Comments on: Disabled or dis-taught? http://www.joannejacobs.com/2008/06/disabled-or-dis-taught/ Free-linking and thinking on education by Joanne Jacobs Sat, 20 Mar 2010 16:04:25 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Margo/Mom http://www.joannejacobs.com/2008/06/disabled-or-dis-taught/comment-page-1/#comment-78588 Margo/Mom Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:54:28 +0000 http://joannejacobs.com/2008/06/11/disabled-or-dis-taught/#comment-78588 Somewhere on the Wrighslaw web page is a discussion of why school psychologists never diagnose "dyspedagogia" or its equivalent when evaluating a child's need for special services. Certainly it rocks the employment boat to suggest that teachers' work has been insufficient or misguided. There would also be the inevitable argument that teachers are the experts in teaching--not psychologists (interesting, this never carries over to evaluating parenting--where is seems that everyone is the expert). Even doctors are reluctant to challenge the adequacy of another doctor's work--even if they recommend another diagnosis or treatment. It seems as though RtI helps us to get around this particular barrier by allowing (requiring) a percentage of funds to be spent on pre-identification services in a systematic way. This serves a dual function of aiding in identification and preventing misidentification. Somewhere on the Wrighslaw web page is a discussion of why school psychologists never diagnose “dyspedagogia” or its equivalent when evaluating a child’s need for special services. Certainly it rocks the employment boat to suggest that teachers’ work has been insufficient or misguided. There would also be the inevitable argument that teachers are the experts in teaching–not psychologists (interesting, this never carries over to evaluating parenting–where is seems that everyone is the expert).

Even doctors are reluctant to challenge the adequacy of another doctor’s work–even if they recommend another diagnosis or treatment.

It seems as though RtI helps us to get around this particular barrier by allowing (requiring) a percentage of funds to be spent on pre-identification services in a systematic way. This serves a dual function of aiding in identification and preventing misidentification.

]]> By: Sheila Gregoire http://www.joannejacobs.com/2008/06/disabled-or-dis-taught/comment-page-1/#comment-78586 Sheila Gregoire Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:49:56 +0000 http://joannejacobs.com/2008/06/11/disabled-or-dis-taught/#comment-78586 My husband, a pediatrician, coined the term "teaching disabilities" with the multitude of students who were sent to him who couldn't read in fourth grade. Or rather, they could only read selectively. They could read "meat", for instance, but not "beat". They had memorized the word meat, but didn't know WHY it said meat because they'd never learned phonics. So they couldn't use the same cues to read beat. It was ridiculous. But our school board is so dedicated to whole language that's what you get it. They call it an "integrated phonics approach", but they don't actually teach phonics in any systematic way. And then they wonder why kids don't read! <i>Visit <a href="http://tolovehonorandvacuum.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">To Love, Honor and Vacuum</a> today!</i> My husband, a pediatrician, coined the term “teaching disabilities” with the multitude of students who were sent to him who couldn’t read in fourth grade. Or rather, they could only read selectively.

They could read “meat”, for instance, but not “beat”. They had memorized the word meat, but didn’t know WHY it said meat because they’d never learned phonics. So they couldn’t use the same cues to read beat. It was ridiculous.

But our school board is so dedicated to whole language that’s what you get it. They call it an “integrated phonics approach”, but they don’t actually teach phonics in any systematic way. And then they wonder why kids don’t read!

Visit To Love, Honor and Vacuum today!

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