Variables Related to the Effective Instruction Of Difficult-to-Teach Children

Abstract

Research on effective instruction for difficult-to-teach students has focused primarily on specific instructional strategies used to teach academic skills. Further, however, research on teaching in regular classrooms and special education programs also has revealed the importance of a number of pre-and post-instructional variables in affecting students' abilities to engage successfully in academic work. Several classes of pre-instructional, instructional, and post-instructional strategies can be employed successfully to increase the task engagement and achievement of difficult-to-teach student (Brophy & Good, 1986;Rieth & Frick, 1983; Rieth, Polsgrove, & Semmel, 1981), as well as student behavior and attitudes (Berliner, 1984).Pre-instructional strategies, used prior to delivery of instruction, include the elements of advanced preparation and planning. These strategies provide the essential staging area from which effective instruction is launched. They include the arrangement of classroom space and student seating, development of rules and procedures for behavior and academic work, assessment to assist in planning instructional tasks, academic content, communicating learning goals, pacing, and the careful allocation of instructional time. The teacher also can control a series of instructional delivery variables that influence student achievement outcomes and student attitudes. Among them are student engagement time, success rate, academic learning time, and performance monitoring. FinaJly, certain practices that occur after instruction is delivered (post-instructional strategies) are related to achievement outcomes. They include testing and academic feedback.All of these variables are important to the education of difficult-to-teach students. They are discussed, with citations for more in-depth reading , in the remainder of this article. PRE-INSTRUCTIONAL VARIABLESPre-instructional variables involve the following planning considerations.