Overview

Contents: > Overview > Methodologies & Strategies • A Taste for Mnemonic Instruction • Using the Stevenson Program in Grades K-5 (PDF) • Using Stevenson in Grades 6-12 (PDF) • List of Materials • Scope and Sequence | Chart • Order Form (PDF)

The Stevenson Program is an alternative approach for teaching reading, spelling and other basic language skills.  Stevenson is highly effective with students who have learning problems and provides special advantages to problem-free students as well. The program possesses several unusual qualities, but its strategic use of mnemonics is probably the most important one. "Mnemonics" (pronounced nee-MON-iks) is a term for memory aids. The sandwich and cake you see here are mnemonic clues that help students understand and remember the structure of certain classes of words. In the July/August 1997 edition of Teaching Exceptional Children, researchers summarized the results of 18 meta-analyzes on different types of interventions in special education¹. Mnemonic instruction was considered the most effective of these interventions.  The Stevenson Program integrates this methodology with other strategies in imaginative ways to teach reading, spelling and more.

Methodologies and Strategies

No single instructional technique can solve all learning problems. Therefore, the Stevenson Program weaves together a variety of methodologies to improve students' decoding, encoding and comprehension. The  program works from a base of structured phonics, and presents phonetic elements in a unique sequence. The program teaches both sound/symbol correspondence and linguistic structures with multi-sensory techniques. Stevenson incorporates specific phonemic awareness exercises, beginning in the earliest lessons. Direct instruction is also applied consistently. And, of course, the program uses mnemonics to enhance all of these strategies. Using several methodologies allows Stevenson to accommodate a variety of common learning problems.

Reading
Spelling
Vocabulary
Comprehension
Penmanship
Grammar

Next:
A Taste for Mnemonic Instruction

1. Blum, I., Forness, S., Kavale, K. & Lloyd, J., (1997). Mega-Analysis of Meta-Analyzes, What works in special education and related services. TEACHING Exceptional Children (July/August) 4-9.