Teaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom

The now-retired founder of Kinko’s mixes autobiographical anecdote with large doses of business advice in this candid, conversational account of his entrepreneurial rise. His autobiographical sections explain how a man with dyslexia, an uncontrollable temper and a mistrust of authority managed to grow a tiny California copy shop into a $2-billion-a-year company.

This comprehensive, practical resource gives educators at all levels essential information, techniques, and tools for understanding dyslexia and adapting teaching methods in all subject areas to meet the learning style, social, and emotional needs of students who have dyslexia. Special features include over 50 full-page activity sheets that can be photocopied for immediate use and interviews with students and adults who have had personal experience with dyslexia. Organized into twenty sections, information covers everything from ten principles of instruction to teaching reading, handwriting, spelling, writing, math, everyday skills, and even covers the adult with dyslexia.

Samantha Abeel couldn’t tell time, remember her locker combination, or count out change at a checkout counter — and she was in seventh grade. For a straight-A student like Samantha, problems like these made no sense. She dreaded school, and began having anxiety attacks. In her thirteenth winter, she found the courage to confront her problems — and was diagnosed with a learning disability. Slowly, Samantha’s life began to change again. She discovered that she was stronger than she’d ever thought possible — and that sometimes, when things look bleakest, hope is closer than you think.

This book helps school-based practitioners develop a comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation for a child. The book has: a) a clear framework for assessment and evidence-based intervention planning under the revised IDEA guidelines; b) empirically supported treatments for each problem; and c) discussion practical issues involved in Response to Intervention models. LD is discussed as an administrative rather than clinical category. Conditions are described that often result in referrals for learning disabilities. A step-by-step flow chart and 12 detailed case studies explain patterns that identify specific learning problems related to IQ, information processing, and classroom performance.

Learning Disabilities makes the connection between the characteristics of students with learning disabilities and the classroom tested instructional strategies that work in class. With up-to-date content, this practical guide offers insight into practical educational concerns from a teacher’s perspective, while covering the relevant scholarship to best prepare your students for working with these students.

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.