This article presents three in-depth case studies focused on supporting students with learning challenges to learn math strategically. Participants were three eighth-grade students enrolled in a learning assistance classroom who were of at least average intelligence but who were performing significantly below grade level in mathematics. These case…

Twenty-three elementary and middle school students with learning disabilities were taught 14 difficult-to-memorize multiplication facts with a combination of mnemonic and traditional instruction. Results indicated that mnemonic training enhanced learning and these benefits were retained over time. (Author/DB)

As a group, students with learning disabilities (LD) have social difficulties. One possible explanation for these difficulties is the unique way they process social information. Although students with LD may differ from their nondisabled peers in their social cognition, investigators have suggested the presence of subgroups within the population…

A study investigated the effects of an instructional strategy within a graduated teaching sequence on the representation and solution of problem-solving skills encompassing integer numbers for six secondary students with learning disabilities. Results indicate problem-solving skills dramatically improved following instruction at the concrete,…

This study with 56 learning-disabled adolescents found that intensive generalization training specific to the development of complex mnemonic strategies was demonstrably more effective in recall at 1-day and 2-week intervals than a rehearsal condition. No added advantage was gained by adding attribution training to the mnemonic generalization…

Based on a systematic search of literature published from 1988 to 1995, 20 math interventions for secondary students with learning disabilities were identified and analyzed. Effective methods include teacher-directed instruction, instructional design curriculum variables, three-term contingency trials, strategy instruction, self-monitoring…

A study contrasted two instructional approaches for teaching decimals to 44 junior high school remedial students and students with learning disabilities. Findings indicate significant effects on conceptual tasks for students who were taught decimals with an emphasis on conceptual understanding; however, low-achieving students required considerable…

A study of 14 adolescents with learning disabilities and 7 low-achieving adolescents was conducted to evaluate a writing strategy designed to enhance the quality of compare-and-contrast essays. Results indicate the students improved substantially in the clarity of writing, appropriateness, and organization of ideas in their essays, but not in…

Six male elementary school students with learning disabilities were taught multiplication facts using a computer software program with a five-second constant time delay procedure. Results indicated that the computer-assisted instructional program was effective. Learning generalized with varying degrees of success. (Author/JDD)

Nine students (ages 7 to 11) with math disabilities were effectively taught using an instructional sequence that moved from the concrete to the semiconcrete to the abstract. Subjects needed between three and seven lessons using manipulative devices and pictures before being able to do abstract-level problems. (Author/DB)

Seven students with language and learning disabilities in fourth through eighth grades were interviewed to determine their understanding of and attitudes toward a writing-process instructional approach. Students' attitudes toward this approach were positive but their understanding of prewriting elements and of revising and editing were quite…

The complex nature of written expression presents difficulty for many students, particularly those with learning disabilities (LD). The literature in the area of written expression and students with learning disabilities indicates that explicit, rule-based instruction can enhance the writing skills of struggling students. Research in Direct…

Two studies are reported which investigated the efficacy of an interactive approach to teaching writing revision skills for 11 adolescents with learning disabilities. Results from both studies indicated that interactive teaching successfully taught students to identify ambiguities and make their writing more salient. (Author/PB)

Presents a case study of a fifth grader with learning disabilities which describes his appropriation of literacy knowledge within and across the social and instructional arrangements in a Community of Learners classroom. Offers cultural-historical theory as an explanation of how cognitive skills are not separate from instructional contexts. (CR)

The effectiveness of writing process instruction in the regular classroom with three second grade students (one learning-disabled, one low-achieving, and one gifted student) is described. All three students demonstrated significant growth in punctuation, spelling, capitalization, and fluency during the six-month period. (Author/JDD)