Yes You Can … Plan Appropriate Instruction for Learning Disabled Students

Abstract

Matt is currently completing his senior year in high school and has achieved excellent grades in advanced literature and history courses. Because of these grades and his aboveaverage scores on college entrance exams, Matt has been accepted at both state univers ities to which he has applied. This feat probably does not seem extraordinary except for the fact that in second grade Matt was identified as having a specific learning disability and was placed in a special class for learning disabled children. Since that time, he has received mathematics instruction in regular classrooms, in resource programs, and from private tutors. The term learning disability covers many specific conditions and in itself communicates little about an individual's strengths and deficits. For example, tests showed that Matt is particularly strong in auditory language skills, but his visualspatial performance and visual memory are poor. These results mean that Matt understands and remembers what he hears but has trouble perceiving and remembering what he sees. Despite his strong motivation and his superior performance on an individual inteLligence test, he often receives below-average or failing grades in mathematics.

Mathematics, Learning Disabilities, and Learning Styles: A Review of Perspectives Published by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

“…Like Becker [53], other authors related learning styles to a dimension of diversity among students, both an individuating characteristic and a group characteristic. This was especially the case for authors discussing special education and students with learning disabilities (e.g., Hunt [35] and Meyers [38]), which we further unpack in the following section. Rowser and Koontz [61] published "Inclusion of African American Students in the Mathematics Classroom: Issues of Style, Curriculum, and Expectations", in which they explained the previous learning styles thought reconsidered as "cultural learning styles".…”

“…We surmise that these variations are due to both the varied perspectives on learning styles in the field generally (i.e., cognitive and constructivist perspectives) and the relationship, if any, to other concerns of the article. For example, a common perspective was relating learning styles to a dimension of diversity among students, both an individuating characteristic and a group characteristic ( [35,38,53]). We found only 21 articles in the NCTM publications with an explicit or implicit connection intended between learning styles and learning disability ideas.…”

“…"This portrait is of a successful teacher using various teaching modes to appeal to students' diverse learning styles" (p. 240). An example is found in Meyers and Burton [38], who said, "Classroom teachers can assist students with visual-processing disorders by carefully designing instructional strategies that use preferred learning styles and allowing individualized compensation strategies" (p. 48). The message that instruction should meet learning styles from a cognitive perspective (e.g., Freer Weiss [34] and Meyers [38]) also rang true from a more constructive perspective.…”

“…An example is found in Meyers and Burton [38], who said, "Classroom teachers can assist students with visual-processing disorders by carefully designing instructional strategies that use preferred learning styles and allowing individualized compensation strategies" (p. 48). The message that instruction should meet learning styles from a cognitive perspective (e.g., Freer Weiss [34] and Meyers [38]) also rang true from a more constructive perspective. For example, Walmsley and Hickman [56] said, "A more active and contextual environment would match the learning styles of more students and incorporate different aspects in the learning process to help increase student understanding" (p. 615).…”