Computational thinking (CT) and computer science (CS) are becoming more widely adopted in K-12 education. However, there is a lack of focus on CT and CS access for children with disabilities. This study investigates the effect of the robot development process at the secondary school level on the algorithmic thinking and mental rotation skills of…

Spatial language and ability play important roles in children's cognitive development. Spatial ability in kindergarten predicts achievement in reading, math, science, and technology in primary school and therefore constitutes an important skill set in preparation for school entrance. Good spatial thinking skills are required for learning in…

The 2017 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) findings indicate that only 37% of the nation's twelfth graders are at or above proficiency in reading and the average reading score for students with disabilities is under the basic skill level. Consequently, high school teachers are faced with developing targeted interventions to address…

Algebra is considered an important high school course because it is recognized as the gateway to higher mathematics, college opportunities, and well-paying jobs. In the United States, most secondary schools require students to be proficient in algebra to be able to graduate from high school. One major component of algebra is word problem solving,…

The present study examines the features and quality of visual representations (VRs) created by middle school students with learning disabilities and difficulties in mathematics in response to a released fraction item from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Relations between VR quality and scores on other measures of fraction…

Teaching responsive to the needs of students with learning disabilities (LD) can be provided through understanding students' conceptions and their ways of learning. The current research, as a case study based on qualitative design, aimed to investigate the conceptions of students with learning disabilities with regard to the different…

How can barriers in reading be reduced? Adding symbols to assignments could be one possibility for enhancing readability and, therefore, providing students with poor reading skills with access to learning material. This qualitative interview and eye-tracking study aims to acquire a first insight into how students rate and perceive the addition of…

Students with disabilities often find expressive writing frustrating and difficult. The prospect of writing a well-developed five-paragraph essay can be especially daunting. One reason is that struggling writers may have difficulty conceptualizing how the elements of an effective essay are developed. This article describes an instructional…

In third grade the focus on math word problems becomes prominent. In the limited third grade research, teacher-mediated explicit instruction with multiple exemplars, teaching students to use visual representations, and the incorporation of self-strategies, have proven effective. For these practices to reach their full potential though, their…

Students who struggle with learning mathematics often have difficulties with geometry problem solving, which requires strong visual imagery skills. These difficulties have been correlated with deficiencies in visual working memory. Cognitive psychology has shown that chunking of visual items accommodates students' working memory deficits. This…

Not all children are made the same. Learning disabilities like dyslexia, dysgraphia or dyscalculia are either not understood or ignored in schools. As a result, the schoolchildren suffer for no fault of theirs and they lag behind in their course of learning. They may find it difficult to achieve the basic skills of learning such as reading,…

An action research study was conducted using the Rainbow Dots strategy to evaluate its effectiveness on reading comprehension skills in a third-grade class with students both with and without a specific learning disability. Results of the study indicated that students' overall performances in reading comprehension have increased. Students also…

The author speculates on the mythic symbolism of the maze and describes her work with learning disabled students who responded favorably to mazes, especially to visualization tasks involving mazes. (CL)

The use of visual imagery, visualization, and guided and unguided fantasy has potential as a teaching tool for use with learning disabled children. Visualization utilized in a gamelike atmosphere can help the student learn new concepts, can positively effect social behaviors, and can help with emotional control. (SB)

Spelling tricks for 35 sight words that can be used by learning disabled or regular classroom students are given. They include replacing silent or confusing letters with pictures to aid visual recall; locating a smaller, more familiar word in the longer word; and rhyming certain letter groups to related words. (VW)