Mindy Tyson
ECE 311
Jennifer Ashton
9 Sep 12
Learning development is different for every child and teachers and caregivers should make sure we acknowledge that fact. When creating a curriculum we should make sure that we develop ones that focus on each type of learner and not just the children that “get it.” Peer Assisted Learning Strategies reading (PALS-R or PALS) is a method that is helping teach children the importance of reading skills. It is a way to of meeting the needs of all types of learners and strengthens the instruction in the general education classroom (IRIS, nd). PALS combines peer-mediated instruction with effective reading activities (IRIS, nd).
There are many benefits of PALS for the students and the teachers. One big benefit is its effectiveness for students with learning disabilities, low-performing students without learning disabilities, average- and high-achieving readers, and English learners (ELs) (IRIS, nd). Another benefit is its effective means of differentiating reading instruction; unlike a whole-group instruction – in which teachers have limited ability to tailor instruction to their students’ needs – peer-mediated instruction allows teachers to: individualize reading material for each student pair and vary the instructional pace for each student pair (IRIS, nd). With PALS teacher have the ability to provide more individualized lessons to accommodate students with a wider range of instructional needs (IRIS, nd).
Besides accommodating the needs of students of various academic abilities and actively including all students in reading activities, PALS boasts a number of additional benefits for teachers and students (IRIS, nd). Those include PALS being easily implemented, cost-effective, accelerates students achievement in reading, encourages on-task behavior and student participation, motivates students and promotes collaboration and
References: The IRIS Learning Center. (nd). Retrieved from http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/ palsk1/ chalcycle.htm