Academic Success Strategies for Adolescents with Learning Disabilities and ADHD

by Esther H. Minskoff, David Allsopp

With this strategy-filled handbook, education professionals will learn what they can do to help students with mild disabilities — from high school to post-high school — develop academic skills in






First, educators will work one-on-one with students to evaluate each student's learning style and individual needs. Then, for each of the areas listed above, educators will get a chapter with step-by-step cognitive learning strategies, case studies, and charts that summarize the steps as mnemonic devices. An overarching five-step model (the Active Learner Approach) for effective instruction helps teachers introduce these strategies to students, model the steps of the strategies for them, give students guided and independent practice applying the strategies to assignments, and assist students in generalizing the strategies to other subjects and settings. With this easy-to-use guide, educators will be able to help students recognize their learning characteristics, apply strategies to meet the specific demands of their coursework independently, and reach their educational goals.

352 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2002

Reviews

[Denise]

I'd actually skimmed this book before, but I thought maybe I'd been too hasty in my initial assessment. Turns out, nope.

The first few chapters where it describes the "Active Learner Approach" are downright tranquilizing, and it doesn't really tell you how you get students to be 'active' about their learning anyway. The 'questionnaires" at the end to determine students' needs are absolutely useless (you can't call "I have a problem with ______________" a questionnaire!).

The main meat (if you can call it that) of the book is a whole ton of acronyms for study strategies. Some of them are actually useful - but it's definitely a minority. Many (MANY, MANY) of them are so stupid. Like for comparing and contrasting, for instance, it involves steps like "F: find the differences" and "F: find the similarities" - like.... honestly? You feel okay with yourself professionally, typing out that nonsense and calling it a study strategy?

Anyway, don't waste your time with this one. If anything, go to the publisher's website, see if there are any acronyms that are useful for your specific issue, and avoid the pain. Unless you need a good nap!

[Linda]

Way too many acronyms...but selectivity can make this book useful.