Education: Intervention Strategies, Research Paper Example

Academic and behavioral intervention strategies (RTI)

Independent practice in reading is an academic strategy whereby the interventionist establishes reading centers across a wide .geographic area allowing access to many students. The strategy is designed to develop proficiency in reading. This is implemented by giving students who have mastered the basics in reading opportunities to work independently at reading centers. They practice reading aloud and master pronunciation and enunciation techniques. Students perform their skills under silent supervision of teachers who do not intrude to tell them what to do (Wright, 2011).

Besides, reading centers contain fun activities that keep students engaged during the reading intervention.  These activities are teacher/instructor initiated and designed. They are created to reinforce literary content. Students interact in reading-related projects individually, in pairs or as a group.  At these centers students are presented with choices as a strategy of keeping the instruction compatible to their needs and interesting. For example, students could listen to books that were taped, read to each other; employ magnetic strategies for spelling enhancement. A particular number of words are selected from a list. From these words a story board is developed and comic strips designed that cary a moral. Both pictures and words are used (Roach & Elliott,  2008).

The reading centers are created .in alignment with specific intervention goals and strategies aimed at improving literacy levels among students who have mastered reading skills.

These activities change overtime to offer more exposure to practice reading skills and build on current knowledge and expertise. It is the aim to have new unrecycled content that would deliver fresh experiences each time students use the center (Wright, 2011).).

Behavior strategies include encouraging students’ participation in extracurricular non- academic activities such as sports and educational tours. This can be implemented as an after school program, organizing competitions among classes or other schools. Second is creating non- verbal signs that could be interpreted between teacher and pupil. For example, if a student needs to speak he/she must raise his/her hands and stand up. In order to greet the teacher upon entering the class for the first time during a day a hand shake is used. Thirdly, an important strategy is developing a schedule for periodic parent-teacher interactions (Ventura County Office of Education, 2011).

Teachers can create an email list of parents whereby communication is facilitated regarding the student’s progress each week. Regular face to face meetings with parents, students and teachers can be incorporated in this technique of teacher-parent involvement. Logging o student’s behavior and discussing at these meetings is very useful in planning better intervention strategies (Ventura County Office of Education, 2011).

A fourth behavior technique is offering students leadership opportunities in the classroom. This strategy is implemented primarily through group work. Groups must have a leader. Leadership roles can be rotated as students model being leaders of their group. Each group member is given an opportunity to lead under the guidance of the teacher. Fifthly, is assigning students jobs within the classroom or school environment. This is simple. When class projects have to be completed students are allocated portions of those tasks. For example, when sports activities are organized, students could be given the job of ensuring that all the equipment to be used are taken on to the field and returned to the storage area. These jobs/tasks are undertaken with the supervision of a teacher (Ventura County Office of Education, 2011).

References

Ventura County Office of Education (2011). Behavior Interventions in a Response to Instruction and Intervention (RtI2) Model. Handbook

Roach, A., & Elliott, S.  (2008). Best practices in facilitating and evaluating intervention integrity. Best practices in school psychology V  (195-208).

Wright, J.(2011). RTI: Academic & Behavioral Evidence-Based Interventions.RTI tool kit. Retrieved on June 24^th, 2015 from http://www.newburghschools.org/departments/specialed/rti/wright_NECSD_Acad_Beh_Intvs_26_28_Jan_2011_Handout.pdf