Some contributions to class topics

Hey all :)

Sorry for the lateness of this post... life has been a little crazy lately, but I wanted to make up for my absences during our disabilities and gender discussions by contributing some interesting material to the blog.

First the topic of students with disabilities in schools. Personally, this was a topic I would have loved to talk to the class about in person. In my response and in my evaluation of the reading I found myself very focused on the issues of specific learning disabilities (SLD), because my mother's literacy consulting company, Ashlock Consulting, which I have worked for on-and-off for the past four years, has taken on the challenge of addressing students with reading difficulties... including SLD's. I have heard some implied criticism in class about set programs and specific instruction for teachers on how to go about teaching... which I feel is unwarranted and just plain wrong; teaching is a profession with better ways of teaching having been already proven through research, especially in the field of reading and literacy. If there are methods of teaching that are scientifically proven to enhance the learning of children, especially those with SLD's, then those methods should be vigorously implemented and enforced. Anyways, many schools still have a way of diagnosing students with SLD's that has been proven scientifically ineffective and allows for students to drift further away from the performance of their grade level. However, there are ways to better assess and treat students for their difficulties. Here is a testimony to the US Congress made by Dr. Douglas Carnine of the University of Oregon that addresses this issue in a clear and concise manner. I hope you all read it!

http://archives.republicans.edlabor.house.gov/archive/hearings/108th/edr/idea031303/carnine.htm

Secondly, on the topic of gender, I wanted to play devils advocate and see if I can spark some discussion around the issue of income discrimination by gender. Thomas Sowell of Stanford argues (in the video link below) that the reason for income discrimination is due to the choices of marriage and child rearing, and that without those variables the difference in income is insignificant. Do you all agree with this? I find it to be an interesting argument and would love to hear some other opinions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EK6Y1X_xa4

I hope everyone gets something out of this testimony and the video. Please feel free to discuss with me issues surrounding the first topic specifically because I would love to have a conversation about Ashlock Consulting and what it's all about.

Steven Ashlock