Diverse Learners Top Hat Organizer

Article One: Article Two:

● Dyslexia is a neurobiological disorder that affects
a person’s phonological processing and memory
(Johnson, 2019)
● Dyslexia causes difficulties in reading
comprehension due to not being able to properly
hear distinctive blended letters and sounds
● Dyslexia is a spectrum and has different levels of
severity
● It can causes different levels of being able to
remember or recall information
● Many teachers feel unprepared to work with
students with dyslexia
● Intelligence levels have no correspondence to
dyslexia
● Words training programs are found to be
effective for teaching students with dsylexia
● DSE reframes the problem as an academic
problem rather than a disability problem
● DSE - disability studies education is an alternate
way to teach students who are struggling in
traditional instruction
● DSE uses social models instead of traditional
medical models
● DSE does not blame the student for the struggle,
but rather the approach (IE, one size does not fit
all)
● DSE focuses on the individual instead of the
disability.
● “Because disability is seen as both an issue of
access and an equally valid aspect of identity and
culture, teachers must think about how to both
infuse disability across the curriculum and
actively work to remove barriers to full
participation and learning.” (Collins, 2016)
● DSE reframes learning as an academic problem,
not a disability problem

Similarities:
● Both articles focus on disabilities in students, but research is showing us that focusing solely on the disability
emphasizes the student’s differences rather than focusing on how to overcome the disability in education. We
need to focus on the strengths of the disability rather than the weaknesses.
● Instead of relying on expertise outside of the classroom, teachers are using their content area expertise to
better teach their content in different ways, focusing on differentiating their content rather than “Watering it
down”
● Both articles mention collaborating with both the student, parents, and other teachers to help better practice
skills & knowledge
● Teachers have the opportunity to make the difference in the quality and structure of the student’s education

My Thoughts: As a Secondary Education English teacher, I think it’s really important to tailor the education of the
student’s goals and where they want to be, versus where they need to be. Every student is going to come into the
classroom at a different level, regardless of any disabilities. However, those disabilities do provide further challenge in
helping students. Reframing the education around the content is much easier than reframing the student’s disability.
We can’t as teachers force a student to be able to read, but we can provide different tools to help them read, or
provide different sources. We can’t change a student’s brain, but we can change how we try and teach that brain.
Collins, K. & Ferri, B. (2016). Literacy education and disability studies: Reenvisioning struggling
students.
(Links to an external site.)
Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 60(1), p. 7-12.

Johnson, V. (2019). Dyslexia what teachers need to know.

(Links to an external site.)
0(0), p. 1-8. International Literacy Association.