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Documented Success: Research-based Multisensory Structured Language Program That Works!

Shary Maskel

The Hill Center, Durham NC, USA smaskel@hillcenter.org

Abstract

Using a multi-sensory structured language approach, The Hill Center utilizes systematic instruction with daily charting and graphing of performance to improve students' academic performance in reading, written language and math. The Hill Center, established in 1977, is a unique independent day school where students with learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders attend the Center's half-day program and spend the remainder of their day in area public and privates schools in North Carolina. For 25 years, the Center's staff has been developing successful instructional practices that have been well documented in 3 university research studies. The goals of this session will be achieved through a presentation that includes lecture, practice activities and role playing activities. The presentation will begin with an explanation of multi-sensory instruction. Emphasis will be placed on translating research findings into best practices that result in improved reading performance for students. The instructional methods utilized in the Hill Methodology include direct instruction, explicit teaching, over learning, automaticity, and immediate feedback. Instructional practices that have been documented through research will be highlighted during this workshop including the teaching of phonological awareness, explicit instruction in teaching phonics, practice in decoding words through using word attack strategies and by using fluency-training exercises. Participants will have an opportunity to learn instructional methods that have demonstrated success in improving reading performance. The workshop will culminate in role-playing activities, offering participants an opportunity to model and practice some of the specific instructional techniques and strategies covered in the session. Handouts will be distributed that include the rationale for this approach, sample phonological awareness activities, phonics exercises and rate graphs.

Disclaimer: all the abstracts presented here have satisfied the academic committee as appropriate for presentation at an international conference. However, the material reflects the views of the authors, not necessarily those of the academic committee or the BDA. No endorsement of any approach, product or service is intended or implied.

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