Literacy Scaffolding Strategies for Diverse Learners: A Bridge for Tomorrow

Abstract

Teachers are likely to have exceptional learners in their classrooms and thus need better understanding of these students to provide for their literacy needs. The acronym "SPECIAL NEEDS" suggests the following teacher characteristics and tasks: Sensitivity, Patience, Empathy, Caring, Individualized instruction, Acceptance, Life skills, Nature of needs, high Expectations, Encouragement, Direct instruction, and Systematizing. Labels of special needs types include learning disabled, mentally retarded, and emotionally and behaviorally disordered. Suggestions for organizing instruction are study carrels, cooperative learning (student to student), strategy groups based on particular skills, contracting about goals, "slicing" to reduce assignment size, thematic units, learning activity centers, and books on tape or CD-ROM. Other strategies specific to literacy instruction are language experience, sustained silent reading, sustained silent writing, rereading, echo/neuro-impress reading, and visual auditory kinesthetic tactile strategy (VAKT). (Contains 17 references.) (EF)