6.6: Embedding Evidence-Based Practices within CAPs

While Mayer’s model provides the roadmap for considering and designing the looks and sounds of instruction, it offers no guidance in terms of the substance of the content to be delivered. Therefore, CAPs must draw from a menu of EBPs for vocabulary instruction depending on the term or concept being taught. A menu containing EBPs that make particular sense for inclusion within the CAP model for vocabulary instruction is presented in Table 6.6.1. It is important to note that more is not necessarily better when it comes to including EBPs within CAPs. Instead, logical choices supported by the term/concept, the meaning, and how much information students need to know should drive decision-making. To illustrate, it might make sense when teaching the term biodegradable to explicitly teach students about the prefix bio-, the root word degrade, the suffix -able, to give an example and non-example of the term, and to define the term using a student-friendly definition attached to an anchor image. In addition, it would make sense to create CAPs for other terms being taught in this unit such as biodiversity, recycling, and conservation.

Table 6.6.1: Sample evidence-based practices for teaching vocabulary terms/concepts

Review and Select Relevant Evidence-Based Practices (EBPs) Choose from this menu of vocabulary instruction EBPs that make sense for the term being taught, given its content-specific meaning and students’ learning needs. (Note: This list is not exhaustive.)
✓	Evidence-based practices
	Semantic feature analysis and mapping (Ebbers & Denton, 2008)
	Explicit instruction, using examples/non-examples, student-friendly definitions, explicit language (Archer & Hughes, 2011)
	Keyword mnemonic strategy (Mastropieri, Berkeley, & Graetz, 2010)
	Word ID strategy (Lenz & Hughes, 1990)
	Morphemic awareness & analysis (Reed, 2008)
	Using instructional technology including visuals (Xin & Rieth, 2001)
	Graphic organizers (Dexter, Park, & Hughes, 2011)
	Content enhancements (Deshler & Shumaker, 2006)
	Anchored instruction (Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt, 1990)

Table 6.6.2 provides a worksheet teachers and other educators can use to plan the content of CAPs before bringing them to life with Mayer’s instructional design principles. Some recommendations to help guide teachers planning to create CAPs include the following:

• Take a bank of vocabulary terms for a unit and practice matching them to EBPs that would be appropriate given student needs and the features of the term.
• Write a script for the CAP in advance and share with a colleague.
• Justify selection of EBPs during a planning meeting with teammates, including other special educators or general-education teachers.

To operationalize these recommendations, Table 6.6.3 is a functional score sheet an instructor can use to evaluate a CAP’s use of EBPs within the video. Kennedy et al. (2014) used this score sheet in a recent study in which teacher candidates were taught how to make CAPs; the products were evaluated using this, and the rubric of Mayer’s principles noted in Table 6.4.1.

Table 6.6.2: Vocabulary planning worksheet for embedded evidence-based practices within CAPs

Term/Concept: Fancy Definition: Student-Friendly Definition: What does the student’s IEP say about his or her strengths for learning? What background knowledge is needed to learn this term/concept? What are related terms and how are they related? Different?
Term	Similarity One:	Similarity Two:	Difference One:	Difference Two:
Does the word have any morphological parts that have specific meaning? What do they mean? What is an example of this term/concept students would probably understand? Is there a non-example that might confuse them? In your experience, what is a good way for students to remember this term/concept? Is this term a candidate for the keyword mnemonic strategy? Provide a passage from the textbook or other source that uses this term in context. What is a question about this term/concept you might write for a quiz or test? What is a sample question from the state assessment that might be asked about this term/concept?

 

Table 6.6.3: CAP Evidence-Based Practice Worksheet

Name:		Term/Concept:
Preteaching/Word choice		Y	N	Notes
Word choice is appropriate for content
Word choice is appropriate for grade/skill level
Provides rationale for word selection
Background knowledge is provided for word
Puts word in context
Explains how word connects to class content
Word is pronounced correctly
Word is sounded out and pronounced by syllable
Definition
Provides formal definition
Provides student friendly definition
Definition given at beginning
Definition given at end
Definition repeated
Multiple definitions provided
Compared to definition of known words
Teaching Behaviors
Uses explicit language
Uses examples
Uses non-examples
Provides opportunities to practice
Breaks instruction into manageable chunks
Connections to known words
Evidence-based Practices: Select which practice is used and fill out the chart for that practice
1. Semantic Feature Analysis
	Characteristics identified
	Characteristics defined
	Other terms given
	Comparisons made
	Concluding statement
2. Keyword Mnemonic
	Keyword given
	Keyword appropriate
	Interaction given
	Retrieval steps given
	Retrieval practiced
	Definition practiced			Number of times?
3. Word ID/morphemic analysis
	Correct root word identified
	Correct root word defined
	Correct prefix identified
	Correct prefix defined
	Correct suffix identified
	Correct suffix defined
	Root, prefix, suffix stated together with definition
	Retrieval/definition practiced			Number of times:
4. Graphic organizer/content enhancement
	Appropriate GO/CE device chosen
	GO/CE presented
	Each component of GO/CE taught
	Each component of GO/CE reviewed
	Retrieval practice			How many times?
5. Anchored instruction
	Appropriate anchor chosen
	Critical components of anchor identified
	Critical components of anchor explained
	Critical components of term identified
	Critical components of term explained
	Term and anchor explicitly compared
	Retrieval practice			How many times?
6. Other
	What practice?			Name the practice:
	Is the practice used correctly?