2018 | Strategic & Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI)

Using ASL and print-based sign to build fluency and greater independence with written English among deaf students

By Susannah FinleyPosted on November 13, 2018Posted in Research Journal ArticlesTagged ASL, fluency/length, language delay/deprivation, rereading

This study investigated the use of ASL and print-based sign in the development of English writing fluency and writing independence among deaf, middle school students. ASL was the primary language through which students engaged in higher-level thinking, problem solving and meaning making. Print-based sign was used for rereading the collaboratively constructed English text. Mixed method […]

School as a site for natural language learning

By Susannah FinleyPosted on November 11, 2018Posted in Book ChaptersTagged apprenticeship, ASL, interaction, language delay/deprivation, language zone, linguistic/metalinguistic

According to the sociocultural perspective of language development, language learning is a by-product of communication that is meaningful. For deaf students, who often have limited access to communication at home, it becomes more essential that their school provides a rich communicative environment. Meaningful interaction is a powerful motivating force in human development and learning. When […]

Video review and reflection for ongoing inservice teacher professional development

By Susannah FinleyPosted on November 10, 2018Posted in Book ChaptersTagged professional development, technology

In this chapter we describe how a rubric-style observation instrument for observing classroom writing instruction was used to focus and optimize collaborative video analysis sessions among teachers and researchers spread across six states. As part of a 3-year Institute of Education Sciences (IES) development grant, we used videos of classroom instruction both as data for […]

The integrations of digital tools during Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction

By Susannah FinleyPosted on November 1, 2018Posted in Book ChaptersTagged technology

The purpose of this chapter is to gain insight from the ways a group of elementary teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing chose to integrate digital tools into evidence-based writing instruction and the ways these technologies were used to support student learning. After professional development that exposed these teachers to twelve new digital […]

Interventions for the deaf and language delayed

By Susannah FinleyPosted on October 12, 2018Posted in Book ChaptersTagged apprenticeship, ASL, interactive, language delay/deprivation, linguistic/metalinguistic, strategic

This chapter provides a synthesis of previous literacy research with deaf students, and it suggests a number of future directions. Much attention throughout the chapter is given to one subpopulation of deaf students—those with severe to profound losses who are less likely to develop oral language skills and who encounter unique barriers to reading and […]

Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI): Apprenticing deaf students in the construction of English text

By Susannah FinleyPosted on October 12, 2018Posted in Research Journal ArticlesTagged ASL, bilingual, efficacy study, genre, grammar, interactive, strategic, written language

This study investigates the effects of using Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI) with deaf, middle school students who use American Sign Language as their L1 and written English as L2. Using a pretest-posttest control group design, the research explores whether students receiving SIWI made significantly greater gains compared to those not receiving SIWI on […]

Using balanced and interactive writing instruction to improve the higher order and lower order writing skills of deaf students

By Susannah FinleyPosted on October 12, 2018Posted in Research Journal ArticlesTagged apprenticeship, genre, grammar, interactive, revision, word identification, writing, written language

The current study reports the findings of balanced and interactive writing instruction used with 16 deaf and hard of hearing students. Although the instruction has been used previously, this was the first time it had been modified to suit the specific needs of deaf children and the first time it had been implemented with this […]

A 4-Year Efficacy Study (2017-2023)

By Susannah FinleyPosted on September 9, 2018Posted in Projects

The purpose of this 4-year study is to investigate the efficacy of the SIWI professional development program for improving teacher knowledge and practices, and to examine the writing and language outcomes of deaf students receiving SIWI in grades 3-6 compared to a business-as-usual group.

A 3-Year Development Project (2012-2015)

By Susannah FinleyPosted on September 8, 2018Posted in Projects

Previous studies showed SIWI to be an effective practice for improving the writing and language outcomes of deaf middle school students. The purpose of this 3-year project was to develop the SIWI curriculum, instructional materials, and teacher resources for implementation with deaf students in grades 3 to 5, and to conduct a study of promise. An initial randomized controlled trial (N=78) showed SIWI positively impacts the English grammar (ES=0.53 to 0.71), length of writing (ES=1.31), genre-specific features of recount and information report writing (ES=2.64; 1.01, respectively), and writing motivation (ES= 0.53 to 0.68) of deaf elementary students. There was also a statistically significant difference between SIWI and comparison groups on all writing variables measured by the Woodcock Johnson III: spelling, fluency, writing samples (ES=1.01 to 1.82).

SIWI Gets to the Core! Reading and Writing in the Content Areas (2014)

By Susannah FinleyPosted on June 2, 2018Posted in Projects

This professional development (PD) program supported teachers and administrators of the deaf and hard of hearing (d/hh) from the state of Tennessee with 30 hours of PD. The PD focused on developing teacher knowledge in the Grade 6-12 Common Core State Standards in Reading (CCSS-Reading): Literature and Informational Text. Implementation of the CCSS-Reading by teachers of the d/hh, specifically teachers in the content areas, was enacted using Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI) pedagogical approaches. During the PD program, teachers were introduced to a model of SIWI in which they could integrate the CCSS-Reading along with content area standards to accomplish language, literacy and content area objectives. The program included a spring online discussion, a one-week summer workshop, and a fall classroom observation and reflection.

Year: 2018