Melinda (Mindy) Eichhorn

Only six states in India currently identify learning disabilities as a category of disability.┬a This article highlights the challenges students with math learning disabilities face in their transition from secondary school to higher secondary education and Bachelor of Commerce degree programs in the state of Maharashtra. While the current educational policy aims to help students with learning disabilities participate in the general education curriculum and pass the 10th standard secondary exam, the implementation of curricular modifications has repercussions in post-secondary settings when students lack the math content knowledge for a required math course in their BachelorΓCOs degree program. This qualitative study highlights the transitional experiences of secondary and post-secondary individuals with math learning disabilities in Mumbai through interviews with students, college administrators, and lecturers; and a document review of MaharashtraΓCOs special education policies. Th...

English learners (ELs) are the fastest growing segment of K–12 students. When ELs do not respond to instruction as quickly as their English-speaking peers, teachers may focus on their deficits and wrongly label them as having a learning disability. In this article on the universal design for learning engagement guidelines, we summarize how we have anticipated learning barriers and increased engagement with academic content for ELs in our practice. By teaching strategies for self-regulation and individual coping skills, providing guided practice and support to sustain effort, and giving students various ways to achieve the same goal in a safe learning environment, teachers of ELs and collaborative staff can engage students in their classrooms and schools. We explore universal design for learning for ELs through an assets-based approach and suggest strategies for elementary and secondary teachers to modify for ELs through illustrative case vignettes based on our classroom practice.

According to the United Nations Human Development Report (2016), poor, marginalized, and vulnerable groups still face substantial barriers to access post-secondary education and employment. These marginalized and vulnerable groups include women, girls, indigenous peoples, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants and refugees, the LGBTI community, and those discriminated because of their socio-economic status (UN Human Development Report (2016). Increasingly, proficiency in mathematics is required for careers and for solving daily problems in life (Starkey & Kline, 2008; Ramaa, 2015). Basic numerical, mathematical, and scientific skills are an important mechanism to further education and to enable individuals to improve their job market potential. The risk of underachievement in mathematics around the world is greatest for students from low-income backgrounds, as well as linguistic and ethnic minorities (Ramaa, 2015; National Research Council, 1989). In India, these fact...

English learners (ELs) are the fastest growing segment of K–12 students. When ELs do not respond to instruction as quickly as their English-speaking peers, teachers may focus on their deficits and wrongly label them as having a learning disability. In this article on the universal design for learning engagement guidelines, we summarize how we have anticipated learning barriers and increased engagement with academic content for ELs in our practice. By teaching strategies for self-regulation and individual coping skills, providing guided practice and support to sustain effort, and giving students various ways to achieve the same goal in a safe learning environment, teachers of ELs and collaborative staff can engage students in their classrooms and schools. We explore universal design for learning for ELs through an assets-based approach and suggest strategies for elementary and secondary teachers to modify for ELs through illustrative case vignettes based on our classroom practice.

Studies have shown that both the departmentalized and self-contained models of instruction can help students achieve strong mathematics scores on standardized tests, and school administrators must consider their teachers and students when deciding on an instructional model. However, little research has considered the effect of the instructional model on initial license teacher candidates and school–university partnerships. Drawing from a Massachusetts college’s experience with practicum placements for elementary candidates pursing a generalist license (Grades 1–6), implications for teacher preparation programs are explored as more upper elementary classrooms move to a departmentalized model for mathematics.

This paper explores strategies used in diverse K-12 mathematics classrooms to meet the needs of emergent bilinguals and students with learning disabilities. We do not assume that all students have the same needs but recognize that there is some overlap in research. All students can benefit from a collaborative approach between teachers and specialists, and we explore three strategies that we use in our classrooms. We hope that this paper reduces teachers’ stress by demonstrating how some strategies can be implemented to teach mathematics to all students regardless of different learning needs.

English learners (ELs) are the fastest growing segment of K-12 students. When ELs do not respond to instruction as quickly as their English-speaking peers, teachers may focus on their deficits and wrongly label them as having a learning disability. In this article on the universal design for learning engagement guidelines, we summarize how we have anticipated learning barriers and increased engagement with academic content for ELs in our practice. By teaching strategies for self-regulation and individual coping skills, providing guided practice and support to sustain effort, and giving students various ways to achieve the same goal in a safe learning environment, teachers of ELs and collaborative staff can engage students in their classrooms and schools. We explore universal design for learning for ELs through an assets-based approach and suggest strategies for elementary and secondary teachers to modify for ELs through illustrative case vignettes based on our classroom practice.

Studies have shown that both the departmentalized and self-contained models of instruction can help students achieve strong mathematics scores on standardized tests, and school administrators must consider their teachers and students when deciding on an instructional model. However, little research has considered the effect of the instructional model on initial license teacher candidates and school-university partnerships. Drawing from a Massachusetts college's experience with practicum placements for elementary candidates pursing a generalist license (Grades 1-6), implications for teacher preparation programs are explored as more upper elementary classrooms move to a departmentalized model for mathematics.

According to the United Nations Human Development Report (2016), poor, marginalized, and vulnerable groups still face substantial barriers to access post-secondary education and employment. These marginalized and vulnerable groups include women, girls, indigenous peoples, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants and refugees, the LGBTI community, and those discriminated because of their

When teachers conduct a universal screening in mathematics, they identify students who are struggling with mathematical content and adjust their instruction. In this mixed-methods study in Kolkata, India, teachers piloted a screening tool at the beginning of the academic year in 5th grade to determine students’ (n = 171) understanding of fractional number sense. The results of the screening show that the majority (70%) of students in fifth grade are in need of more instruction in foundational fraction concepts. Common misconceptions on screener items are shared, as well as strategies for improving fraction instruction to prevent future errors.

Throughout my career in special education, I have reconsidered my beliefs about disability. As I have transitioned from a special educator, to a teacher trainer in India, to an assistant professor in a Christian college, I have looked beyond limitations and deficits of my students to see individual uniqueness. In this article, I share my lived experience of people with severe special needs ministering to me in India, explore the lived experiences of other disability advocates, and describe the implications this has for my teaching at a Christian college.

Only six states in India currently identify learning disabilities as a category of disability. This article highlights the challenges students with math learning disabilities face in their transition from secondary school to higher secondary education and Bachelor of Commerce degree programs in the state of Maharashtra. While the current educational policy aims to help students with learning disabilities participate in the general education curriculum and pass the 10 th standard secondary exam, the implementation of curricular modifications has repercussions in post-secondary settings when students lack the math content knowledge for a required math course in their Bachelor's degree program. This qualitative study highlights the transitional experiences of secondary and post-secondary individuals with math learning disabilities in Mumbai through interviews with students, college administrators, and lecturers; and a document review of Maharashtra's special education policies. The results suggest that current special education policies and college practices in Mumbai do not prepare students with math learning disabilities with the math knowledge that they need to succeed in post-secondary mathematics courses. Current higher secondary and post-secondary interventions in Mumbai are reviewed and implications for policy and practice for all levels of education are discussed.

Difficulties in math can begin very early in children’s development, as some students come to school with a limited amount of number sense. By assessing number sense in the initial stages of elementary education, teachers can identify students experiencing difficulties in mathematics and begin early intervention. In this mixed‐methods pilot study in Kolkata, India, second grade students (n = 185) completed a
researcher‐constructed mathematical screening tool. Using the theoretical framework of constructivism and the Response to Intervention (RtI) model, the findings of the mathematics screening are presented, viewing students’ errors as an opportunity for teachers to learn and understand students’ misconceptions with the goal of intervention in mind, as opposed to waiting for students to fail before
addressing their difficulties.

Only six states in India currently acknowledge learning disabilities as a category of disability (Al-Yagon et al., 2013). Although some research has examined the experiences of students with learning disabilities in Indian secondary schools (see Karande, Sholarpurwala, & Kulkarni, 2011; Karande, Mahajan, & Kulkarni, 2009), the role of policy in students’ transition into postsecondary education has been largely unexplored. This paper critically examines educational policy and its impact on students’ transition to postsecondary education, drawing on an exploratory study of students with mathematical learning disabilities in junior colleges and degree colleges in Mumbai (Eichhorn, 2014). This policy review is conducted from a sociocultural perspective, in which educational policy is reconceptualized as a complex social practice which involves diverse actors interacting in diverse institutional contexts (Levinson & Sutton, 2001; 2009). The findings suggest that students with learning disabilities are presented with many barriers to postsecondary education, such as poor advice from secondary school counselors, exclusionary practices of junior colleges, the stigma associated with the learning disabilities label and accommodations, and peer bullying. Current interventions in Mumbai, as well as recent international approaches to inclusive teaching and learning in higher education, are reviewed and implications for policy and practice are discussed.