Widening the Circle: The Power of Inclusive Classrooms

How and when does a child begin to make sense of the world? Why does a lively preschool child so often become a semiliterate and defeated school failure?

Developmental psychologist Margaret Donaldson shows that much of the intellectual framework on which we base our teaching is misleading. We both underestimate the astonishing rational powers of young children and ignore the major stumbling block that children face when starting school.

Given a setting and a language that makes sense to them in human terms, very young children can perform tasks often thought to be beyond them. The preschool child learns everything in a human situation. Only in school is he asked to acquire skills―reading, writing, arithmetic―isolated from a real-life context. This transition is difficult.

The author suggests a range of strategies that parents and schools can adopt to help children. She argues that reading is even more important than we have thought it to be, since learning to read can actually speed children through the crucial transition.

This practical guidebook shows elementary school teachers how to make this systematic instruction part of their classroom. Educators will find a wide range of specific strategies.

With a positive, friendly approach, this guide defines learning disabilities, illustrates the different types, and explains where they come from, all the while providing reassurance without overwhelming the child. Many Ways to Learn describes the effects learning disabilities have on young people’s behavior, performance, and emotions, and offers solid, proven suggestions for coping at home, in school, and with friends. It features a first-person account from a child with learning disabilities, a chapter on computers and an extensive resource list for parents. The message in Many Ways to Learn is that kids with learning disabilities have average or above-average intelligence; they just find it difficult to learn in a particular area or areas. With some help from school and family—and a little extra work on their part—they can do as well as anyone else.

It is hard to find a proposal for improving American education that does not include plans for the widespread use of computers. Yet concerns abound that the benefits will lag behind until the teachers who guide the students have a better understanding of their use. Anne Meyer and David Rose provide a thoughtful book that will help educate teachers in the theories and uses of computers for the teaching of reading. It presents rich knowledge both about computers and about the process of learning to read, relating computers to theories of the brain and to the teaching of reading skills and strategies. Also covered is the variety of computer software available for teaching reading at various levels for students who make normal progress as well as for those who experience problems. This presentation offers an exciting view of the future use of computers in reading instruction.

The third edition of this classic resource is a comprehensive source of information, strategies, and activities for working with learning disabled students. The book offers special educators, classroom teachers, and parents a wealth of new and proven suggestions and ready-to-use materials for helping LD students of all ages learn and perform at their fullest potential.

• The only encyclopedia or comprehensive reference devoted to special education
• Editors-In-Chief and Contributing Editors are leading researchers and scholars in the field
• New edition includes over 200 more entries than previous edition, with increased attention given to those topics that have grown in importance since the publication of the third edition, such as technology, service delivery policies, international issues, neuropsychology, and Response to Intervention, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis. In addition, the entries will be updated to cover the latest editions of the assessment instruments frequently administered in special education settings
• Includes an international list of authors and descriptions of special education in 35 countries
• Includes technology and legal updates to reflect a rapidly changing environment

4 Volumes

http: //onlinelibrary.wiley.com/book/10.1002/9781118660584

*This is a 4 volume set. Books can be purchased individually or as a set.