The D in Disabilities does not stand for Deficit—as this issue’s Math and Numeracy article exclaims. Indeed, although students may struggle for any number of reasons—physical, emotional, neurobiological—we know they all have the ability to learn and progress. Differentiating teaching to ease and potentially speed students’ pathways to comprehension may involve a variety of strategies and tools, such as time for students to think through problems and make mistakes, multiple entry points into the material with manipulatives or visual models, and general clear instruction. Hardware and software tools can also assist with physical limitations and provide scaffolding adapted to different competencies. 

But how to recognize these differing learning capacities, and to break through road blocks to teach to the best of students’ abilities, can be confusing and even overwhelming. 

The four SABES PD Centers are here to help. In this edition of the newsletter, they present insights, resources, and exciting new courses! Read about the myriad ways the seven work areas of the Program Support PD Center can help strengthen your programs, including the new series Planning for Continuous Improvement (PCI). The three Curriculum and Instruction (C&I) Centers have answered your call with an Introduction to LD in Adults online series, and the Math and Numeracy Center has developed the series Visuals for Conceptual Understanding, for offering students different ways of accessing math concepts. Click the images or links on each article to learn more. 

Outside of the articles, select the Topic “Learning Disabilities” on the SABES website’s Resource Library and Calendar  for a quick scan of our resources and PD events in this topic area. We’ll be adding to these throughout the year, so please do check back! (Don’t have a SABES Account to get notifications of new courses and resources? Sign up here: https://www.sabes.org/user/register.) 

We hope you’ll not only enjoy this newsletter, but more importantly, find it useful as well. Please let us know what you think.

SABES Communication Center

Heidi Larson, Director

info@SABES.org

On Twitter or Fb? Follow us at @SABESPD

PD Center
SABES PD System Communication Center