Designing Special Programmes

First published in 1986, Designing Special Programmes is a practical, step-by-step guide for teachers responsible for designing and presenting special educational programmes for children with learning difficulties. It is ideal for those who have to do this for the first time in their everyday teaching or as part of their initial or in-service training. The design stage in preparing a learning programme is vitally important if the programme itself is to be truly interactive and adaptable to an individual child's needs. Tony Branwhite describes the basic principles of design that are involved and highlights the key points to remember. Then, when the time comes to put it into practice, he provides checklists to help the teacher present the scheme and evaluate its effectiveness. A useful chapter on the advantages or disadvantages of computer-assisted learning in this context shows how to apply the same principles of good design to computer programs. Designing Special Programmes will be of interest to students and researchers of education and psychology.

Tony Branwhite is a seasoned Educational Psychologist known for his expertise in adolescent development and school-based support systems.

Introduction 1. The abilities of the teacher 2. The abilities of the child 3. Selecting valid programme content 4. Sequencing the programme material 5. Contrasting the programme items 6. Managing learner errors 7. Computer-assisted learning programmes 8. Measuring rates of learning 9. Preparing the programme environment Conclusion