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Essay Subject: Discusses existing research on students with learning disabilities.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Discusses existing research on students with learning disabilities. Talents and strengths of such students (rather than their weaknesses), and their placement in educational environment. Three philosophical and pedagogical divisions of learning disabilities: remedial education, intervention, compensatory education. Deficit-driven perception of learning disabled students. Definitions of intelligence. Paper Introduction: Multiple Intelligences and Underachievement Hearne and Stone (1995) undertook a review of the existing research on the talents and strengths of students with learning disabilities and such students’ placement in educational environments. They also reviewed studies whose conclusions questioned the propriety for all students of traditional educational systems based on an essentially linguistic and logico-mathematical model, particularly in light of other studies that argue for an understanding of “intelligence” that goes beyond our traditional logical and linguistic measures. Hearne & Stone (1995) conclude that educators have neither devised ways to adequately determine the particular qualities and talents or special education students nor ways to use these students’ talents to enrich and ensure the success of their education. Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. It is undoubtedly both disheartening and true that our educationsystem labels these children as deficient rather than consider that theymerely learn in non-traditional ways. The problem is that our traditional education system thus far hasprivileged intelligence as a basis for everything else, includingcreativity, while aligning "intelligence" with a particular learning type. Multiple Intelligences and Underachievement Hearne and Stone (1995) undertook a review of the existing research onthe talents and strengths of students with learning disabilities and suchstudents' placement in educational environments. We must pay more attentionto the ways in which students learn, particularly in the area of the fiveother intelligences Gardner (1983, 1993) noted, if we are to ensure that weare meeting the learning needs of all students. 2). All such studies notedby the article suggest the possibility that current educational methodsignore and punish imaginative and creative thinking that lead to responsesthat differ from those that would be reached through logical analysis androte learning. In fact, Welch's study notedthat students who displayed high levels of intelligence also displayed alack of imaginative thinking. But whichever philosophy is applied, theeducation of learning disabled students has become deficit-driven, in thesense that such a student is perceived to have a problem or lack (ofintelligence) for which coping and compensation strategies must be devised. In fact, most educatorsdo not consider that special education students could, under anydefinition, be gifted. Hearne & Stone (1995)conclude that educators have neither devised ways to adequately determinethe particular qualities and talents or special education students nor waysto use these students' talents to enrich and ensure the success of theireducation. Thus, Hearne and Stone (1995) argue for a more expansive definition of"intelligence." They turn to Gardner's (1983, 1993) theory of multipleintelligences for a "more holistic accounting of individual potential andtalents" (p. 2) Thus, one of the article's most interesting points is its note theWelch (1946) found no statistical basis for equating intelligence withimagination (Hearne & Stone, 1995, p. Hearne and Stone (1995) note the peril of relying on intelligencetests as an indicator of "intelligence" and future ability. It is the system whose vision isdeficient, not necessarily the ability or intelligence of the students.Hearne and Stone also noted a study by a group of Texas A & M Universityresearchers that uncovered that most educators view specialeducation/learning disabled and gifted/talented students as two separateand exclusive groups (Hearne & Stone, 1995, p. Thedegree to which each person develops each kind of intelligence dependssignificantly on the freedom that person has to pursue each particular kindof intelligence (Hearne & Stone, 1995, p. Only if weexpand our thinking about these concepts can we move beyond the traditionaldeficit-driven education model that undervalues the learning ability andintelligence of "special education" students. are not synonymous - an almost limitless number of excitingproblems present themselves for systematic study" (Hearne & Stone, 1995, p.2). Creativity and imaginationare indeed skills that can determine future success, and they should beencouraged and molded as such. They alsoproperly question the appropriateness of applying the label "learningdisabled" to any student without a full study of all students' creative andnontraditional strengths (Hearne & Stone, 1995, p. 1). These findings confirmed earlier results inDearborn's 1898 study (Hearne & Stone, 1995, p. 2). 2). 4). Our education system,however, favors success in the areas of linguistic and logico-mathematicalintelligence as the best indicator of future success and thus equatesstrength in these areas as "intelligence." Hearne and Stone note, however,that limiting our definition of "intelligence" to merely the first twokinds is more of a political definition of "intelligence" than an accurateone (1995, p. They also reviewedstudies whose conclusions questioned the propriety for all students oftraditional educational systems based on an essentially linguistic andlogico-mathematical model, particularly in light of other studies thatargue for an understanding of "intelligence" that goes beyond ourtraditional logical and linguistic measures. 3). "Multiple intelligences andunderachievement: Lessons from individuals with learning disabilities."Journal of Learning Disabilities (28: 7): 1-12. Thus, Hearne and Stone make the point that these students' educationfocuses on their weaknesses rather than their strengths, a strategy whichhas not proven to be particularly successful (Hearne & Stone, 1995, p. 2). 2). In other words, current educational methods focus on theresult - i.e., the answer the student produces - rather than the processthe student undertakes to formulate a response. Hearne and Stone's article offers strong support for expanding oureducation system's definitions of intelligence and success. Gardner argues that each person possesses at least sevenkinds of intelligence: linguistic, logico-mathematical, musical-rhythmic,visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal and intrapersonal. 9). However, they alsonote that special educators have always assumed that their students wereaverage or above-average in "intelligence," though their gifts could not bemeasured by the usual standardized tests and testing procedures (p. 2).For example, the authors note that Feldman's (1986) study of six childprodigies concluded that individuals' creative powers often stretch beyondthe traditional classroom's ability to accommodate them (Hearne & Stone,1995, p. 3). References Hearne, D, & Stone, S. Getzels and Jackson (1962)note the problems with such an approach when they state "Once we accept thenotion, however provisionally, that creativity and intelligence as measuredby the I.Q. Furthermore, the traditional education model focuses too muchon what educators want to teach, to the detriment of the lessons that canbe devised and imparted from paying attention to where students' interestslie (Hearne & Stone, 1995, p. 4). (Aug/Sep 1995). For example,they point out that many of the 4 eminent twentieth-century men and womenGoertzel and Goertzel (1962) interviewed for their book, Cradles ofEminence, were thought dull by educators because they tended to bedisinterested in schoolwork (Hearne & Stone, 1995, p. Hearne and Stone adopt Poplin's (1993) division of learningdisabilities literature into three philosophical and pedagogical domains:(a) remedial education; (b) intervention; and (c) compensatory education(Hearne & Stone, 1995 p. Hearne and Stone concluded that such thinking iscommon to our education system because educators judge students accordingto test results rather than according to each student's "human qualitiesand gifts" (1995, p. 3). If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.