WHAT’S SPECIAL ABOUT
SPECIAL EDUCATION?:
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES
TEACH THEIR TEACHER
Michael S. VanHook, M. Ed
No One Wants to be a Crash Victim
When Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) goals were not met, then. . .
 “Knee Jerk


Spend a bunch of money
Get a scripted remedial reading
intervention program
 “Cookie Cutter

Change every IEP- goals and
modifications
Every student with special needs
receives a reading goal and a reader
accommodation, regardless of past
history, previous assessment results,
and disability. Read to them on all
tests and most class work, whether
they needed it or not.
Reaction”
Approach”
 “Play the Blame
Game”


Blame students with special needs
and special educators with harsh
criticisms for the school’s failure.
My Question
What was I doing or not doing to help students with
special needs, in particular those with learning
disabilities, to achieve proficiency on testing, but more
importantly, to accomplish my goal of assisting them to
become successful, independent learners and
contributing members of society.
My Frustrations
 Lack of student progress was personally very frustrating but I




didn’t want to be guilty of succumbing to the pressure and
blaming this population for the lack of our school’s progress, even
though they weren’t progressing at an expected pace.
The conflicting voices the administration versus the students.
Being prohibited by school leaders from experimenting with new
responsive strategies because they were not part of the script of
the purchased intervention program.
My students were verbalizing their irritations because their
learning and motivational needs were not being addressed as
they failed to master content.
Most importantly, taking honest look in the mirror, I realized that I
had a lot to learn about students with learning disabilities.
My Knowledge
 What I did not know exceeded what I knew.
 What I studied at a clinical or textbook level did not always
bridge the gap to significant instruction.
 What could our students teach me about their personal
successes and failures, their hopes and struggles, and their
individual learning styles? (No one was asking them or
listening; it was as if their perspective was irrelevant
because they got us into this mess.)
 Almost in spite of ourselves, some were achieving and
growing into proficient, independent learners apart from of
our efforts to mold them into our structure.
If we listened, could they teach us.
Point of View
 “Bottom-up” vs. “Top-down” approach
 Maybe I could become a better teacher if my
students taught me.
Purpose of the Study
Instructional
Practices
Student
Experiences
Teacher as
Student
 To analyze and interpret effective
educational and instructional practices for
students with learning disabilities by
gaining insight from the student’s
perspective and how these perspectives
can impact educational programs.
 To learn how students experience the
world around them. Focus on the learning
phenomenon from their unique
experiences as individuals. Allow them to
tell their own stories about their past and
present learning environments.
 Students teach their teacher.
What is special education?
Seven aspects by early proponents:
1. Individualized instruction,
2. Carefully sequenced series of tasks,
3. Emphasis on stimulation and awakening of the
child's senses,
4. Meticulous arrangement of the child's
environment,
5. Immediate reward for correct performance,
6. Tutoring in functional skills, and
7. Belief that every child should be educated to
the greatest extent possible
(Hallahan & Kauffman, 2000).
Methodology
Subject Selection
Specific Learning
Disability (SLD)
2. Student’s willingness to
cooperate
1.
Data Collection Procedures
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Structured Interview
Unstructured Interview
Available student records
Learning Style Questionnaire
Group sessions
Video—“How Difficult Can
This Be?: The F.A.T. City
Workshop,” by Richard
Lavoie
Creative expression
Kurt
 Kurt epitomizes what this study is all about—my
motivation, my failures, my hopes, and this
purpose
 Demonstrates several contrasting behaviors
simultaneously, which can be enjoyable and
frustrating, apparent and perplexing, all seeming
to depend on the moment and the task
 Very bright, but he’s not achieving academically
 There are times in the classroom when I become
aggravated with his lack of effort or performance,
his distracting behaviors, or forgetful actions
Kurt in the Classroom
There are times when I’ll ask
questions that call for more in-depth
reasoning:
 Provides an answer that is
surprisingly well analyzed
 Offers a different perspective
 Usually creative and connected
to a real life experience
When a learning task is required,
from simple to complex:
 Usually cannot complete it or
respond with any real clarity
 Usually accompanied by an offtask behavior that is
diversionary, distracting, and
amusing.
 Regularly lands in trouble with
his other teachers and the
punishments are greater in
severity and the verbal
corrections (clinical for yelling)
are loud.
 Kurt’s present teachers
frequently describe him as lazy.
Kurt’s Fears
 Kurt’s father also has a disability (possibly learning).
 He describes his father as a late bloomer, not having read
his first book until he was 15 (Kurt says his first book was at
age nine).
 He remarks, “I hope I’m like him (a late bloomer)!” Kurt
adds that his father has “ideas in his head . . . ideas that
aren’t true . . . they go right away.”
 His brother graduated from high school but he doesn’t have
a job. Sometimes he cleans up bathrooms or sweeps at his
mother’s place of employment.
 “I’m scared to talk about my family because I might say
something wrong.” (The conversation ceased; I’d touched a
nerve.)
Kurt’s
Drawing
Kurt’s Drawing
“Darkness is all around;
a hand is raised.
I feel if I would fail I would drop out
Darkness is pulling down the hand as time goes on.
my sister would be in a higher grade.
There is a clock.
I’m embarrassed because I got a blue ribbon in
a 4H speech and instead of a purple, like her.
It symbolizes the school year starting with my
hand
Darkness—the stuff I can’t get right.
because I was smart.
Arm (what I know).
I don’t raise my hand as much
In writing class,
other hands go up before mine
she speeds through it
it takes me time to think about it
not enough time to get it
What I’m trying to say is
too fast.
I’m not that smart as time goes on.
I get into trouble.
I was held back in first grade
Teacher calls me lazy.
behavior
Not enough time.”
it hurts now.
Kurt’s Unstructured Interview
1.
What do you wish others knew about
you?
1.
“I want to be just like them, an
individual.”
2.
What do you wish teachers knew
about you?
2.
I want and need help. I’m not lazy; I
don’t know how.”
3.
When you need extra help in a class,
what things are most likely to help
you?
3.
“Friends and teachers.” In reading, “on
words, I don’t like help constantly but
help on a word when needed. More
time, sometimes; or not always to
rush.”
4.
“I have a lot of questions.” Not having
two teachers in the room (regular
education teacher, special education
teacher, or a para-educator). A short
time to do things. Talking when
everyone else is (he’s referring to
getting into trouble, he feels singled
out).”
4.
What hurts you in the classroom?
Kurt’s Structured Interview
1.
Strengths as a student
1.
2.
Weaknesses as a student
Difficult parts of English class
Preferred methods when learning a new
subject
2.
5.
6.
Preferred methods to show what you’ve
learned
To memorize for later use
7.
Problems when studying
7.
8.
Methods to help learning
8.
3.
4.
5.
3.
4.
6.
Talking about or helping when I
understand something.
Being off task.
Following directions, spelling, reading.
To do an experiment or to watch
someone. Not likely to help—taking notes
from reading assignments.
Make a drawing, tell about it
Association, draw a picture, repeat it out
loud.
Reading too slowly to finish, being
distracted, taking notes too slowly,
forgetting what I study or the instructions,
organizing thoughts poorly on paper, not
understanding instructions.
Watching demonstrations or videos,
laboratory experiments, explaining at the
beginning what we will be doing.
Kurt’s Weakest Learning Style
Visual Language
Expressiveness-Written
 Will not learn well from
 Cannot write fluent essays
seeing words in books, on
the whiteboard, charts, or
workbooks.
and good answers on tests
to show what he knows.
 Thoughts are not well
organized on paper as they
are given orally.
Kurt’s Major Learning Style—
Expressive-Oral
Preferences
1.
Prefers to tell what he knows;
knows more than he is able to
demonstrate on written tests.
2.
Make oral reports instead of
written ones. Whether in
conference, large or small
group, he should be evaluated
more by what he says than
what he writes.
Recommendations
1.
2.
3.
Reports can be on tape, to save
class time or in the voice
recognition software that we
have installed for him.
He should have a minimum of
written work, but when he
does, it should be of a good
quality so he will not be without
basic composition and legibility
skills.
Grammar can be corrected
orally but is best done at
another time.
Kurt’s Major Learning Style—
Tactile-Kinesthetic
Preferences
1.
2.
3.
4.
Learns best by using his body and
sense of touch to learn about the
world around him.
A combination of stimuli
experience and self-involvement
is needed.
The manipulation of material
along with the accompanying
sights and sounds (words and
numbers seen and spoken) makes
a big difference to him.
It indicates that Kurt may not
seem able to understand, or keep
his mind on his work unless he is
totally involved.
Recommendations
1.
2.
3.
He naturally seeks to handle,
touch and work with what is
being learned; he requires more
than just a reading or math
assignment.
Should be involved with at least
one other student and given an
activity to relate to the
assignment.
Assignments should be
accompanied by an audio-tape
with pictures, objects and an
activity such as drawing or
writing or following directions
with physical involvement.
Billy Bob
 Tons of Potential—kind of student that you hope will return for a




visit some day and tell you about all the wonderful things he’s
accomplishing, in spite of certain obstacles, and how you were
able to play some minuscule role in that success and
development.
Easy-going Temperament—outgoing, always surrounded by
friends who seem to be having a good time; wonderful sense of
humor, tells stories, pulling minor pranks, like hiding under the
table to startle me, or mildly teasing
Leader—others defer to him; first to speak and he usually points
us into a positive direction for discussion.
Classroom dynamics—very quick and active, often one step
ahead of me or the class; have to reign him back in,
Hands are always busy—I tease him by calling him the “Little
Drummer Boy”, because he’s always tapping out a beat with
pencils or fingers; even the class will sometimes cry out, “Billy
Bob, stop!” If he’s not drumming, he’s drawing and doodling.
Billy Bob’s Disabilities
 Vision disease—sees only light with his left eye.
 Reading fluency rate—slightly below grade level
expectations
 Reading comprehension—about average, though
I notice some inconsistencies which I attribute to
sometimes rushing to complete his assignments
or assessments.
 Father is illiterate—can not read or write
 Mother suffers from seizures
 Mother adds—he “cries easily” and has tantrums
Billy Bob’s Drawing
Billy Bob—
“I Draw to Learn”
 “I draw what I know; I use my sources.”
 “When I draw, I comprehend, I get it.”
 “He doesn’t get the stuff in his head” but “the things around
the room I get what I need to know.”Billy Bob was referring to
posters and visual aids in the classroom to reinforce learning.
 Some markings were not quite clear, like “Compoud tolet
paper[compound toilet paper],” a tic-tac-toe diagram, a book,
and symbols. He forgot why he wrote [compound toilet paper].
Billy Bob’s Unstructured Interview
(much more reserved)
1.
What do you wish others knew
about you?
1.
“The way I am.” “What I’m good at
and what I’m not.”
2.
What do you wish your teachers
knew about you?
2.
“What I understand and not.”
(When I asked for clarifications, he
replied . . .) “I don’t tell them.” “I
want to try to learn myself.”
3.
When you need extra help in a
class, what things are most likely
to help you?
3.
“Teach us. Give us instruction.
Show us. Draw it out.”
4.
“Stop yelling at us. You’re not
giving clear instructions. Tell us
what you want us to do. Break it
up.”
5.
“Notes, read it a couple of times,
posters.”
4.
What hurts you in the classroom?
5.
When preparing for a test or exam,
what accommodations would be
most helpful to you?
Billy Bob’s Unstructured Interview
(continued)
1.
If you have difficulty reading, what
accommodations are most likely to
help you?
1.
2.
If you have writing difficulties, what
accommodations are most likely to
help you?
If you have trouble with organization,
what things are most likely to help
you?
Do you get in trouble a lot?
2.
3.
4.
3.
4.
“When it gets difficult, tell us just
the words. Picture books.” “I don’t
read fast, I can read accurately, but
sometimes I don’t remember.” (I
continued to ask him what it
looked like when he picked up
book to read.) “It’s difficult. It just
looks like words. If it flows, if it
makes sense, then I like it.”
“I’m not too good at writing.
Sounding it out helps. Getting my
thoughts down, but I lose my
thoughts. It hurts the most.”
“Not at all. I don’t know where
nothing is.”
“For tapping in class. Goofing off.
With my friends.”
Billy Bob’s Learning Style Weakness—
Expressive-Oral
Preferences
Recommendations
 Does not prefer to tell what
 Hands on learning
he knows
 More likely to show what
he in writing
 Manipulatives
Billy Bob’s Preferred Learning
Styles—Social-Group
Preferences
Recommendations
 Would like to study with at
 Collaborative learning
least one other student
 Will not get as much done
alone
 Group interaction increases
his learning and later
recognition of facts
 He values others’ ideas and
preferences
 Peer tutor
 Paired learning
Billy Bob’s Preferred Learning
Styles—Tactile-Kinesthetic
Preferences
Recommendations
 Using his body and sense of

touch to learn about the world
around him
 Combination of stimuli
experience and self-involvement
 Manipulation of material along
with the accompanying sights
and sounds (words and numbers
seen and spoken)
May not seem able to understand,
or keep his mind on his work
unless he is totally involved
 Requires more than just a reading
or math assignment
 Should be involved with at least
one other student and given an
activity to relate to the assignment
 Assignments should be
accompanied by an audio-tape
with pictures, objects and an
activity such as drawing or writing
or following directions with
physical involvement
Billy Bob’s Preferred Learning Styles—
Auditory Language/Numerical
Preferences
Recommendations
 Learns from hearing words and

numbers spoken
 May vocalize or move his lips or
throat as he reads, particularly
when he is striving to understand
new material
 More capable of understanding



and remembering words that
have been learned by hearing

Might do as well without a
textbook
Will benefit from hearing audio
tapes, rote oral practice, lecture,
or a class discussion
May benefit from using a tape
recorder to make tapes to listen to
later
May benefit from using a tape
recorder to make tapes to listen to
later, by teaching another student,
or conversing with the teacher
Games or interaction activities that
provide the sounds of words or
numbers with groups
Cloe







Always a smile and a
Willingness to learn; always a good effort
Joy to teach
Expressed a desire to become a teacher.
Most reserved student of this group
Often places a space between her and the others
Says little; waits her turn after the others have
gone first; chooses to actively listen and observe
 When she shares, everyone listened, and her
contributions were valuable
Cloe in the Classroom
 Other teachers call her lazy or too dependent on her
accommodations and modifications
 On the first day of school, Cloe informed her
homeroom teacher what modifications and
accommodations she was entitled to receive; this
intimidated the teacher and became a major topic at
the team meeting; the remarks weren’t flattering and
strategies were devised to protect the team from this
“little know it all.”
 Knows what helps her and not afraid to request it
 Sensitive young lady and has cried or told me about
crying due to some harsh comments made to her by
teachers or an administrator
Cloe’s Drawing
Cloe’s Drawing
 Cloe sits in the back classroom
 The teacher asks, “Cloe, what is the capital of our
nation?”
 In the front on a white board in big letters are the
words, “going to D. C.”
 Her response is “I don’t know.” She knows the
answer but she panics and she is afraid to
embarrass herself in front of others. She just
wants to hide because she has been humiliated
many times in the past when she panics or
doesn’t know the answer.
 Everyone laughs
Cloe’s Unstructured Interview
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
What do you wish others knew about
you?
What do you wish your teachers knew
about you?
When you need extra help in a class, what
things are most likely to help you?
When preparing for a test or exam, what
accommodations would be most helpful
to you?
If you have difficulty reading, what
accommodations are most likely to help
you?
If you have writing difficulties, what
accommodations are most likely to help
you?
If you have trouble with organization,
what things are most likely to help you?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
“I’m just like everyone else but it takes
longer to prove stuff.”
“They should let us try before they come
over and take us away. They should let us
ask for help.” (She is referring again to the
resource room and the way students are
just pulled out of classes. She doesn’t like
it and she wants to try.)
“When teachers will explain it in different
words. Writing down what I say helps me
to think about it before I forget (scribing
modification).
“Notes and a book.”
“A teacher. A reader helps. If I read it to
myself, no one else can be in the room
because I can’t concentrate. It has to be
really quiet.”
“Write it for me; I can think of it better.”
“Signs; break it down into steps, like you
do (she’s referring to the way I will chunk
instruction or illustrate it).”
Cloe’s Structured Interview
1.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
When taking tests
In class
Strengths as a student
Weaknesses as a student
Difficult parts of English class
Preferred methods when learning a new
subject
Preferred methods to show what you’ve
learned
To memorize for later use
Problems when studying
Methods to help learning
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Likely to panic and not remember the
questions and answers.
Likely to write sloppy because she can’t keep
up and then she can’t understand her notes.
Swimming
Running (These responses are probably due
to reading the questions and I’m certain that
if they were asked verbally a different
response would have been delivered)
Understanding what the teacher means or
understands.
To do an experiment or to watch, remember
what is said. Not likely to help—read a
textbook, taking notes.
Make a drawing, do a project.
Picture it in my mind.
Studying hard and then forgetting, organizing
thoughts on paper, forgetting the
instructions, taking notes too slowly, not
understanding written and spoken
directions.
Watching demonstrations or videos,
discussing reading assignments during class,
being able to choose a project instead of a
test.
Cloe’s Preferred Learning Style—
Visual Numerical
Preferences
Recommendations
 Has to see the numbers,
 All important data should
either on a board, in a book,
or on paper in order to work
with them.
 More likely to remember and
understand math facts if she
sees them.
 Does not need as much oral
explanation
 Needs a variety of written
materials and time to study it.
be given on paper.
 Will benefit from
worksheets, workbooks,
and texts
Madison
 Very outgoing, always surrounded by friends
and having a good time
 Playful sense of humor —gently teases, tells
jokes, constantly laughing with everyone
 Hard worker in the classroom; her work is
always neat and detailed
 Regularly fails to turn in homework, probably
because it’s reading (she hates reading)
Madison’s Drawing
Madison’s Drawing
 Feels the pain of segregation and mockery
from others.
 Pictures herself with others laughing, “ha, ha;
ha, ha.”
 Inside voice cries out, “It feels like everyone is
making fun of me.”
Madison’s Unstructured Interview
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
What do you wish others knew about
you?
What do you wish your teachers knew
about you?
When you need extra help in a class, what
things are most likely to help you?
When preparing for a test or exam, what
accommodations would be most helpful
to you?
If you have difficulty reading, what
accommodations are most likely to help
you?
If you have writing difficulties, what
accommodations are most likely to help
you?
If you have trouble with organization,
what things are most likely to help you?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
“I’m not like everyone else sometimes. I
need time, if not it effects my grades.”
“I’m not perfect.” (When I asked her to
elaborate, she said . . .) “They want me to
be perfect.”
“Help without making it harder. Examples:
let me work in silence. I have to have it. I
don’t want help unless I ask. Notes next to
me.”
“Notes from the teachers. Time.”
“Sounding out the words and knowing
what the words are. How can we know a
book when we don’t know what’s in it?”
Readers: “I don’t like readers because
they don’t give me a chance to know it. I
need to picture it.”
“Spelling.”
“Just help me organize.”
Madison’s Structured Interview
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
When taking tests
In class
Strengths as a student
Weaknesses as a student
Difficult parts of English class
Strong points to make up for weaknesses
Preferred methods when learning a new
subject
Preferred methods to show what you’ve
learned
To memorize for later use
Problems when studying
Methods to help learning
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
likely to panic and get confused, wonder what
will be on the test, lose points for incomplete
answers, not remember, and run out of time
before completing it.
she can’t write fast enough to keep up.
sports, drawing, skating, having fun.
reading
reading
7.
making it more fun
to do an experiment, to take notes, or read a
textbook. Not likely to help—remember what is
said.
8.
make a drawing, write about it, do a project.
9.
draw pictures, charts, or diagrams, repeat it out
loud.
reading too slowly to finish, being distracted,
taking notes too slowly, forgetting what I study
or the instructions, taking notes too slowly, not
understanding written directions.
6.
10.
11.
watching demonstrations or videos, laboratory
experiments, explaining at the beginning what
we will be doing, writing assignments on the
board, being able to ask questions, choosing
projects instead of tests, getting individual help
from the teacher, getting a list of assignments
and due dates, class handouts and worksheets.
Madison’s Major Learning Styles


Visual Language—learns well from
seeing words in books, on the
chalkboard, charts or workbooks; needs
to write down words that are given orally
in order to learn by seeing them on
paper; remembers and uses information
better if it is read; important to take
notes in order to remember specific
information; variety of materials is
important to her.
Visual Numerical—all important data
should be given on paper; must see the
numbers, either on a board, in a book, or
on paper in order to work with them;
more likely to remember and understand
math facts if she sees them; does not
need as much oral explanation, but she
will benefit from worksheets, workbooks,
and texts. She needs a variety of written
materials and time to study it.

Social-Individual—gets more work done
alone; thinks best, and remembers more
when she has learned by herself; cares
more for her own opinions than for the
ideas of others; needs to be allowed to
do important learning alone.

Expressive-Written—can write fluent
essays and good answers on tests to
show what she knows; feels less
comfortable when oral answers are
required; thoughts are better organized
on paper than when they are given orally;
needs to be allowed to write reports,
keep notebooks and journals for credit
and take written tests for evaluation;
oral transactions should be under nonpressured conditions, perhaps even in a
one-to-one conference.
Drawing