Writing can be a struggle for many students day in and day out. Students with disabilities tend to face the most serious writing challenges. "Students with LD perform more poorly than their typically achieving counter- parts on nearly every measure of writing performance, including measures of text length, quality and organization, and mechanical and grammatical errors (Englert, Yong, Dunsmore, Collings, & Wolbers, 2007). These students have difficulties planning, activating prior knowledge, understanding text structure, and communicating their ideas (Englert et. al, 2007). These challenges can be overcome by using both assistive technologies and graphic organizers in the classroom to enhance teacher led instruction. The following articles and info briefs provide excellent research and resources for educators who are assisting students with learning disabilities in the writing classroom:
Research Articles:
Speech Recognition Technology and Students with Writing Difficulties: Improving Fluency discussed how the difficulties that students experience could be attributed to their lack of ability of transference of thought to paper. When students were able to use speech recognition technology, it seemed to free up their working memories, thusly improve story development.
Quinlan, Thomas. (2004) Speech recognition technology and students with writing difficulties: improving fluency. Journal of Educational Psychology, 96, 337-346.
Teaching Students with Learning Disabilities to Mindfully Plan When Writing provided background on how to encourage students to be more self-aware as they write. The article provided suggestions on how to get students to be mindful of planning their writing pieces through the process of setting goals, brainstorming ideas, and sequencing events. Learning to use these mapping strategies were shown to have a positive effect on students’ writing.
Troia., Gary A., Graham., Steve., Harris., Karen R., (1999). Teaching students with learning disabilities to mindfully plan when writing. Exceptional Children, 65 (2) 235-52.
Evaluation a of Writing Instruction Model that Integrated a Process Approach, Strategy Instruction, and Word Processing provides the reader with a simple approach to writing instruction that benefits all students, especially those with learning disabilities, in the area of writing. The researchers conducted a study that evaluated a circular model of writing instruction that incorporates strategy instruction and word processing into a process approach to support students with learning disabilities. This approach to writing demonstrated positive results in improving students with learning disabilities writing skills.
MacArthur, C. A., Graham, S., Schwartz, S. S., & Schafer, W. D. (1995). Evaluation a of writing instruction model that integrated a process approach, strategy instruction, and word processing. Learning Disability Quarterly, 18(4), 278-291.
Early Spelling Acquisition: Writing Beats the Computer conducts a study to determine the most effective method to teach beginning writers how to spell using three different approaches; handwriting using pencil and paper, tile letters, and typing on a computer. The study concluded that the motor activity involved in handwriting as they trace and write each letter improves a student’s spelling ability and is more successful than both the computer and tile letters.
Cunnigham, A. E., & Stanovich, K.E. (1990). Early spelling acquisition: writing beats the computer. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82(1), 159-162.
Visualizing Literacy: Building Bridges with Media focuses on a case study completed in a high school communications elective media class which looked at using video production in lieu of written composition to hone in on students’ writing skills. Students needed to create a music video based on lyrics to a song. Using the writing process in tandem with video creation technique to storyboard, video tape scenes, revise and edit their video and then publish their piece, students showed a greater interest in their work than previously noted.
Bruce, David L.(2008) 'Visualizing Literacy: Building Bridges With Media', Reading & Writing Quarterly, 24: 3, 264 — 282 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10573560802004126
Scaffolding the writing of students with disabilities through procedural facilitation: Using an internet-based technology to improve performance describes a study of two groups of equal ability, both containing students with learning disabilities. One group used traditional pen and paper to tackle a writing prompt, while the other used the internet based program TELE-web. The study showed that with the combination of the teacher instruction and TELE-web support, students with LD were more successful in creating well written expository texts than students who simply received teacher directed instruction.
Englert, C., Zhao, Y., Dunsmore, K., Collings, N., & Wolbers, K. (2007). Scaffolding the writing of students with disabilities through procedural facilitation: Using an internet-based technology to improve performance. Learning Disability Quarterly, 30(1), 9-29.
Info Briefs
The info brief Supporting Struggling Writers Using Technology: Evidence-Based Instruction and Decision-Making provides the reader with a very detailed description of ways we can use technology to improve writing instruction to meet the needs of students with learning disabilities and others struggling academically. This article continues to investigate various assistive technologies including word processors, spell checkers, word prediction, speech recognition, and text-to-speech screen review to examine and summarize the research base for the full range of technologies to support writing. This report offers guidance on choosing and implementing appropriate technologies to support writing and writing instruction to help students improve their skills and become good writers.
Peterson-Karlan, G.R., & Parette, H. P., (2007). Supporting struggling writers using technology: evidence-based instruction and decision-making. Special Education Assistive Technology, Illinois State University. [online] http://www.cited.org/library/resourcedocs/TechnologyToSupportWritingSummary.pdf
Blogs, Wikis, and Text Messaging: What are the Implications for Students with Learning Disabilities informs the reader of the positive impacts of using Web 2.0 tools in the classroom such as blogging, wikis and text messaging can have on students with learning disabilities. Assistive software and hardware (speech-to-text, screen readers, portable notetaking devices, communication devices, etc) allow students to actively participate in the classroom as well as encourage them to be more independent, interactive and socially engaged with their peers. By allowing students to communicate through chats and blogs it provides them several opportunities to share their thoughts and impressions on various topics through both individual and collaborative writing.
Center for Implementing Technology in Education, (2008). Blogs, wikis, and text messaging: what are the implications for students with learning disabilities. Learning Disabled Online: http://www.ldonline.org/article/Blogs,_Wikis_and_Text_Messaging:_What_are_the_Implications_for_Students_with_Learning_Disabilities? theme=print
The info brief Using Assistive Technology to Support Writing highlights various general and specific technology tools that could be used in a classroom to support struggling writers. In terms of general technology tools, the article suggests using a word processor, multimedia software, and graphic organizers that helps students with mild writing disabilities
Using assistive technology to support writing. (n.d.). Center for Implementing Technology in Education (CITEd). Retrieved August 10, 2010, from http://www.cited.org/index.aspx?page_id=108
New Electronics: Turning them on for Learning discusses using text to speech (TTS), speech recognition, digital graphic organizers, and online visual representations, simulations, and reference materials in the classroom to enhance the learning of all students, learning disabled or not. This info brief provides detailed information about these various technologies, how to use them, and where you can find more information about each.
Innovation, N. C., & (2009), C. f. (n.d.). LD OnLine :: New Electronics: Turn Them On for Learning. LD OnLine. Retrieved August 10, 2010, from http://www.ldonline.org/article/
