Lesson 2: The Remedial Instruction: Organization and Management (Weeks 2-3)

Objective/s:

 Determine and explain the salient features and components of remedial instruction.

Content Focus

I. The Remedial Classroom: Organization and Management

A remedial program primarily helps students address language skills deficits by helping them acquire self-
confidence to face their own weakness and overcome these through the acquisition of self-help strategies.
A thorough assessment must be conducted before organizing a remedial program, while consistent
monitoring is imperative in managing the program.

Below are general instructional guidelines that should be considered (Strickland, 1998 cited in Gunning,
2003 and in Vacca, Vacca and Gove, 1991):

 Instruction is systematic when it is planned, deliberate in application, and proceeds in an orderly

manner. This does not mean a rigid progression of one-size-fits-all teaching.
 Intensive education on any particular skill or strategy should be based on need. Thus, intensity will
vary both with individuals and groups.
 There is no substitute for ongoing documentation and monitoring of learning to determine the order
in which skills should be addressed and the level of intensity required to help a child or group of
children succeed in a particular area.
 To track specific goals and objectives within an integrated language-arts framework, teachers must
know the instructional objectives their curriculum requires at the grade or year level they teach.

A. ORGANIZATION

In organizing, a remedial program one must consider the following factors:

1. CURRICULUM Curriculum

a. Base goals standards for language learning on theory and research.

b. Relate teacher beliefs and knowledge about instruction to research.
c. Organize the curriculum framework so that it is usable.
Instruction Assessment
d. Select materials that facilitate accomplishment of school goals.

2. INSTRUCTION

a. The program must identify instructional strategies and activities for learners.
b. Instruction must be based upon what we know about the effective teaching of language
skills.
c. Those involved in designing or selecting instructional activities need to consider the
variables that contribute to success in language learning, given its interactive and
constructive nature.
d. Time must be provided in the classroom for practice.
e. Composing should be an integral part of the program.
f. Students should be given opportunities to become independent and to self-monitor their
progress.
g. The climate in a school must be conducive to the development of students.
h. The school must develop an organizational structure that meets individual needs of
students.
i. The school must develop an organizational structure that meets individual needs of
students.
 j. The program must provide for coordination among all language programs offered in the
school.

3. ASSESSMENT

a. Use assessment to guide instruction.

b. Develop scoring guides and rubrics.
c. Seek alignment among various layers of assessment.

B. MANAGEMENT

School-based remedial sessions tend to involve 3 to 10 learners, and typically last between 30 to 50
minutes, depending on whether they are in the elementary or secondary level. A plan to maximize the
utilization of that time should be a high priority. To ensure that the program is effective, one must consider
the six components of an ideal remedial program (Manzo&Manzo, 1993). These principles may also be
applicable in remediation for other skills aside from reading.

Overlapping Components of Remediation

1) The orientation component. The orientation
component provides continuity and focus to the
remedial session. It may be an engaging question or
statement related to local or national news, or even
school life. It must be focus on structured routines,
materials, equipment, venue, people involved, and
the objective of the program.

2) Direct Instruction Component. This is the

instructional heart of the remedial session. It should
never be traded away, even for one period, without
some compelling reason.

3) Reinforcement and Extension Component.

This period of time ideally should build on the direct instructional period and be spent in empowered
reading, writing, and discussion of what was read. Writing activities may vary from simply listing
key words to summarizing and reacting.

4) Schema-Enhancement Component. This unit of time should be spent in building a knowledge

base for further reading and independent thinking.

5) Personal-Emotional Growth Development. There is little learning or consequence that can occur
without the learner involvement and anticipation of personal progress.

6) Cognitive Development Component. This component should contain an attempt to enhance

basic thinking operation such as: inference, abstract verbal reasoning, analogical reasoning,
constructive-critical/ creative reading, convergent and divergent analysis, problem-solving, and
metacognition.

Note: Be ready for a quiz.