Teachers can strengthen the memory of children with reading disabilities. To do this, teachers must first capture and then keep the children’s attention. They must then focus instruction on the acronym REMOS: Repeat It, Elaborate or Explain it, Make it Meaningful, Organize it, and engage in Spaced or Distributed Practice. In practical terms, the teacher must get the children to: Attend to What’s Important. Teachers have a good chance of capturing and keeping children’s attent

Whatever theory of learning you aspire to (learning styles, multiple intelligences, differentiated instruction, etc.) the research about our 21st Century learners is overwhelming and convincing in terms of the need for schools to attend to the strengths, preferences, and individual needs of students, and part of that attention must be dedicated to the environment in which students learn. Those of us working with students with learning disabilities have known this for a long t

Although punishment may be a common and natural response to disruptive behaviors (i.e., out-of-seat, calling out answers, talking) in the classroom, it tends to be ineffective. One important reason for the futility of punitive responses by a teacher is that punishment teaches students what not to do, but it does not teach them what to do. Effective methods for dealing with disruptive behaviors in the classroom include proactive strategies that teach acceptable behaviors and d

School administrators and educators have been made aware of the need to face the challenges of creating classroom environments that will support all learners. National legislation such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB, 2002) and professional organizations such as the Council of Exceptional Children (CEC, 2001) have established standards by which school professionals are guided to become responsible for the social competence of the children in their care. As such, the need for sy

One question I frequently receive from teachers and parents interested in learning disabilities (LD) deals with commercially available educational products. Consumers will recognize the names of a few of the more well known products, such as Baby Einstein®, BabyPlus®, and Doman and Doman’s (2001) How to Multiply Your Baby’s Intelligence, originally introduced in 1984. Although good commercial programs carefully designed to create, adjust, and monitor optimal environments for

Time and again, students ask, "Can we draw a picture after we read?" Whether they approve or not, most teachers give a sympathetic nod. Their lesson plans may have included illustration activities, though probably as an extension or as enrichment. In some cases it isn’t planned at all, but is welcomed as busy work for those who have finished reading while others "catch up". In many classrooms, especially in the upper grades, drawing about reading isn’t regarded as highly as w