Running Head: TEACHING ENGLISH TO STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES 1

Current Theory, Research, and Practice: Teaching English to Students with Learning
Disabilities

Katherine V. Long
Gardner-Webb University

TEACHING ENGLISH TO STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES

Barbetta, P. M., & Spears-Bunton, L. A. (2007, March). Learning to Write: Technology

for Students with Disabilities in Secondary Inclusive Classrooms. English Journal, 96(4),
86-93. Retrieved June 09, 2016.

In this article, the authors give an overview of seven different types of technology
which can be used in the classroom to help students, particularly those with
learning disabilities, with writing. The technologies reviewed are digital text, textto-speech, word prediction, cognitive organizational, electronic reference, speech
or voice recognition, and alternative writing. While the information is
enlightening, the author is honest about the cost of these technologies. They call
for English teachers to work collaboratively with special education teachers to
identify effective strategies and to remember technology offers support for the
more extensive instruction most learning disabled students require.

Borek, J. (2003). Inclusion and the Multiple Intelligences: Creating a Student-Centered

Classroom. Retrieved June 6, 2016, from
http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/956

The focus of this article is Howard Gardners multiple intelligences being used in
an inclusion classroom to help special needs students through the process of
writing a persuasive essay. Borek recognizes the value in allowing students to
learn through different modalities and its effects in creating a comfortable and
safe classroom environment. She mainly uses Gardners multiple intelligences in
the outlining and drafting steps of the writing process. The author offers

TEACHING ENGLISH TO STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES

suggestions for practice for each modality to outline and draft a persuasive essay.
The article is useful in reminding teachers the value of multiple modalities, but
the different suggestions are impractical for most classrooms due to time and
space. However, the chart referenced is useful for hanging in the classroom as a
reminder to teacher and students to teach and learn in different ways.

Carr, J. (2012, October 25). Strategies for Teaching English Learners and Students with
Learning Disabilities. Retrieved June 5, 2016, from http://www.ascd.org/ascdexpress/vol8/802-carr.aspx

Carr began with information from two well-known sources to begin his search
for effective strategies to be used in the classroom for students with learning
disabilities. Four criteria are listed as necessary in order for the strategies to be
effective in the classroom: the strategy needs to have already been tried before in
the classroom, easy for teachers to learn, able to be used frequently, and
interdependent. The author found six promising instructional strategies by
focusing on research based effectiveness and the advice of special education
instructors. The six strategies are cues, KWL charts, visuals, Think-Pair-Share,
Think Alouds, and summarization. Carr presents a scenario of these six strategies
being used together in a cohesive lesson by a teacher in an inclusion setting. The
author is honest regarding the lack of research on the effect of these six strategies
being used together. This article is valuable for teachers of all grade levels
because the six strategies are well known and easy to implement. Carrs scenario

TEACHING ENGLISH TO STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES

offers an example of how to cohesively combine the six strategies shows how
easy it is for teachers to reach the learning disabled students in their own
classrooms.

Other helpful resources related to the topic:

Knight, A. (2009, May). Re-engaging Students Disengaged with English: A Unit of Work
on Othering. English Teaching: Practice and Critique, 8(1), 112-124. Retrieved
June 06, 2016.
Resolution on Inclusion. (2008). Retrieved June 05, 2016, from
http://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/inclusion
Van Kraayenoord, C. E., Miller, R., Moni, K. B., & Jobling, A. (2009, May). Teaching
Writing to Students with Learning Difficulties in Inclusive English Classrooms:
Lessons from an Exemplary Teacher. English Teaching: Practice and Critique,
8(1), 23-51. Retrieved June 08, 2016.
Winebrenner, S., & Espeland, P. (1996). Teaching kids with learning difficulties in the
regular classroom: Strategies and techniques every teacher can use to challenge
and motivate struggling students. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Pub.