The injustices of tracking or ability grouping according to degrees of learning, first noted in reading classes throughout elementary grades, can have a bad effect on little children, who do not understand these injustices. In the history of the rural school, where individual help and cooperative learning were practiced, no child was labeled a…

Empirical findings on the efficiency of memory processes in exceptional children are outlined. Cognitive deficits are considered to be central to many academic and social skill problems of children with mental retardation and learning and behavior problems. In response, educators and psychologists have devised ways of training such students to use…

These four newsletters focus on issues related to adult basic education and the challenges faced when teaching adult learners. The first issue looks at the characteristics of learning disabilities, providing information to help teachers determine whether a learner has a learning disability and who might be appropriately referred for testing. The…

In a study 12 normal children and 12 reading disabled (word recognition difficulties) children (mean age 9.2 years) were compared for reading and listening comprehension to test whether disabled readers, given an auditory presentation, would show comprehension of material comparable to that of normal readers given visual presentation. (PHR)

The case is made that advances in chaos and complexity theories and self-organizing systems have important implications for the field of learning disabilities. Problems with behaviorism are discussed and the properties of self-organizing systems are explained. The concepts of continuous, nonlinear development and motivation and volition are…

An investigation is described during which three dimensions of situated learning (i.e., social interaction, a reliance on authentic activity, and creation of a learning community) were incorporated into the design and implementation of an on-campus course on instructional strategies for students with diverse learning needs. This choice of pedagogy…

The use of the "keyword" method as a tool for improving memory in learning disabled students is explained. The keyword method consists of two stages: an acoustical link stage and a stage in which the student is provided with a picture of the keyword interacting with the appropriate response term. The method can be modified for use in…

The benefits of using games in instructing learning disability students are pointed out, and some games that can be played with a deck of learning cards are outlined to illustrate several methods that can be used with a single set of materials. (SBH)

The paper reviews the existence and complicating nature of nonverbal learning disorders, noting difficulties faced by such individuals in elementary and secondary school. Problems in identifying these disorders are reviewed. (CL)

The author reviews research on visual training for learning disabled students and addresses three major topics: what vision training is, for whom it is appropriate, and how effective it is. She cites the lack of solid research base from which to derive clinical decisions. (CL)

The author traces the history of optometric vision training and its influences on academic performance and presents his views on the current controversy over the value of vision training for students with learning disabilities. He concludes with a list of approximately 50 references on the topic. (CL)

Findings revealed significant correlations between all three measures of visual motor development as well as those measures and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised Performance IQ. The VMI-Revised appeared appropriate for measuring paper/pencil fine motor aspects of visual perceptual development in children. (CL)

Literature on metacognition, particularly studies by A. L. Brown and J. H. Flavell, are reviewed, and it is argued that a learning disabled adolescent may become a more active learner by being taught a system of strategies for learning. Comprehension skills, motivation, and metacognitive skills are interdependent. (Author/CL)

Cumulative teaching, in which it is made certain that a child acquires one competency before proceeding to another of the same type, is described in terms of assumptions, main ideas, and its application to phonics, vocabulary, and basic addition for learning disabled students. (CL)