“Indefensible, Illogical, and Unsupported”; Countering Deficit Mythologies about the Potential of Students with Learning Disabilities in Mathematics

Rachel Lambert

doi:10.3390/educsci8020072

Abstract

This paper describes two myths that circulate widely about the potential of students with Learning Disabilities to learn mathematics: (1) that students with Learning Disabilities cannot benefit from inquiry-based instruction in mathematics, and only from explicit instruction; and (2) that students with Learning Disabilities cannot construct their own mathematical strategies and do not benefit from engaging with multiple strategies. In this paper, I will describe how these myths have developed, and identify research that counters these myths. I argue that these myths are the unintended consequences of deficit constructions of students with Learning Disabilities in educational research. Using neurodiversity to frame disability as diversity rather than deficit, I assert that students with Learning Disabilities can learn mathematics to the highest levels, and that these limiting mythologies hold them back.

Highlights

The majority of students with disabilities [1] in the United States are being included in general education mathematics classrooms
While many prominent researchers in mathematics education have advocated inquiry instruction, special education has continued to advocate for explicit instruction
Because much of special education has historically distrusted constructivist research, considering it to be discovery learning without any guidance [5,34], special educational researchers felt that inquiry instruction would not meet the needs of students with Learning Disabilities (LD) who tend to have more difficulty with working memory, metacognition, and executive functioning

Summary

Introduction

The majority of students with disabilities [1] in the United States are being included in general education mathematics classrooms. Collaboration between special educators and math educators is complicated by different pedagogical recommendations from special education, which tends to recommend explicit instruction for students with disabilities, while mathematics education tends to recommend an inquiry approach to mathematical learning [3,4]. I even hear that students with LD cannot learn concepts in mathematics These myths circulate in staff rooms, professional development, and even in academic research. To argue that any human is utterly incapable of thinking, of “constructing their own knowledge” is a shocking statement, rooted in a view of learners with LD that defines them by perceived deficits alone Such ableism, or discrimination against those with disabilities, should not be tolerated in any field, but in educational research. I assert that students with LD can learn mathematics to the highest levels, and that these limiting mythologies hold them back

Rethinking Disability

Myth One

Myth Two

Discussion

Findings

Implications