M. The New York Times, pp. Evaluation of academiccapabilities in science by students with and without learning disabilitiesand their teachers. The determination of which approach to use with students who havelearning disabilities is driven by the school district's overall philosophyand the administration of the given school. Another technique which can be utilized in mixed classes of regularand learning disabled students is the perception probe. (1997). Bothapproaches can be used effectively to reduce the number of high-riskstudents in a school. Students were identified during the latter part of sixth gradeas exhibiting at risk behavior. 61). (March 1996). A small number of learning disabled students, 1.1 percent, areenrolled in special schools (Kolstad, Wilkinson, & Briggs, 1997, p. (April 1997). 32). When disabled students enter regularclassrooms. Several more items are needed to successfully include learningdisabled students in a regular classroom. For example, Tidal and Nolet (1996)found that learning disabled students placed in a regular science classplaced the concepts of desert, tropical rain forest, and the other biomesas more important than the primary concept of what a biome was itself. 19). (May 19, 1993). (1989). If the school's goal is toreduce the number of learning disabled children on campus, the teamassembled to determine the placement of the child must be in agreement thateducation in a specialized setting is the most appropriate. The school psychologist isideally suited to help with behavior problems, social issues, and to teachcoping strategies to the students. 35). The approaches to reducing the number of students at risk for failurein a school depends on the philosophy of the district and the school todefine the most appropriate and least restrictive setting for an education. By teaching at risk students to self-monitor and correctinappropriate behavior, the students' ability to succeed on academic tasksincreased. Larson, K., A. This is a tenminute exercise given at different points of a unit or chapter study.Students are given ten minutes to write down what they consider to be themost important vocabulary words and concepts in the unit that they havelearned to that point. Junior high school is the transition between an elementary educationand the more advanced studies of high school. Other characteristics are not usuallyseen in the classroom setting like excessive movement during sleep.Generally, a diagnosis of learning disability is made when there is asignificant discrepancy between ability level and achievement. Half of the identified students wereplaced in a 45 hour program to teach them the problem solving skills ofstop and think, what to think about when facing a social or classroomproblem, and how to think (Larson, 1989, p. Students with learningproblems are at great risk for dropping out of the school system beforehigh school graduation (Larson, 1989, p. Chira, S. Applying the second strategy to reduce the number of high-riskstudents at a junior high school would mean changing the ideological focusof the placement team. Remedial and Special Education, 1 (5), 32-42. Tidal, G., & Nolet, V. Parents can play a vital part in the placementdecision to educate their child in a special school for learning disabledstudents. A17), showsthat special education students fail 61 percent of the time when they areplaced in regular education classes. Journal of Special Education, 3 , 18-34. Educational Leadership, 54, 59-62. Regular education teachers do not have the training toeffectively educate these students without outside assistance andadditional training. Theclasses and teaching methods are geared to enable learning disabledstudents to succeed. The secondmethod of reducing the number of high-risk students in a school is for theschool itself to take a proactive stance and intervene and modify theschool environment to accommodate the different learning styles andstrategies needed by learning disabled students. Education, 117, 419-425. In 199 , Public Law 94-142 was renewed and given a new name, TheIndividual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The definitions of the most appropriate education andleast restrictive are specific to each student. It can also be used to determine if the learning disabledstudents are correctly identifying the main and sub-concepts. In this case the sociological benefits to all thestudents in the school are stressed. Respect for diversity is the naturalresult of inclusion (Glazer, 1997, p. Often teachers hold the primary responsibility foridentifying children at risk of school failure. References Carlisle, J., F., & Chang, V. The students whoparticipated in the program and the follow-up sessions had fewer behavioralproblems, and higher grades in academic subjects and on work habits at astatistically significant level. Theiracademic self-concept can also be damaged as the result of grades and otherfeed-back which indicates that they are less able than the other students(Carlisle, & Chang, 1996, p. Task-related and interpersonal problem-solving training for increasing school success in high-risk youngadolescents. This study showed that intervention byproviding high-risk students with problem solving orientation, vocabulary,and skills at the beginning of their junior high school years can help tostop the behaviors which placed the students at risk. Teachers may have an impact onthe strategy chosen by the school to handle students with learningdisabilities. (1996). The term learning disabled is not clearly defined. Learningdisabled students are at risk for school dropout or failure before highschool graduation. Serving students in middle schoolcontent classes: A heuristic study of critical variables linkinginstructions and assessment. Inclusionprograms for learning disabled students in middle schools. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.