INTERVENTION AND
ASSESSMENT METHODS FOR
WRITING
Thursday, December 9, 2010,
3:00pm-4:15pm
Michael Dunn, Ph.D.
Ginger Berninger, Ph.D.
Washington State Univ. Vancouver
University of Washington
dunnmi@vancouver.wsu.edu
vwb@u.washington.edu
Agenda
 Introduction
 Session’s objectives
 Characteristics of learning disabilities in writing
 Evidence-based practices and strategies
 Interview project/teachers’ ideas about effective
writing instruction
 Rationale for ART
 Overview of studies completed with ART
Some of the Challenges Students with Learning
Disabilities Face

Literacy tasks require that a number of skills need to be
employed:
 Sequentially (i.e., choosing a story idea, developing an
outline, writing and editing drafts, publishable copy)
 Concurrently (i.e., spelling, reading decoding and
comprehension of the student’s drafts, the progression
of the story’s structure, writing style)
 Attentional skills
 Working memory
 No known computer program offers children a means to
address all of these areas without teacher interaction
(Berninger & Winn, 2006; Graham & Harris, 2005)
Example 1 of 4th-Grade Student’s Writing
Example 2 of a 5th-Grade Student’s Writing
How Evidence-Based Practice with Assistive Technologies
can help address these Needs

Explicit instruction in academic skills such as literacy
helps children with characteristics of having a learning
disability (Foorman, 2007)
 Reading published authors’ writings so as to see
proficient examples and model them in one’s own
writing
 Sentence creation/combining
 Phonemic awareness/decoding practice
 Highlighting key phrases/terms in expository texts
 Spelling practice
 Oral story telling
Example Assistive Technologies for Writing
Writing tools:
 Pencil grips
 Raised-lined paper
Writing-assistance software:
 CoWriter:SOLO (Don Johnson Inc, 1992)
 Dragon Naturally Speaking
 Microsoft WORD
 iPhone
 Kidspiration
Reading-assistance software:
 Windows VISTA
 Natural Reader
CEC’s Assistive Technology Wheel
Interview project: teachers’ ideas
about effective writing instruction

Effective writing instruction practices:
 Teacher
modeling
 Mnemonic-strategy instruction
 Reading published works to see good writing models
 Ongoing writing-skills practice
 Use of assistive technologies




Respondents’ ongoing challenges:
Time
Having small class size
Adequate resources
Rational for Ask, Reflect, Text (ART)

For struggling writers, the task of creating prose is
challenging as they often do not have a strategy for
managing the writing process
Selecting an idea for a story
 organizing the story's structure (i.e., beginning, middle, and
end)
 spelling words to compose sentence and paragraphs
 then reading multiple drafts is often overwhelming for these
students
 the end product is often shorter than that of peers, lacking
in detail, with poor penmanship, spelling, and syntax, as
well as missing the sense of a plot or progressive theme




Visual arts help promote higher academic
achievement scores as well as make learning
experiences real and meaningful
illustrating ideas may also help students who
struggle with writing to overcome some of the
physical aspects of writing
In addition to idea generation and spelling,
struggling writers often have difficulty with the
visual-motor integration process—i.e., the brain’s
management of the arm, hands, and fingers
directing the writing tool to produce text on the
page/monitor
Description of Ask, Reflect, Text (ART) Strategy
ASK
W Who is in the story?
W Where does it take place?
W When does it happen?
W What do the characters do?
= What do the other characters
2 do?
H
=
2
How does the story end?
How does the main character
feel; how do the other
characters feel?
REFLECT
TEXT
One sunny summer
day, Bill organized a
soccer game with,
Susan, Jim, and Mary.
Bill and Susan formed a
team. Jim and Mary
were the other team.
Bill and Mary each
scored two goals. Jim
scored the tie-breaker
goal. After two hours of
play, Bill was tired. They
others were too. They
decided to go to the
store and buy an ice
cream because they felt
tired.
How to Teach a Mnemonic Strategy

Self-regulated strategy development (SRSD;
Graham & Harris, 2005)
 Develop
and activate background knowledge
 Discuss the strategy
 Model the strategy
 Memorize the strategy
 Support the strategy collaboratively
 Independently use the strategy
ART (2009) Participant Example: Blair

Pre-ART
I need a save. I need a save. (Day 1: tww6/www1/sq1)

Post-ART
Bob and Joe saw an island. They went to it. It had 2 trees with coconuts.
They both looked at each other. Bob and Joe went. Bob laid down. Joe put
coconuts in the boat. What are these holes, Joe? I don't know, said Joe. Joe
accidently stepped in one. A bunch of little people with big heads and
numchucks. Ahhh!!! Bob said. So Joe put it in the water. The others were
scared now. So they all jumped in the water and swam away. So Bob and
Joe relaxed in the sun. They were happy. (Day 11: tww96/www6/sq5)
Overview of ART SSD Research
Example Helpful/Informational Websites about LD





National Center for Learning Disabilities:
http://www.ncld.org/
LDonline (writing):
http://www.ldonline.org/indepth/writing
Learning Disabilities Association of America
(dysgraphia):
http://www.ldanatl.org/aboutld/parents/ld_basics/dy
sgraphia.asp
Learning Disabilities Worldwide (writing):
http://www.ldworldwide.org/ldinformation/kids/writin
g.html
International Dyslexia Association: (dysgraphia)
http://www.interdys.org
References
Berninger, V., & Winn, W. (2006). Implications of advancements in brain
research and technology for writing development, writing instruction, and
educational evolution. In C. MacArthur, S. Graham, & J. Fitzgerald (Eds.),
The handbook of writing research (pp. 96– 114). New York: Guilford.
Dunn, M. W., & Finley, S. (In press). Exploring children’s thoughts about
writing: Offering storytelling, visual arts, and keyboarding to promote
narrative story writing. Multicultural Education.
Dunn, M. W., Tudor, D., Scattergood, C., & Closson, S. (In press). Ask,
reflect, text: ART as a narrative story-writing strategy. Childhood
Education.
Dunn, M., & Finley, S. (2008). Thirsty Thinkers: A workshop for artists and
writers. Journal of Reading Education, 33(2), 28-36.
Foorman, B. R. (2007). Primary prevention in classroom reading instruction.
Teaching Exceptional Children, 39(5), 24-30.
Graham, S., & Harris, K. (2005). Writing better: Effective strategies for
teaching students with learning difficulties. Paul H. Brookes: Baltimore