The paper reports on multisensory approaches to reading instruction of learning disabled children. G. Fernald's "tracing" method, also known as the V-A-K-T method, is described and research questioning its effectiveness is cited. Next, the Adapted Fernald Technique (AFT) which requires the student to write, illustrate, read and reread…

Many factors influence a child's development of reading skills. Without effective instruction in reading, students fail to realize their potential. Limited English-speaking students and students in rural communities appear to lose the most. Reforms for disadvantaged students must address their needs directly, rather than assume that raising…

On the one hand, parents are often seen as a source of hope for many reading difficulties. On the other hand, parents are viewed by many teachers and school officials as a source of frustration and difficulty in ameliorating children's reading difficulties and fostering growth in literacy. Parents' active commitment and participation is lacking in…

Guidelines are presented to help teachers apply specific criteria for choosing microcomputer software and adapting courseware from other disciplines to the teaching of disabled readers. The guidelines discuss how to provide individualized instruction by ascertaining the readability of materials and the reading ability of students. Guidelines also…

The study of reading in restricted contexts ultimately short changes children. The continuous proliferation of research data results in teacher training courses that are overloaded with marginally relevant material. A vast number of "teachable skills" are isolated, and well-meaning publishers produce sophisticated but unnecessary materials;…

The bibliography lists books, articles, reports, and other materials on devices that convert print to speech, braille or other tactile output for use by blind persons. The material has been published since 1975. The bibliography is divided into three sections: (1) general works, including background information, history, works treating several…

Reading readiness activities should lead to awareness and skills that will bring a child to a point on the reading acquisition continuum where he or she will be ready to benefit from more rigorous and formally structured activities in the classroom. Children's awareness of the following five aspects of language and literacy are helpful, if not…

Twelve hearing impaired children (aged 2-5 years) were trained to use a novel interactive microcomputer system with a special interface word keyboard which builds in perceptual salience, individualized vocabulary, animation, and color graphics in a two-person-plus computer communication system. Ss were taught to press keys with words and short…

An instructional study was conducted (1) to explore the efficacy of using an explicit instruction model versus a basal approach to teach the comprehension or critical reading skills of discerning fact and opinion and evaluating evidence, and (2) to learn whether adding a functional aspect to the instruction would affect the students' acquisition…

Spoken Words, a modified language experience approach to the study of vocabulary, offers college instructors an opportunity to individualize vocabulary instruction and to demonstrate a variety of the most powerful vocabulary learning strategies in a natural language setting. To implement Spoken Words, the teacher must first model the procedure by…

Advocates the teaching of study skills in place of speed reading in college reading programs. (RB)

Presents a developmental view of reading processes as they relate to teaching reading to disadvantaged children. (RB)

Purposefully selected collections of literature can extend, contrast or illuminate an experience or perspective to effectively exploit the potential of children's literature to shape curriculum and engage student learning. This paper offers a practical framework for creating purposeful collections of literature. As an illustration of this process,…

Echoic reading helps in the development of a number of skills. Author examines the subject. (Editor/RK)

Two American educators offer firsthand impressions of school reading programs in the Soviet Union. (RB)