Online Interactive Learning for Students with Disabilities

 The purpose of this study was to view the design, classroom implementation, and effectiveness of interactive online units to enhance science learning over three years among students with learning disabilities, English learners, and general education students. An analysis of the results showed that students with learning disabilities in the treatment group improved 18 percentage points on assessments of science knowledge from pre-test to post-test; and English language learners increased 15 percentage points. Learners in the control group who were taught using the traditional methods showed just five points of gain. The implications of these findings point to a significant benefit of using online curriculum to boost students’ scores in areas that are of concern, such as science.

Terrazas-Arellanes, F.E., Gallard, A. J., M., Strycker, L. A., & Walden, E. D. (2018). Impact of interactive online units on learning science among students with learning disabilities and English learners. International Journal of Science Education, 40(5), 498-518, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2018.1432915

Reading study

This article examines the need for early literacy. The following excerpt focuses on recovered dyslexics: 

Fink (1996/6, JAAL) studied 12 people who were considered dyslexic when they were young, who all became “skilled readers."  Out of the 12, nine published creative scholarly works and one was a Nobel laureate. Eleven of the 12 reported that they finally learned to read between the ages of 10 and 12 (p. 273), and one did not learn to read until the 12th grade. According to Fink, these readers had a lot in common:

“As children, each had a passionate personal interest, a burning desire to know more about a discipline that required reading. Spurred by this passionate interest, all read voraciously, seeking and reading everything they could get their hands on about a single intriguing topic" (pp. 274-275).

Krashen, S. 2014. Literacy education: Need we start early? Language and Language Teaching, 3,2 (6): 1-7. http://www.sdkrashen.com