INTERVENTION IN SCHOOL AND CLINIC VOL. 42, NO. 4, MARCH 2007 (PP. 219–224) 219

Instructional Strategies OnlineDatabase (ISOD)

DODI HODGES, LINDA HIGBEE MANDLEBAUM, COLLEEN BOFF, AND MITCH MILLER

Educators frequently approach special educatorsfor strategies that assist students because spe-cial educators are perceived to have a wealth ofideas, strategies, and tricks to teach all students(Cole, 1995). Even though special educators are

trained to teach, accommodate, and adapt for individualstudents, they can find it difficult to maintain a toolbox ofeffective research-based instructional strategies largeenough to meet the needs of every student because stu-dents need to use many instructional strategies to learnfrom the general education curriculum (Cavanaugh, Kim,Wanzek, & Vaughn, 2004; Montague & van Garderen,2003; Wehby, Falk, Barton-Arwood, Lane, & Cooley,2003).

Teachers need to be able to easily locate, learn, andteach instructional strategies that can help students thinkand learn concepts. Unfortunately, teachers often do nothave the time to search the literature for effective in-structional strategies. And even if they have the time, theresources are often not readily available. When a teacherneeds an effective instructional strategy for a student thefollowing day, waiting days or sometimes weeks to get acopy of an article is not an option. Even when they areable to find appropriate research articles describing in-structional strategies, teachers may find them difficult tounderstand due to the technical research language that isused. Perhaps the problem is that researchers tend to writefor other researchers rather than for teachers (Morrison

This article describes an online database of evidence-based

learning strategies for students. The database is a quick re-

source written in user-friendly language for teachers of all

students but may be especially useful for teachers of stu-

dents with disabilities.

220 INTERVENTION IN SCHOOL AND CLINIC

& Marshall, 2003). Furthermore, when teachers have theirown extensive professional libraries of journals or files,they have to spend too much time searching the journalsmanually to locate articles and the strategies within thearticles. Much of this frustration could be eliminated withan online database developed with teachers in mind. Thisarticle describes the Instructional Strategies Online Data-base (ISOD), which is easily accessible on the Internet(http://edhd.bgsu.edu/isod).

The ISOD Project

Special education teacher candidates taking a senior-levelmethods course in adapting curriculum and instruction atBowling Green State University have developed an on-line database of instructional strategies. One of the re-quirements of teacher candidates in this course is to locateand summarize in clear language research-based instruc-tional strategies. These are not strategies to improveteacher instruction; they are strategies that students canuse on their own to think and learn about course contentusing instructional strategies that have been demonstratedto be successful for other students.

The first task is for teacher candidates to locate in-structional strategies within the research literature. Toassist in their efforts, a research librarian collaborates withthe special education faculty to instruct teacher candi-dates on how to define the differences in popular, trade,

and scholarly journals; to effectively search the library re-search databases; and to write citations using the Ameri-can Psychological Association (APA) publication style.Teacher candidates locate scholarly journals to identifyarticles on instructional strategies that have been demon-strated to be effective for students. The criteria for se-lecting articles are as follows:

• The article must come from a journal that is consid-ered scholarly/academic. This can be verified usingUlrich’s Periodicals Directory, to which the library sub-scribes.

• The article must come from a peer-reviewed journal.Author guidelines printed in the journal will usually ex-plain whether an article has been peer-reviewed or not.

• The article needs to have a reference list, possibly anabstract, and the author(s) used the scientific methodas an outline.

The students read the articles to locate the descrip-tion of the specific strategy and how it is taught and usedwith students. In clear, easy-to-follow steps, the teachercandidate then describes the strategy and cites the resource.

Teacher candidates are asked to think about studentswho might not be able to use the strategy in the way it wasdeveloped. For instance, students with learning disabili-ties who also have a physical disability that does not allowthem to use their hands may not be able to easily use theKWL strategy (Sampson, 2002), which assists students inthe area of reading comprehension and can be used with

Figure 1. KWL chart.

VOL. 42, NO. 4, MARCH 2007 221

many different content areas. Completing the KWL chart(see Figure 1), although easy for most students, is noteasy for students who are unable to use their hands.Adaptations for such students using the KWL chart mightinclude using voice-activated computer programs. Oneof the requirements for the adaptations is that the studentbe able to use the strategy independently. Therefore,having someone write the student’s responses or match-ing a student with a peer for cooperative learning, thoughexcellent ways of working with students with disabilities,is not acceptable as an adaptation for this assignment.

Once a teacher candidate identifies a disability thatmight challenge students to use the strategy, he or shesuggests an adaptation. The description of the strategy isthen edited by a faculty member, revised by the teachercandidate, and placed on an online database for use byteachers with access to the Internet.

When the teacher candidates were asked if theycould envision using the database in their student teach-ing and then while teaching, the students responded mostoften with a definite “yes.” One student said, “I thinkpeople will definitely use it … they won’t want to take thetime to look up those things.” Another student added,“My cooperating teacher has that [the ISOD URL] onher ‘Favorites’ list, actually.”

Database

The database contains the following information:

1. the number assigned to the strategy, 2. the content area(s),3. the grade level(s) for which the strategy is appropriate, 4. a title for the strategy, 5. the Ohio standard(s) matched to the strategy, 6. the citation for the article from which the strategy

was taken, 7. the suggested adaptation, 8. a rationale for the strategy, and 9. the name of the teacher candidate who summarized it.

Even though the teacher candidates have matchedthe learning strategies with the academic content stan-dards for the state of Ohio, the standards can easily becorrelated with other states’ academic content standardsdue to the similarity across standards.

This database is different from other databases be-cause it has instructional strategies that are used by thestudents specifically. This database is not designed to dis-seminate information about teaching methods or strate-gies for teachers to make instruction more informative orexciting. It is designed to be accessible for anyone withInternet access who works with children and to providechildren with strategies for how to think differently, pro-

cess differently, or approach concepts differently thanhow they are taught in class. The instructional strategiesare written in a manner that makes it as easy as possiblefor teachers to teach the students how to use the instruc-tional strategies. The descriptions include a list of mate-rials, procedures, and, frequently, a hyperlink forhandouts and/or charts that may be used with the strat-egy. See Figures 2, 3, and 4 for examples of the hyper-linked material. This information is followed by thesuggested adaptation. Finally, the citation for the instruc-tional strategy is given to allow others to easily find thejournal article.

Figure 2. PLAN poster.

Figure 3. WRITE poster.

222 INTERVENTION IN SCHOOL AND CLINIC

Figure 4. PLAN sheet.

Figure 5. Search page.

Topic

VOL. 42, NO. 4, MARCH 2007 223

Locating and Searching theDatabase

As noted previously, the Instructional Strategies OnlineDatabase (ISOD) is found on the Internet (http://edhd.bgsu.edu/isod). The database opens at a homepage wherethe user can click on “Search the Database” to begin asearch. ISOD is designed to be searched by (a) contentarea (e.g., math, reading, writing); (b) grade level—thereis a drop-down menu to select from; and (c) keywords(see Figure 5). All three fields may be used to narrow thesearch, or just one or two of the fields may be used tobroaden the search.

Once the user has accessed the content, he or shecan then skim the rationale for the strategies or the iden-tified standards to more clearly match the instructionalstrategy with the needs of their students (see Figure 6).

For example, a teacher who searches for a vocabularystrategy could search for reading and then skim the stan-dards or the rationale to find strategies that specificallydeal with vocabulary. An illustration of the search pagecan be found in Figure 5.

Another option for searching the strategies afterpulling up a specific content area is to use the Control +F keys using the Windows platform or Command (Apple)+ F keys using the Mac platform. A window will pop upand allow the user to type in a key word to find a partic-ular term within the strategies.

Conclusion

Due to the nature of the online database, teachers nowhave a way to access hundreds and eventually thousands

Strategy # 128

Content Area: Writing Grade Level: 4–6

Title: PLAN and WRITE

Ohio Standard: By the end of the Grade 3–4 program: B. Determine audience and purpose for self-selected and assignedwriting tasks. C. Apply knowledge of graphics or other organizers to clarify ideas of writing assessments.

Source: De La Paz, S., & Graham, S. (2002). Explicitly teaching strategies, skills, and knowledge: Writing in middleschool classrooms. Journal of Educational Psychology, 94(4), 687–698.

Materials Needed: 1. PLAN and WRITE poster for wall. 2. Pencil and paper. 3. List of topics on blackboard (i.e., My Favorite Holiday, A Place I Really Want To Go, The World’s Best Pet).

Procedures: Students will work individually. 1. Give overview of the purpose and description of the PLAN and WRITE strategy.

a. P Pay attention to the prompt—the topic you were asked to write about— and the way to develop it b. L List main ideas (at least 3) c. A Add supporting ideas (at least 3 details) d. N Number your main ideas in the order you plan to use them

e. W Work from your plan f. R Remember your goals g. I Include transition words h. T Try to use different kinds of sentences (long, short, questions) i. E Exciting, interesting words need to be in the composition.

2. Students choose a topic from the blackboard and write it at the top of their papers. 3. Students list 3 main ideas under topic. 4. Students list 3 details under each main idea.5. Students number the ideas in the order they plan to write about them. 6. Students begin writing about their topic.

Adaptation: For students with LD, talk them through the process one-on-one; supply them with a PLAN worksheet to fillin the topic and main and supporting ideas in the appropriate spaces. Make available a list of transition words.

Rationale: The purpose is to write a good composition using preplanning.

Research adapted by: Belinda Lee

Attachment links: http://edhd.bgsu.edu/isod

Figure 6. Example strategy.

224 INTERVENTION IN SCHOOL AND CLINIC

of research-based instructional strategies in several con-tent areas. The information on the database is ideal foruse in the general education classroom, the special edu-cation classroom, for interventions during the prereferralprocess, during IEP meetings, and for 504 plans. Oncestudents have learned the instructional strategies, theycan use them on their own to learn more easily withoutteacher assistance.

As with many online sources, this one is continuallyevolving to improve the contents and usability. Sugges-tions from users for improvement in the database arewelcome and may be sent through a link on the first pageof the database.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Dodi Hodges, PhD, is an assistant professor in interventionservices in the College of Education and Human Developmentat Bowling Green State University. She specializes in the areaof high-incidence disabilities and accessing the general educa-tion curriculum for all students. Her research interests in thearea of teaching all children also include integrating technol-ogy, collaboration, adapting curriculum and instruction, andreading. Linda Higbee Mandlebaum, PhD, is an associateprofessor in the College of Education and Human Develop-ment at Bowling Green State University. Her research interestsinclude all areas of reading instruction. Colleen Boff, MLS, isan associate professor in university libraries at Bowling GreenState University. She is the First Year Experience Librarian at

the University. Her research interests focus on the impact of in-tegrating library and information research skills at all educa-tional levels to improve critical thinking. Mitch Miller, MEd,is a coordinator at the Technology and Resource Center, Col-lege of Education and Human Development at Bowing GreenState University. He specializes in classroom technology inte-gration and technology adoption. Address: Dodi Hodges, Bowl-ing Green State University, 451 Education Bldg., Bowling Green,Ohio 43403.

REFERENCES

Cavanaugh, C. L., Kim, A., Wanzek, J., & Vaughn, S. (2004). Kin-dergarten reading interventions for at-risk students: Twenty years ofresearch. Learning Disabilities: A Contemporary Journal, 2(1), 9–21.

Cole, C. M. (1995). A contextualized understanding of teachers’ prac-tice, their collaborative relationships, and the inclusion of studentswith disabilities (curriculum adaptations) (Doctoral dissertation, In-diana University, 1995). Dissertation Abstracts International, 56, 09.

Montague, M., & van Garderen, D. (2003). A cross-sectional studyof mathematics achievement, estimation skills, and academic self-perception in students of varying ability. Journal of Learning Disa-bilities, 36(5), 437–448.

Morrison, K. L., & Marshall, C. S. (2003). Universities and publicschools: Are we disconnected? Phi Delta Kappan, 85(4), 292–298.

Sampson, M. B. (2002). Confirming a K-W-L: Considering the source.The Reading Teacher, 55(6), 528–532.

Wehby, J. H., Falk, K. B., Barton-Arwood, S., Lane, K. L., & Cooley,C. (2003). The impact of comprehensive reading instruction on theacademic and social behavior of students with emotional and behav-ioral disorders. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 11,225–238.