Chapter 14 page 338
They sometimes choose their own topics and are sometimes given choices between alternative topics,
such as choosing one of the following two topics to write about: “Should children be allowed to
choose what shows they watch?” or “Should children be allowed to eat whatever they want?” Of
course, once they select a topic and begin writing on one of these topics, students also have autonomy
in choosing their position and the reasons that they choose as the best reasons.
Ɣ Tasks. Students are given writing tasks of moderate difficulty that they can achieve successfully if
they work together and use the strategies they are learning. They are also provided with ample
scaffolding to help them succeed at these tasks. In addition, teachers work with students individually
to ensure that each student achieves mastery before he or she moves on.
Ɣ Environment. Collectively, the learning activities function to help students gain a sense that they are
part of a community of writers, working together to become highly proficient writers who help each
other.
Ɣ Strategies. The strategies that students are learning increase their motivation by increasing their self-
efficacy in writing.
Ɣ Teacher expectations. When teaching the strategies, teachers are setting high expectations. The
target strategies are strategies that middle school students and even high school students can profit
from learning, and yet teachers are working with students as young as third grade to master these
strategies.Summary. SRSD provides us with an excellent example of how to bring all eight components of
effective strategy instruction into a comprehensive learning environment. SRSD also incorporates all the
features of motivating learning environments. SRSD is highly effective at helping struggling writers make
strong growth in writing (Graham et al., 2005; Harris et al., 2006). Students not only learn to write stories
and persuasive essays; they are also able to transfer some of what they learn to write better informative
essays and personal narratives about their own experiences (Graham et al., 2005). As we discussed at the
beginning of this section, SRSD can be adapted to work effectively with older students as well, including
upper elementary, middle school, and high school students (Chalk et al., 2005; De La Paz, 1999; Harris et
al., 2006; Santangelo et al., 2008).
EXTENSIONSIn this chapter, we have discussed eight features of effective strategy instruction that should be
incorporated into learning environments that promote self-regulated learning. Although these features are
generally applicable to a wide range of students, there are nonetheless adaptations that can be made to
maximize the effectiveness of strategy instruction with different groups of learners. We will discuss these
adaptations in the final section of this chapter.
Strategy Instruction for Students with Learning Disabilities
Much of the research on strategy instruction has focused partly or wholly on students with learning
disabilities (e.g., Baker, Gersten, & Graham, 2003; De La Paz, Owen, Harris, & Graham, 2000; Graham
& Harris, 2003; Reid & Lienemann, 2006; Shyyan, Thurlow, & Liu, 2008; van den Bos et al., 2007). Self-
Regulated Strategy Development was designed for struggling writers, including students with learning
disabilities. Reciprocal Teaching and SRSD have both been used effectively with students with learning
disabilities (e.g., Case et al., 1992; Chalk et al., 2005; Lederer, 2000; van den Bos et al., 2007). The
methods of strategy instruction that we have discussed in this chapter should be highly effective with
students with learning disabilities.
Of the eight features of effective instruction, several should be especially emphasized with students
with learning disabilities. For these students, it is important to include a heavy focus on explicit
explanations, modeling, extensive scaffolding and feedback, and varied practice over a long period of time.
As we have discussed in previous chapters, students with learning disabilities benefit from explicit