One of things I like about my job is that I always get to learn new things. Given my transition to Gesher/Yeshiva Prep, most of the new learning has been about learning disabilities, specifically language learning disabilities, which is the population we serve.
So far, the best overview I’ve read of what language-based learning disabilities are and how to support students with these challenges is a book by Patricia Newhall titled, surprise, Language-Based Learning Disabilities. The book is published under the Landmark School Outreach Program. The Landmark School is one of the country’s premier institutions for children with language challenges, and this book was the perfect primer. Aside from being clear, thorough (without going into tiny detail), and well written, it did a number of things in each chapter that made it even more useful. At the beginning of the book, she introduces us to five students (composites based on real children), at five different grade levels and learning profiles. At the end of each chapter, there is a paragraph of that child in the context of the chapter’s theme. This was a great application exercise. There were also compelling quotations from children about their own learning, and resources for assessment (e.g. checklists and inventories).
There are two people I’m thinking about when I share this title. One is the bewildered parent who is trying to figure out how to make sense of their child’s learning struggles at school. The second is the mainstream classroom teacher who inevitably has students in their class that would benefit from the wisdom of this book, though it’s safe to say that most other children would as well.
Just Because I Liked It:
- I’ve just discovered Seforim Chatter! I’m not sure what took me so long. I loved the interview about the MaHaram me’Rotenberg, and another about an almost totally unknown Gadol who lived in Baltimore in the first half of the 20th century, Rabbi Michoel Forshlanger.