Thought for the Day
Too often we define students as learning disabled when, in fact, it is the instructional method that causes the disability. Now is the time to reframe how we view ability and disability. The Future is in the Margins: The Role of Technology and Disability in Education Reform by Rose & Meyer (CAST) - Differentiated use of media for instruction reveals that individuals who are defined as "learning disabled" within print-based learning environments are the not same individuals who are defined as "learning disabled" within video - or audio-based learning environments. Such revelations splinter the old categorical divisions between "disability" and "ability" and create new descriptors that explicitly recognize the interaction between student and environment in the definition of strengths. Think about your instructional tools - are you offering a variety of methods to engage students, or are you methods causing frustration? Are you offering a var...