CHAPTER TWO

PLANNING AND ORGANIZING INSTRUCTION

TEACHER PLANNING
• Average amount of planning time after school hours is 76 minutes.
• Average time teachers spend planning during the summer is 59 hours.
• Biggest obstacles to planning:
• insufficient time
• lack of materials and activities
• lack of knowledge concerning students abilities and academic history
Lenz, Deshler, and Schumaker (1990)
PHYSICAL ARRANGEMENTS
• Arrangement of students

• Arrangement of materials

• Arrangement of special area centers

_____Arrangement of Students _______________

• Arrange students so that they can easily see and hear teacher presentations.
• Arrange students so that the teacher has easy access to any student.
• Arrange students so that the teacher easily sees the students.
• Decide whether desks are to be arranged in clusters or rows.
• Place difficult-to-teach or off-task students in the middle of the room near the front.
__ Arrangement of materials_____________
• Keep frequently used materials easily accessible.
• Ensure that high-traffic areas are free of congestion.
Arrangement of Special Areas and Centers
• Academic Areas

• Teacher Areas

• Individual Student Areas

• Audiovisual Area

Instructional Arrangements
• Large Group Instruction
• Small Group Instruction
• One student with Teacher
• Adult Helpers with Student
• Students Teaching Students
• Peer Tutoring
• Classwide Peer Tutoring
 • Cooperative Learning
• Material with Student
• Self-Correcting Materials
• Instructional Games
• Technological Tools
• Homework
____ Large group Instruction________
• If the teacher uses effective presentation strategies such as demonstration, modeling,
and guided practice and supplements them with cooperative learning, small group
instruction, follow-up direct instruction, or engaging seatwork activities, large group
instruction can be effective for teaching academics and social skills to students with
diverse needs.
• In a response to intervention (RTI) framework, much of the Tier I instruction is provided
in a large-group format.
•
Advantages:
• It is time-efficient.
• Students are prepared for lecture-type of instruction in postsecondary and
secondary settings.
• General and special educators who co-teach may share the responsibilities of
teaching the large group.
• Disadvantages:
• It does not allow for the teacher to deal easily with the diverse abilities and skills
levels.
• Questions may go unanswered.
• Distracted students may remain off-task.
• Students who need more intensive instruction may fail to receive it.
• For high-ability students, large-group instruction frequently moves too slowly.
• For low-ability students, it usually moves too quickly.
• Behavioral problems are likely to result because of boredom or frustration.
Guidelines for __ Large Group______ Instruction
• Keep instruction short
• Use questions to involve students in the lesson
• Use lecture-pause routines
• RAP Procedure
• Encourage active participation among lower performing students while maintaining the
involvement of higher achieving students.
• Use visual aids to promote understanding of lecture material.
• Maintain a lively pace.
• Determine the rules for behavior during presentation.
• Determine the rules for behavior during discussions.
• If students misbehave, praise students who follow the rules.
• Use flexible grouping.
• Important aspect of ____ RTI tier 2 instuction___________
• Use participation buddies to promote student involvement.
• Use response cards to promote participation.
• Use Ask, Pause, and Call.
• Use signals to avoid surprise call-ons.
SMALL GROUP INSTRUCTION
• Typically consists of 3-7 students
• Especially recommended for students with learning problems
• Tier 2 instruction in an RTI model
• Attempt to group students who have similar instructional needs in a specific academic
area.
• Advantages:
• Students are able to participate more during instruction.
• Teachers are able to provide more instruction, praise, feedback.
• Students are able to progress at their own rates.
• Small-group instruction typically is less boring.
• Teachers using small-group instruction are able to monitor the progress of students
better and make teaching modifications.
• Small-group instruction provides students with language differences with a more
comfortable setting for participating and asking for clarification.
• The small-group arrangement is especially important for students with learning and
behavioral problems.
• A small-group follow-up can be helpful to students who do not learn sufficiently
during large-group teacher presentations.
• Small-group instruction may have an advantage over one-on-one instruction
because a student with learning problems, may, through observation, learn a skill
that is being taught to another group member.
• Small group settings provide the opportunity to increase the intensity of
intervention for students who have moved to Tier 2 in an RTI model.
___ Small Group Instruction________
• Disadvantages:
• Students are required to do more seatwork.
• Teachers must do more planning.
• Teachers must organize more instructional variables (such as grouping students,
managing transitions, monitoring seatwork activities for students when they are not
in their small group.
• Teachers must provide more instruction in the respective academic or content area.
________ Guidelines for small group instruction____________
• Establish rules for small-group instruction.
• Make the groups as homogeneous as possible.
• Maintain flexible groupings.
• Locate the small group in an area that allows the teacher to scan the entire class.
• Place the students in a semicircle so that their shoulders align with the shoulders of the
students beside them.
• Use motivation activities during small-group work.
 __ one student with teacher_________
• Used to help student with learning problems learn a new skill
• Appropriate for students who are learning skills that are different from rest of the class
• Can be used to intensify interventions in Tier 2 or Tier 3 of RTI framework
• Can be used spontaneously with group methods of instruction
• 3-5 minutes is just the amount of time needed to help a student understand a concept,
receive correct feedback, understand directions, and feel motivated to continue working.
______ Adult Helpers with students _________
• Paraprofessionals and volunteers provide a powerful resource for increasing engaged
learning time of students with learning and behavioral problems.
PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTING PARAPROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS
• Roles of paraprofessionals
• Training paraprofessionals
• Collaboration
• Working with culturally and linguistically diverse students
STUDENTS TEACHING STUDENTS: Peer Tutoring
• Programming Guidelines
• Determine goals of peer tutoring.
• Target skills or content for the peer tutoring pairs.
• Select materials.
• Design procedures for tutor and tutee.
• Assign tutor-tutee pairs.
• Train tutors.
STUDENTS TEACHING STUDENTS: Peer Tutoring
• Programming Guidelines (continued)
• Train tutees.
• Teach social skills used in peer tutoring.
• Review rules.
• Schedule the peer-tutoring sessions.
• Conduct a tutoring session.
• Evaluate the peer-tutoring program.
STUDENTS TEACHING STUDENTS: Classwide Peer Tutoring
• Programming Guidelines:
• Provide social skills training
• Partner Reading
• Paragraph Shrinking
• Prediction Relay
• For lower level skills such as spelling or math facts, use scoring similar to basketball
• Assign each pair of students to one of two class teams
• Use classwide peer tutoring 2-3 times per week
• Avoid long-term pairing of students who do not get along with each other.
STUDENTS TEACHING STUDENTS: ______ Cooperative Learning____
• Programming Guidelines:
 • Determine goals of cooperative learning.
• Target selected skills or contingent lessons for the teams.
• Select materials, including the quizzes or tournament questions.
• Design procedures for team members to help one another.
• Assign students of varying achievement levels to the same teams.
• Train teams to help one another.
• Teach social skills for teamwork.
• Review classroom rules and teach new rules.
• Schedule the cooperative learning sessions for 3-5 days a week.
• Conduct a cooperative learning session.
• Evaluate the cooperative learning program.
STUDENTS TEACHING STUDENTS: _ Cooperative Learning _____
• Guidelines to ensure the success of students with learning problems when implementing
cooperative learning techniques:
• Provide adequate teacher or peer support.
• Select group members carefully.
• Monitor student progress using formative assessment.
• Make certain the student with learning disabilities has a role conducive to learning.

MATERIAL WITH STUDENT:____ Seat-Work Activities _____

• Learning Considerations
• Provides student with opportunities to practice skills that the teacher has presented
• Teacher Considerations
• Allows teacher some freedom to work with small groups or individual students
• Guidelines:
• Ensure that the independent work assignments are tailored to the student’s
instructional level.
• Use a variety of independent seatwork activities.
• Consider work folders for daily assignments.
• Prepare some cushion activities to accommodate students finishing their work at
different times.
• Guidelines (continued):
• Modify the format of worksheets to improve learner friendliness.
• Design procedures that enable students to ask questions while doing independent
seatwork.
• Ensure that students understand the instructions for their seatwork activities before
staring small-group instruction.
• Use the direct instruction teaching sequence to teach the behavioral expectations
for independent seatwork.

MATERIAL WITH STUDENT:Self-Correcting Materials

• Examples of Feedback Devices
• Flap
• Windows
 • Stylus
• Matching Cards
• Answer on Back
• Tab
• Pocket
• Holes
• Clips
• Strips on Folder
MATERIAL WITH STUDENT:Instructional Games
• Simple Board Game
• Mystery Detective

MATERIAL WITH STUDENT:___ Technological tools ___

• Guidelines:
• Consider the evidence base on the specific technology. (Blackhurst, 2005)
• Technological tool should be selected based on alignment with curriculum
outcomes. (King-Sears & Evmenova, 2007)
• Technological tool should match student needs. This is particular true when
selecting assistive technologies for students with disabilities. An assistive
technology is a tool that aids a student in meeting his or her IEP goals. (Blackhurst,
2005)

MATERIAL WITH STUDENT:__ homework _________

• Assign a reasonable amount of homework.
• Make homework an integral part of the learning process.
• Plan homework assignments at the student’s instructional level.
• Make sure the student understands the assignment.
• Evaluate homework.
• Reinforce the completion of homework.
• Involve parents in homework.
• Facilitate homework through effective support systems.
GENERAL SCHEDULING TECHNIQUES
• Schedule for maximum instructional time.
• Proceed from short work assignments to longer ones.
• Alternate highly preferred with less preferred tasks.
• Provide a daily schedule for each student.
• Schedule assignments that can be completed in a school day.
• Provide time cues.
• Schedule activities in a complementary manner.
• Plan a variety of activities.
• Consider alternative schedules.
SCHEDULING AT THE Elementary LEVEL
• Analyze the day’s events.
• Plan opening exercises
• Schedule academic instruction
• Plan closing exercises
SCHEDULING AT THE Secondary LEVEL
• Class periods are about 50 minutes. Planning is essential to ensure efficient use of
instructional time.

• General scheduling considerations can be used with adolescents with learning problems:
• If there is flexibility in scheduling electives, students can select courses in which
they have a good opportunity to succeed.
• A course load must reflect student needs.
• Expanded course offerings are used in some settings to accommodate the student
with learning problems.
SCHEDULING IN THE Resource room
• Issues that complicate scheduling:
• The student’s academic, emotional, and social needs must be considered when
determining the best time to schedule resource room instruction.
• Classroom teachers usually have preferred times for sending students to the
resource room.
• Students who come to the resource room at a specified time may have different
instructional needs.
• In some situations, it is helpful if the resource room teacher teaches in the general
education class setting.
• The resource room teacher must schedule time for conferring with classroom
teachers.
• Helpful Techniques and Suggestions:
• Students may come to the resource room at different times, depending on the day.
• Provide instruction in the various academic areas at fixed times during the day.
• Encourage and reinforce being on time and making a quick transition from task to
task.
• When they return from the resource room, give students an assignment to work on
until the general education teacher can involve them in the ongoing activities.

CLASSROOM EQUIPMENT
• Instructional equipment can be used to meet the specific needs of students with learning
problems:
• Tape recorder
• Overhead projector
• Small-Item materials: miniature chalkboard, flannelboard, game materials,
construction materials, typewriter, stopwatch, durable coverings, magnetic board,
tracing screen, mirror