Most students with learning differences spend the majority of their time in general education classrooms, according to an Education Week article. Teachers need to talk with them about their struggles to read, write, or do math to give them the knowledge to learn and advocate to the best of their abilities.
But many general education teachers are not prepared for such conversations, say experts.
Teacher prep programs often do not include a grounding in the basics of common learning differences, says Holly Lane, the director of the University of Florida Literacy Institute and an associate professor of special education. Many general education teachers don’t have the understanding, training, or even the language to talk with students about their learning disabilities and how those differences will affect their academic progress. This shouldn’t solely be the purview of special education teachers and school psychologists, she says.
Students with learning differences benefit from knowing more about how their brains function. They need to understand that specific areas in the brain relating to language, quantity, and motor skills process information differently. They also need to know how common specific learning disabilities like dyslexia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia are.
Dyslexia and dyscalculia both affect 3 to 7 percent of people, with some estimates suggesting 1 in 5 people have dyslexia. Estimates for how many people have dysgraphia range between 5 and 20 percent.
Teachers don’t need to launch into lectures on neuroscience, says Edward Hubbard, an associate professor in educational psychology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. The important message is that their learning challenges relate to biology, not their intelligence or willpower.
Students must understand that brains are not static—they change, says Hubbard. They should understand the idea of brain plasticity and “how much the brain can change in response to learning, and the idea that with extra support, with extra practice, you will be able to get better at these skills,” he says.
Students benefit greatly if their teachers have some baseline understanding of how the brains of students with learning differences work differently. Teachers don’t need to be able to name the intraparietal sulcus, a part of the brain related to dyscalculia, Hubbard says, but they should know how dyscalculia affects students’ math learning. This tailors their instruction to the students’ needs.
Teachers should be able and willing to dispel common myths around learning differences for their students—or at the very least not perpetuate them, Hubbard says.
Surveys of teachers in England, the United States, and the Netherlands have shown widespread beliefs about the brain that aren’t true, he says. One of the most entrenched “neuromyths” is the belief that students are either visual or auditory learners.
“A lot of teachers taking my classes are often surprised by some of the things they have heard about that aren’t true,” Hubbard says. “They often have heard about dyslexia, but they are often gratified to find out about dyscalculia and get some insights into why some kids may struggle.”
Education Week
