The Intersection of Technology Tools and
Cognitive Strategies: Improving Content Area
Instruction for Students with Mild Disabilities
Cynthia Okolo
Michigan State University
okolo@msu.edu
Cognitive Strategy Instruction
• Been around a long time
• Skills versus strategies
• Students with disabilities may not
be strategic learners
• Strong evidence for efficacy
Cognitive Strategy Instruction
• Strategies help students make
use of what they know
• Still need to learn content
• Still need to learn skills
What is Cognitive Strategy
Instruction?

 Cognitive strategy instruction (CSI)

e.g., Robert Reid, University of Nebraska
 Learning strategies instruction

e.g., Strategic Instruction Model (UK),
 Self-regulated strategy development (SRSD)
 e.g., SRSD in writing
What is Cognitive Strategy
Instruction?
More than a recipe
Kabobs
Set of principles + set of
instructional practices
Principles of Cognitive Strategy
Instruction
 Strategy is like a heuristic, a set of steps
 How do I do this?
 What steps do I follow?
 In what order
 Helps the implicit become explicit
 Interactive, dialogic
 Students take ownership of their learning
 self-regulation
 generalization
 flexible use and adaptation

Hamburger Strategy
 Top of bun: Topic
 This is a set of steps,
but not a strategy
Sentence
 Meat: Supports (related
to your topic sentence)
 Condiments: Expansions:
analysis, interpretation,
explanation, insight
 Bottom bun: Concluding
sentence
Practices of Cognitive Strategy
Instruction
 Develop background knowledge, reason for learning, motivation
 Describe/discuss strategy and steps
 Model the strategy
 Heart of strategy instruction
 Memorize steps
 Guided practice (skill appropriate)
 Independent practice (age appropriate)
 Generalization
Examples of Strategy Instruction
Watch and discuss an example:
Strategies for Reading Fluency
 Utah Center for Reading and Literacy
Examples of Technology-Based
Strategy Instruction
Discuss CAST Strategy Tutor
Discuss SOAR
 Carolyn Harper Knox, Ph.D.
541-346-3543 voice mail
541-346-6226 fax
TASK X STRATEGY
ACADEMIC TASK
 SELF-REGULATION
CONTENT KNOWLEDGE
COGNITIVE STRATEGY
Technology is Not Always the
Best Approach
 Sometimes good
old pencil and
paper works best
 Consider
affordances and
constraints
Studying facts and vocabulary
 Mastering a set of information requires a large amount of focused
practice
 Can take upwards of 24 times to reach 80% accuracy
 May be more for kids with learning difficulties/disabilities
 New learning does not happen quickly, requires practice spread out
over time




Small set of information at a time
Spaced practice
Review
Build on existing knowledge networks
 Increments in learning start out large then taper off
Study Tools for Study Strategies
 StudyHive (basic flashcard program)
 http://studyhive.com/
 Cramberry: http://www.cramberry.net/ (self-quiz)
 Sometimes technology tools model cognitive strategies
 HeadMagnet: http://headmagnet.com/
 “Explore” option to see how the tool works
 Quizlet: http://quizlet.com
 http://quizlet.com/demo-video.php
 (see Speak It option)
Study Strategy Steps

Prioritize

Take the first step—any step

Identify resources to help you

Schedule

blocks of study time and breaks

Use free time wisely

Postpone distractions

Study space

Review

Weekly

Before class

After class
Before Reading Strategies
 Brainstorming
 PreP: PreReading Plan
 Setting a goal for reading
 Skimming, scan, predict
 SQ3R
 Reciprocal teaching
 K-W-L
 Know, what to know, learn(ed)
Example: Survey

Survey






Question while you are surveying:





the title, headings, and subheadings
captions under pictures, charts, graphs or maps
review questions or teacher-made study guides
introductory and concluding paragraphs
summary
Turn the title, headings, and/or subheadings into questions
Read questions at the end of the chapters or after each subheading
Ask yourself,
"What did my instructor say about this chapter or subject
when it was assigned?"
Ask yourself,
"What do I already know about this subject?”
http://www.studygs.net/texred2.htm
Concept Mapping
 Inspiration/webspiration
 Bubbl.us
 Mindomo
 Popplet
 Freemind
During Reading

Access to print

e.g., text to speech, large print

Predicting

Questioning and clarifying



Locating important ideas





Vocabulary (online dictionaries, translation tools)
Unfamiliar concepts (linking, searching)
Notetaking
Annotating
Bookmarking
Highlighting
Social networking (asking others, discussing)
Diigo
 Free application available on web toolbar:
http://www.diigo.com
 http://www.diigo.com/about
 http://www.diigo.com/learn_more
 Ideas for using Diigo in education:
http://www.slideshare.net/cliotech/diigo-in-educationpresentation
What Strategies Do Students
Need to Use Diigo?
 Finding and evaluating information
 Identifying important information
 Main ideas
 Details
 Monitoring comprehension
 Annotating
 Finding additional information
After Reading
 Reducing/reorganizing
 Summarizing
 Timeline
 Concept Map
 Expanding
 Studying
 Communicating
 Writing
 Presenting
Project PAL
 Integrating a strategy for reading text into WYNN
 http://www.freedomscientific.com/lsg/products/wynn_demo
.asp
 Strategy makes use of WYNN tools
 WYNN tools support the strategy
 Strategy helps kids understand and learn from text
PREPARE Strategy
 Preview
 Set goals for reading
 Ask specific, color-coded questions
 Read
 Examine
 Look through text to meet goals or answer questions
 Pick what’s important
 Highlight (color coded to questions)
PREPARE
 Arrange
 Highlighted text is extracted by color
 Students can arrange topically
 Reduce
 Write a summary
 Create notecards for study or to support writing
 Explain
 Supported writing for different types of text (e.g., narrative,
expository)
PREPARE Features
 Student can access all WYNN tools from all strategy steps
 Choice
 Student can skip strategy steps
 But teacher can override
 Student can go back and forth between strategy steps
 All directions and prompts are editable
 Can use local language of instruction
 Accompanied by professional development materials
Organizing Information
 Ideas
 Materials
 Reading
 Notes
 Pictures
 Resources
 Collaborating
 Searching & Tagging features
Evernote

Evernote.com: evernote.com

Web, desktop, mobile



http://www.evernote.com/about/learn_more/
http://www.evernote.com/about/video/#5Ag_rlQL4IM|2|1
Trunk


Mobile



Study Blue
Evernote Peek:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqVjruCt6yg&feature=player_embedded
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/evernote-peek/id442151267?mt=8
Chrome and Firefox extensions, clip from browser

Evernote web clipping
Other Uses of Evernote
 Share electronic copies of notes
 Research web sites & clip pages directly from browser.
 Create to-do lists, jot down random thoughts, leave voice
memos
 Keep notes organized for different classes in one place.
 Use as index cards while writing a research paper.
 Post reminders of upcoming events
 http://teachweb2.wikispaces.com/EVERNOTE
What Strategies Do Students Need
to Take Advantage of Evernote?
 How to organize
 Classes
 Activities
 Tagging
 Media types—best ways to represent ideas
 How to create tags
 How to search and choose information from the web
 When and how to collaborate
References
1.
Byrne, R. Free Technology for Teachers. http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2011/06/77-web-resources-for-teacher-to-explore.html?
2.
CAST Strategy Tutor: http://cst.cast.org/cst/PAGE,help
3.
Conley, M. W. (2008). Cognitive strategy instruction for adolescents: What we know about the promise, what we don’t know about the potential. Harvard Educational Review
4.
Harris, K. R., Schmidt, T., & Graham, S. (1997). Strategies for composition and self-regulation in the writing process. LD Online: www.ldonline.org/article/6207
5.
Novak, J. D., & Canas, A. J. The theory underlying concept maps and how to use them.
http://cmap.ihmc.us/publications/researchpapers/theorycmaps/theoryunderlyingconceptmaps.htm
6.
Reading Rockets: http://www.readingrockets.org/blog/42207/
7.
Project SOAR: http://cate.uoregon.edu:9400/
8.
Special Connections: Cognitive Strategies: http://www.specialconnections.ku.edu/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/specconn/main.php?cat=instruction&section=main&subsection=cs/main
9.
Study Guides and strategies: http://www.studygs.net/index.htm
10.
University of Kansas Learning Strategies Overview: www.kucrl.org/sim/brochures/LSoverview.pdf
11.
Utah Center for Reading and Literacy: http://www.ucrl.utah.edu/pro-dev/instruction/lesson1_01.html