Manipulatives offer students with disabilities access and support in classrooms. However, it is important for educators to be aware that concrete manipulatives are not the only option. Teachers serving students identified with a disability in the middle grades may consider selecting virtual manipulatives as supplement, complement, or in lieu of…

Focusing on common misconceptions about children who have trouble learning to read, two papers discuss new ways to think about and teach these students. "Revaluing Readers and Reading," by Kenneth S. Goodman, argues that troubled readers should not be thought of as sufferers from an illness, but as strong, healthy individuals fully…

An end-of-school-year dance program was prepared and performed by a preschool class of 11 deaf children. A variety of learning activities across the curriculum were part of the experience. (DB)

Based on a study of the differences between the way regular and special education teachers handle classroom transitions, this discussion suggests seven steps special education teachers should take to aid students in classroom transitions. A list of 24 different transition cues is included. (JC)

Suggestions for using children's literature in special classes for hearing-impaired elementary grade students are offered, using Wanda Gag's "Millions of Cats" as an example that is applied across all curriculum areas. (DB)

This paper addresses ways in which regular art teachers can effectively serve students with mental disabilities and ways in which administrators can guide their districts regarding integrated situations in art education. A rationale is offered for including art education in the education of students with mental disabilities. Factors to be…

Suggestions presented for special education teachers evaluating or preparing mildly or moderately disabled students for integration into mainstreamed classes include: training students to understand the difference between the resource and mainstreamed classes (directions, group activities); meeting with the regular classroom teacher; and teaching…

Factors in the physical arrangement of special education classrooms that may lead to greater instructional control and structure include teacher proximity and view, separation of space, and reduction of extraneous stimuli. The issue of making classrooms more relaxed and home-like versus structuring them like regular classes to prepare students for…

This article describes the introduction of writing portfolios to elementary school students with learning disabilities in self-contained special education classrooms. It discusses getting started, contents of the portfolio, instructional goals and objectives, conferences, observations, and portfolio evaluation. (Author/DB)

A self-contained class of students with mild to moderate disabilities published a monthly newsletter which was distributed to students' families. Students became involved in writing, typing, drawing, folding, basic editing, and disseminating. (JDD)

A teacher describes a writing program in his self-contained seventh-grade class for students with emotional disturbances or neurological impairments. Principles such as the importance of positive teacher expectations and plenty of writing time are stressed, and use of word processing, effective class organization, a classroom magazine, and…

The paper is a description of how one teacher structured a classroom for five seriously disturbed violent boys (ages 5.5 to 8 years) at a private residential and day school for emotionally disturbed students. Anecdotes are reported as well as the teacher's reflections. Changes in the teacher's original planned class structure while maintaining the…

Ten strategies are offered to aid the special gifted class teacher to communicate better with parents, colleagues, and the local community. These include scheduling group parent meetings, encouraging parents to visit the class, using "one-minute" notes and phone calls to brief individual parents, and developing a program brochure. (DB)

A special educator recounts lessons learned from her first year of teaching, in her case in a special class of students with multiple disabilities. Lessons include analysis of early mistakes and the importance of student file review, direct student observation, utilizing the advice of experienced educators, and planning for change. (DB)

In this article, the author discusses the importance of having a daily classroom agenda, and provides some tips for developing and implementing an effective agenda. An agenda is simply a detailed list of all the things students must do and what teachers hope to accomplish on a particular school day. It should include lesson plans, special classes…