Special Education Today newsletter 3(34)
Does anyone want to know what was published last week? OK...don't answer that!
Yes, friends and colleagues, another week has elapsed. We’ll never get it back. However, I can provide a rearview mirror to show what was published on Special Education Today last week. Because I’ve felt so limp for the past ~10 days, I’m actually kinda surprised that there is more than one thing to list in today’s table of contents. But, herewith, you’ll find the (somewhat surprisingly full) table of contents along with some notes and comments.
While I was going through some old photos this week, I came upon another shot of the late Ken Kavale. For his birthday 15 February I reposted an earlier remembrance of him. Now that I have a less formal photo, I wanted to share it, too.
Flash!
Not news flash, but a flash of the electrons, a tip of the cap, or something like that. Thanks to Clay K., Betsy T., and Jane B. for passing along content to others. In company with Tina C., Angelique W., and Dan H., they are also among the all-time leaders in sharing SET…at least, by using the official “share” buttons; some others may be copying URLs and distributing them…which is fine. Sharing is good.
As for comments, there were only a couple this past week. They came from Dan H. and Adelaide. They’ve been stalwarts in the comments sections, and I appreciate their participation in the community. The comments sections provide opportunities for members of the community to check, shape, and correct my posts. Please also remember that readers can comment directly to me privately by replying to an e-mail version of a post.
So far in February there have been a few > 8000 visits to pages on the site. About 6600 have come from links in email messages. So, it appears to me that about 14-1500 have come in over the transom. I don’t know whether that’s particularly high, middlin’, or low…but I hope it indicates that word about SET is spreading. Which brings me back to one more round of thanks for sharing and commenting.
Oh, and please remember that SET paid subscriptions are on sale all of February (all 29 days this year). Tell you ma, tell your pa, tell your sibs; tell your aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews; tell your colleagues and neighbors. Don’t forget your grocer, your baker, your banker, and your candlestick maker.
Table of contents
As I noted in a previous paragraph, I’m somewhat surprised that there is this much content for the past week. It’s all a bit foggy with that wicked infection having been circulating in my body. I’m glad to report, however, that I’m feeling on the mend and I hope to be generating good content for you faithful readers in the coming days and weeks.
Special Education Today newsletter 3(33): What volume (issue) again…oh, and what is the issue at hand?
Vaccinations and disabilities redux: What relationships exist between Covid-19 vaccinations and disabilities?
About youth with intellectual-developmental disability in foster care: What does a population study reveal about who's in foster care?
Happy 💚 day 2024: Isn't this a great day to remember the good side of inclusion?
Retired speducator opens shop where former students can work: Would some folks consider such actions unhelpful?
Kenneth A. Kavale 1946-2008: What should you know about this esteemed special educator?
Please remember that I don’t send email messages about all of the posts. Some simply appear on the Web site. To keep up with everything, you may go to the Web site directly to see if there’s anything new.
Comments
Here’s a simple follow-along for my screed last week about recommendations sans evidence. I received a link to a story by Melissa Turnbaugh, an architect, about makings schools welcoming and beneficial. It appeared in eSchool News: Education Innovations, Insights & Resources (about page). Ms. Turnbaugh’s article was entitled “How your school’s design can promote equity through access: Using the built environment to promote equity in the classroom starts with understanding each student's sensory needs and learning styles.” Here are the first two paragraphs:
For generations, school facilities have been designed for the average student, leaving neurodiverse individuals to struggle in environments that don’t meet their needs. Recently, however, the growing awareness of neurodiversity has started to shift the school design narrative for students with unique learning styles.
Every student deserves to feel like school is a place designed with them in mind – a space where they belong and can thrive. The sense of belonging is key to promoting success and equity among all students, which has a profound ripple effect on their futures. Using the built environment to promote equity in the classroom starts with understanding each student’s sensory needs and learning styles, whether in the classroom or on the playground.
As SET readers might guess, I disagree with some of the points in this article. I agree that students should have facilities that are safe and conducive to learning. I agree that students should not be “left out, especially at school” (last paragraph of article). I can—and have in these very pages—offered recommendations about how to help create safe spaces where students will learn successfully (though my recommendations have less to do with the built environment than with what happens in whatever space students and teachers congregate), and I have regularly cited sources of pretty strong evidence supporting those recommendations. I’d like to see recommendations such as those in this article held to a standard of evidence that would allow readers to know that those recommendations will improve outcomes.
To her credit, Ms. Turnbaugh does link to sources in her article. One of them is a data-free article describing different senses and how the author says they relate to learners. Another is an actual report of research, in particular, a survey of people’s opinions about furniture and productivity. I invite readers to explore her sources to verify my analysis. I expect most readers of SET (and I hope others) will find the sources to limited scientific strength and educational utility.
How do we know? Could we just make this a chorus?
Meanwhile, on a personal level, I hope readers of SET are safe and well. And, as usual, I hope everyone is taking steps to make themselves safe, to stay healthy, and to teach our students well.
JohnL
John Wills Lloyd, Ph.D.
UVA Professor Emeritus
Founder & Editor, https://www.SpecialEducationToday.com/