Running head: ARTICLE REVIEW No.

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Article Review : Using Story-based Lessons to Increase Academic Engaged Time in General

Education Classes for Students with Moderate Intellectual Disability and Autism

Yerang Cho

International Teachers College

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Summary of the Article

In this article, it shows a study of how the teachers of general education teachers and

special education teachers work together to foster special needs students to be more involved in

literature class by using story-based lessons. The author addresses the issue that in the schools of

rural areas need more certified special education teachers. Because of the shortage of special

education teachers, the students might not be able to be in a specialized classroom but study in

general classroom. The author claims that the special education teacher and general education

teacher need to cooperate in order to meet the needs of the students who has intellectual

disability in the general setting of the classroom.

Especially in the subject of literature this article emphasizes how the story-based lessons

can be used. which is developed by both general education teachers and special education

teachers "through systematic and explicit instruction".(1) This "Shared story reading"(4) is done

by the teachers with "adaptations and accommodations"(4). The teachers used 12 steps of "Task

Analysis" and 10 questions of comprehension questions. As the result, all the participating

students who were taught with this steps and questions improved their comprehension abilities.

Also this method brought "specific benefits for this population include increase in responding of

students to the literature, increase in communication skills, and promotion of listening

comprehension"(4).
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Reflection

I think the method that was used in this article was some type of scaffolding. The

students who had special needs will need more guidance and direction from the teacher. The

general education teachers and special education teachers came up with this twelve steps that can

help not only the special needs students but also non special needs students.

From this article, I was able to see how the teachers wanted to differentiate the lesson in

order to meet every individuals' needs. In the beginning of the article, the author made

assumption that the students with mental disability and autism need to educated in a separate

classroom. This is not always true. The inclusive classroom can be beneficial to both non special

need students and special need students. Also I think when it comes to language and

comprehension ability of the students. We can also apply this twelve step method and the

guiding questions to the English learners.

This study of story based learning is an example of restoration. The teachers are working

together with their own gifts for the students' further development. We can say the teachers are

restoring the disabled students for they are image bearers of God by differentiating the lesson. In

a way that can be beneficial for the whole class. Cooperation between the teachers and working

towards for the benefits of whole is reflecting how the restoration should work in teaching field.
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References

Courtade, G. R., Lingo, A. S., & Whitney, T. (2013). Using Story-based Lessons to Increase

Academic Engaged Time in General Education Classes for Students with Moderate

Intellectual Disability and Autism. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 32(4), 3-14.