Dwyer, Kathleen M. What Do You Mean I Have a Learning Disability? New York: Walker Publishing Company, 1991.
What Do You Mean I Have a Learning Disability? is a book about Jimmy, who has a reading learning disability. He is generally a very quiet boy, but that is only because he doesn’t want anybody else to hear him mix up his words when he speaks. He hates going to school because he thinks he is “dumb.” Spelling and math is just a nightmare, and instead of the teacher being responsive to his needs, he unintentionally embarrasses him after he tries to do a math problem front of the class and marks up his spelling paper with big “SP’s,” which indicates he is wrong. Jimmy believes nobody understands how hard he is trying. Finally, one of his teachers, Mrs. Brown, realizes that Jimmy should be tested for a learning disability. Sure enough, Jimmy learns from his doctor that there is a reason why he is having difficulty in school and that he is not stupid like he thinks he is. With the help of a tutor, Jimmy does many exercises, like rhythmic writing, sounding out syllables, and visual puzzles. The extra work is worth while because on his next test, Jimmy receives an A. Finally, Jimmy knows that he is not stupid and he realizes how good it feels.
What information I think is good to relay to children in this book is how a child gets tested for a learning disability, which is why this is a useful book. In the text, Jimmy thinks he is stupid because he is having trouble in school. It creates a very relatable story that other children can understand to become sympathetic toward the struggles of those with a learning disability. The illustrations in the book are actually photographs of a real life child with also eliminates biases depicted in drawings.
The author is very well educated in learning disabilities, being that she is a LD therapist and has written many teaching books for children with learning disabilities. She even operates a clinic for children with learning disabilities and ADD. Obviously, she has geared her life to helping these children learn about and learn how to work with learning disabilities.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Final Course Post
I have always thought that I was fairly competent when it came to multicultural literature. However, I soon realized how shallow this knowledge was after entering the class. Now, here I am at the end of the semester, and I have learned much more. I understand how to critically look at texts relating with multicultural literature and that it takes more than whether you think a book is “good” or not to include it in the classroom. It takes reviews from a credible source, professional resources, knowing how well it conveys background information, learning the stereotypes associated with the topic and how well the book discourages these, and your instincts. I now know how to critically look at texts and analyze them, looking for how well the factual information is portrayed, stereotypes perpetuated, and if there are author biases. Because I have completed this class, I know I will never be able to look at a piece of multicultural literature the same without evaluating its correctness.
In addition to knowing how to discern “bad” literature, I now have deeper knowledge base regarding these different cultural groups and their thoughts about how they are included in literature as an insider. I feel that knowing these has given me multiple perspectives that I never would have if I had not taken this class. I know now that I will definitely be careful about what I put out in front of children to read because it may not be relaying the best message I would like them to understand. I think that I will always be concerned about how authors depict a certain cultural group in literature. It is up to me to remain sensitive to different cultures and instead of making generalizations, I should take the opportunity to learn instead.
From here, I know I will definitely use some of the text we looked at in TE448 in my classroom in the future. Most fulfilled exactly what I was looking for and, after our class discussions, I have a better understanding of what discussions could be generated from it.
In addition to knowing how to discern “bad” literature, I now have deeper knowledge base regarding these different cultural groups and their thoughts about how they are included in literature as an insider. I feel that knowing these has given me multiple perspectives that I never would have if I had not taken this class. I know now that I will definitely be careful about what I put out in front of children to read because it may not be relaying the best message I would like them to understand. I think that I will always be concerned about how authors depict a certain cultural group in literature. It is up to me to remain sensitive to different cultures and instead of making generalizations, I should take the opportunity to learn instead.
From here, I know I will definitely use some of the text we looked at in TE448 in my classroom in the future. Most fulfilled exactly what I was looking for and, after our class discussions, I have a better understanding of what discussions could be generated from it.
My Reflection on my Text Set
After reading the professional resource that Mary Anne Prater and my three texts, I definitely feel more apt in critically looking at literature involving learning disabilities. I understand that not all books involving learning disabilities are considered “good,” and as teachers, it is our job to evaluate its content. In picking literature, it is important to include books that don’t imply that children with learning disabilities are unintelligent or unable to learn. Good literature portrays those who are LD in a positive light, and although some students may not learn using conventional ways or as fast as others, it is still acceptable in the education system. It is important to pick books for use in the classroom that show our differences and celebrate that, instead of implying that they are a hindrance. I especially like the books showing how students with learning disabilities are capable of doing extraordinary things, for example how Trisha, in Thank You, Mr. Falker, is an amazing artist—better than everybody in the class. I was, overall, happy with my choice in texts. They all have their strengths that work to teach something relating to LD. It is important to note that there is not just one book that teaches everything there needs to know about learning disabilities, but by using many different books, we can read about many different perspectives that each bring their own assets to the table. And, this is how we should incorporate these text sets into the classroom.
Review of a Professional Resource
Prater, Mary Anne. “Learning Disabilities in Children's and Adolescent Literature: How Are Characters Portrayed?” Learning Disability Quarterly 26 (2003): 47-62. 1 December 2007 .
When I found this article, I was really excited because it hit on everything I was looking for in a critical resource. Mary Anne Prater has written many articles regarding learning disabilities and she is very knowledgeable on the subject. First off, I looked for the professional source before I ever started looking for books for my text set because I felt I needed to be well-informed before I searched my book options. There are so many books on learning disabilities and I know, like this article also hit on, that as many are accepted in the LD community as “good” literature. After finding this article among her others, I knew I hit the jackpot!
From this article, I learned that authors typically include characters with learning disabilities to depict the life of person with a learning disability or to tell a tale that happens to include an individual with a learning disability. This article begins by comparing four past research studies on learning disabilities in literature. She based her research on similar methodology, which included her criteria for whittling down the list of all the books involving learning disabilities to concrete text set of about 90 books—“The book must include a main or supporting character with a learning disability as the character's primary disability” (47). The list includes both “good” and “bad” books. She concluded that most of the LD characters were the main character and more than half were written from the perspective of that character. Nearly 75% of the books were about reading and writing learning disabilities and 90% of the main characters were dynamic (50). Other statistics of her findings are included in an accompanying table. She even noted that most LD characters had very low self esteem and were commonly bullied or called names. What she wants us to learn from her study is that, as teachers, we need to take it upon ourselves to learn about the book involving learning disabilities and whether or not it is acceptable based on her statistics. She does, however, encourage us to use literature in order “to teach about learning disabilities in the classroom,” and that we should not be discourage from using these books, but rather use them as discussion tools in order to activate higher learning.
Each of the books I chose for a text set is included in her list of 90 books, which is how I became inspired to take a look at them critically. Leo the Late Bloomer is a narrative geared toward younger children and according to her, “Leo's problems may be accounted for by maturation,” and how the “characterization of LD could be questioned” (60). What Do You Mean I Have a Learning Disability? describes the testing experience from the main character’s perspective, which is generally good, although “the methods are mentioned without any detail” (56). In Thank You, Mr. Falker, the teacher is portrayed in positive light for working with the main character, teaching her to work with the learning disability, and get help for her. It demonstrates how “Those who had math problems also demonstrated difficulties in reading and/or written expression” (53).
Before selecting texts involving learning disabilities, I strongly recommend reading this study. I learned a lot from it and, hopefully, will be able to use this information when I am a teacher in the classroom.
When I found this article, I was really excited because it hit on everything I was looking for in a critical resource. Mary Anne Prater has written many articles regarding learning disabilities and she is very knowledgeable on the subject. First off, I looked for the professional source before I ever started looking for books for my text set because I felt I needed to be well-informed before I searched my book options. There are so many books on learning disabilities and I know, like this article also hit on, that as many are accepted in the LD community as “good” literature. After finding this article among her others, I knew I hit the jackpot!
From this article, I learned that authors typically include characters with learning disabilities to depict the life of person with a learning disability or to tell a tale that happens to include an individual with a learning disability. This article begins by comparing four past research studies on learning disabilities in literature. She based her research on similar methodology, which included her criteria for whittling down the list of all the books involving learning disabilities to concrete text set of about 90 books—“The book must include a main or supporting character with a learning disability as the character's primary disability” (47). The list includes both “good” and “bad” books. She concluded that most of the LD characters were the main character and more than half were written from the perspective of that character. Nearly 75% of the books were about reading and writing learning disabilities and 90% of the main characters were dynamic (50). Other statistics of her findings are included in an accompanying table. She even noted that most LD characters had very low self esteem and were commonly bullied or called names. What she wants us to learn from her study is that, as teachers, we need to take it upon ourselves to learn about the book involving learning disabilities and whether or not it is acceptable based on her statistics. She does, however, encourage us to use literature in order “to teach about learning disabilities in the classroom,” and that we should not be discourage from using these books, but rather use them as discussion tools in order to activate higher learning.
Each of the books I chose for a text set is included in her list of 90 books, which is how I became inspired to take a look at them critically. Leo the Late Bloomer is a narrative geared toward younger children and according to her, “Leo's problems may be accounted for by maturation,” and how the “characterization of LD could be questioned” (60). What Do You Mean I Have a Learning Disability? describes the testing experience from the main character’s perspective, which is generally good, although “the methods are mentioned without any detail” (56). In Thank You, Mr. Falker, the teacher is portrayed in positive light for working with the main character, teaching her to work with the learning disability, and get help for her. It demonstrates how “Those who had math problems also demonstrated difficulties in reading and/or written expression” (53).
Before selecting texts involving learning disabilities, I strongly recommend reading this study. I learned a lot from it and, hopefully, will be able to use this information when I am a teacher in the classroom.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Review: Thank You, Mr. Falker
Polacco, Patricia. Thank You, Mr. Falker. New York: Philomel Books, 1998.
Thank You, Mr. Falker is a wonderful book about Trisha, who is motivated and excited to finally start school and learn to read. However, she realizes fairly quickly that this task is shaping up to be a bit more difficult than the other students make it look. When she tries to read words out loud, the texts gets all jumbled up in her brain and she cannot form complete words. Other students begin to make fun of her attempts and she becomes more aware that she is not progressing while the other students are surpassing reading expectations. In the book, it states that “Trisha began to feel ‘different.’ She began to feel dumb.” Trisha becomes more frustrated when she realizes that the same problem happens when she tries to do math as well. To make matters worse, other students call her “baby” and “dumb,” which leads Trisha to spend her free time in hiding, crying. Soon she starts to find reasons to avoid going to school at all… Until Mr. Falker, her fifth grade teacher realizes what she is up against and spends his extra time schooling Trisha on the basics of reading. Over a period of time, progress was made until Trisha could finally read a full paragraph. In the epilogue, Trisha encounters Mr. Falker again and when he asks what she is doing now, she tells him that she is now a children’s book author.
What is very important to know about this book is that it is an autobiography of Patricia Polacco herself, which makes her an insider to the learning disabilities community. She wrote this book because it was a tale she knew best and wanted to show how one teacher “unlocked the door and pulled [her] into the light.”
I like this book because it describes the experiences she went through and puts it into context for the uninformed reader, like how instead of words looking like a string of letters, they look like a bunch of fuzzy squiggles that are illegible. This story is accurate and authentic because it is based on her experiences. She defers the stereotype that students with learning disabilities are stupid, although according to her, many people assume. I would definitely use this book in my classroom in the future as it is very relatable and can impact those with and without learning disabilities.
Review: Leo the Late Bloomer
Kraus, Robert. Leo the Late Bloomer. New York: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1971.
Leo the Late Bloomer is about a tiger named Leo who develops at a slower rate than the other animals in the book. At first, it seems he cannot do anything right. For example, he couldn’t read, write, draw, or talk as well as the other animals of his age. His father, who grew impatient and did not understand what was wrong with Leo, watched over him for signs of “blooming.” His mother, however, was sure nothing was wrong and that he simply needed some more time to learn. Disregarding this, Leo’s father continually watches Leo for signs of blooming, but with no avail. Finally, Leo learns to read, write, draw, and talk, all in his own time. He blooms into a new tiger and finally functions at the level of other animals. At the end, Leo proclaims “I made it!”
In classrooms all across America, there are a bunch of “Leos,” or students with learning disabilities. These students’ minds don’t function in the same manner as other kids their age because they simply don’t develop mentally or socially at the typical rate. Similar to Leo, these children either need more time to learn and process the information or need to find different means that allow them to interpret information which is taught in school. They are in no way unable to learn.
Although we know this to not be true, the typical childhood stereotype of these learning disabled children is that they are not as intelligent as other students. Leo begins the book acting like a quiet tiger, although not necessarily “dumber” than other children in the class. It is assumed that Leo has a learning disability and functions at a level the other animals have successfully moved beyond. Leo the Late Bloomer puts children with learning disabilities into context for young readers, like how all the children in the book are writing their names and Leo can only make scribbles. When Leo finally learns these traits, it shows readers that although a student may learn differently or take longer learning to read or write, it is important to not label them as unintelligent. For parents reading this book to a child, it provides an opportunity to explain to the child that all students learn at different rates and it is important to not make fun of them for something that they can not control.
What especially appealed to me was how Kraus depicted the students in the story as all different animal types, as if to not put a face to the students with learning disabilities. It defers stereotypes because readers will not be able to pin a specific race, ethnicity, religious background, culture, or gender to students with learning disabilities. Obviously, Leo the Late Bloomer it is a timeless piece created by Robert Kraus which will surely continue to make an impact on children in the future. Although he is not an insider to this issue, this book is highly regarded as a way to introduce learning disabilities to young children and be used as a discussion tool by parents and teachers. This book is even recommended by one of the top learning disabilities websites, www.ldonline.org, which is why I chose to review it.
Leo the Late Bloomer is about a tiger named Leo who develops at a slower rate than the other animals in the book. At first, it seems he cannot do anything right. For example, he couldn’t read, write, draw, or talk as well as the other animals of his age. His father, who grew impatient and did not understand what was wrong with Leo, watched over him for signs of “blooming.” His mother, however, was sure nothing was wrong and that he simply needed some more time to learn. Disregarding this, Leo’s father continually watches Leo for signs of blooming, but with no avail. Finally, Leo learns to read, write, draw, and talk, all in his own time. He blooms into a new tiger and finally functions at the level of other animals. At the end, Leo proclaims “I made it!”
In classrooms all across America, there are a bunch of “Leos,” or students with learning disabilities. These students’ minds don’t function in the same manner as other kids their age because they simply don’t develop mentally or socially at the typical rate. Similar to Leo, these children either need more time to learn and process the information or need to find different means that allow them to interpret information which is taught in school. They are in no way unable to learn.
Although we know this to not be true, the typical childhood stereotype of these learning disabled children is that they are not as intelligent as other students. Leo begins the book acting like a quiet tiger, although not necessarily “dumber” than other children in the class. It is assumed that Leo has a learning disability and functions at a level the other animals have successfully moved beyond. Leo the Late Bloomer puts children with learning disabilities into context for young readers, like how all the children in the book are writing their names and Leo can only make scribbles. When Leo finally learns these traits, it shows readers that although a student may learn differently or take longer learning to read or write, it is important to not label them as unintelligent. For parents reading this book to a child, it provides an opportunity to explain to the child that all students learn at different rates and it is important to not make fun of them for something that they can not control.
What especially appealed to me was how Kraus depicted the students in the story as all different animal types, as if to not put a face to the students with learning disabilities. It defers stereotypes because readers will not be able to pin a specific race, ethnicity, religious background, culture, or gender to students with learning disabilities. Obviously, Leo the Late Bloomer it is a timeless piece created by Robert Kraus which will surely continue to make an impact on children in the future. Although he is not an insider to this issue, this book is highly regarded as a way to introduce learning disabilities to young children and be used as a discussion tool by parents and teachers. This book is even recommended by one of the top learning disabilities websites, www.ldonline.org, which is why I chose to review it.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Questioning the Text--Confessions of a Closet Catholic, by Sarah Darer Littman
During her search for identity, Justine, the protagonist in the book Confessions of a Closet Catholic by Sarah Darer Littman, makes a few generalizations about Catholic families versus her own Jewish family, which leads me to ask the question: does the dynamic between Mrs. McAllister (the Catholic mother of Justine's friend) and Mrs. Silver, Justine’s mom, solidify the stereotype that Jewish women of today are spoiled and love to show off their wealth?
First, let's take a look at the indications of how Mrs. Silver shows off her wealth. She constantly redecorates and designs her house in accordance with two decorators, Armando and Marcel. Her house is filled with designer furniture and up to date on the latest décor, from what Justine describes. Mrs. Silver also takes great joy in showing off her house, for example when she presents her walk-in closet to Mrs. Weinstein. Why else would Mrs. Silver show off her closet other than to fish for an awestruck comment from another person? She obviously loves to show off what she has which holds status in society and is considered a luxury that not many people have. In this case, it is a walk-in closet.
Littman also portrays Mrs. Silver as being spoiled. When she doesn’t get anything her way, she throws a tantrum and anybody who is involved gets an undeserved earful. For example, when she screams into the phone at the pest-removal service for not answering her phone calls "anytime, anywhere" then promptly slams down the phone. Justine refers to this as “the Wrath of Mom.” Also, Justine claims that her mom got mad at her dad, not for spilling coffee all over himself, but for getting some on the new upholstered chair. What is ironic is that Mrs. Silver is given the money to buy things, such as reupholstering chairs and the hiring decorators, from Mr. Silver's salary.
Mrs. Silver also follows the stereotype by being very superficial. She obviously cares very much about the look of her house much more than the things that happen in it. Justine becomes extremely preoccupied with keeping the house clean in order to please her mother. She even complains that “I’m mad at Mom for caring more about the carpets than about her children.” The ultimate show of Mrs. Silver’s superficiality is when instead of being furious that Justine has been practicing Communion behind her back, she is raging about Justine attracting mice into her house.
The reason why I am asking this question is because I feel that this book involves maintaining the stereotypes we have while possibly generating others by making assumptions based on the way Mrs. Silver acts in comparison to Mrs. McAllister. It really becomes apparent that we need to discuss stereotypes in relation to this book. Hopefully Littman’s book can help break stereotypes instead of formulating them.
First, let's take a look at the indications of how Mrs. Silver shows off her wealth. She constantly redecorates and designs her house in accordance with two decorators, Armando and Marcel. Her house is filled with designer furniture and up to date on the latest décor, from what Justine describes. Mrs. Silver also takes great joy in showing off her house, for example when she presents her walk-in closet to Mrs. Weinstein. Why else would Mrs. Silver show off her closet other than to fish for an awestruck comment from another person? She obviously loves to show off what she has which holds status in society and is considered a luxury that not many people have. In this case, it is a walk-in closet.
Littman also portrays Mrs. Silver as being spoiled. When she doesn’t get anything her way, she throws a tantrum and anybody who is involved gets an undeserved earful. For example, when she screams into the phone at the pest-removal service for not answering her phone calls "anytime, anywhere" then promptly slams down the phone. Justine refers to this as “the Wrath of Mom.” Also, Justine claims that her mom got mad at her dad, not for spilling coffee all over himself, but for getting some on the new upholstered chair. What is ironic is that Mrs. Silver is given the money to buy things, such as reupholstering chairs and the hiring decorators, from Mr. Silver's salary.
Mrs. Silver also follows the stereotype by being very superficial. She obviously cares very much about the look of her house much more than the things that happen in it. Justine becomes extremely preoccupied with keeping the house clean in order to please her mother. She even complains that “I’m mad at Mom for caring more about the carpets than about her children.” The ultimate show of Mrs. Silver’s superficiality is when instead of being furious that Justine has been practicing Communion behind her back, she is raging about Justine attracting mice into her house.
The reason why I am asking this question is because I feel that this book involves maintaining the stereotypes we have while possibly generating others by making assumptions based on the way Mrs. Silver acts in comparison to Mrs. McAllister. It really becomes apparent that we need to discuss stereotypes in relation to this book. Hopefully Littman’s book can help break stereotypes instead of formulating them.
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