coles who-is-at umdnj.edu
nate wrote:
> The Coles statement was not a quote, just a comment about his book.
>
> The Learning Mystique: A Critical Look at "Learning Disabilities"
> by Gerald Coles
> Fawcett Columbine
> New York
> 1987
>
> The book looks at a variety of learning disabilities from their
> construction in the 60's and 70's in which environment (non poor and
> minority children) was not seen as the cause for school problems. Initally
> Coles argues "learning disability" was a bilogical label to explain
> "deficits" which could not be explained by enviromental means. Middleclass
> is perfect, so school problems must be biological in origin. The book has
> close to 80 pages of footnotes explaining the history of learning
> disabilities in more detail including the initial studies and his
> replication of those studies. Coles states while he does not cite
> Leontiev, Vygotsky, and Luria in depth, his interactivity theory of
> Learning Disabilities is very much indebted to these individuals.
>
> While Amazon tells me the book is out of stock, they have been telling me
> that with a lot of books lately, I find the book as a very useful tool
> (weapon to use Diane's sig) in challenging the genetic determinism in
> special/regular education. The book at times gives one the feel of
> determinism on the other end, but that is bound to occur in a critique of
> educational practices that are so genetically deterministic. He puts forth
> an "educational optimism" very close to Vygotsky in the sense education can
> equalize genetic and environmental factors. As Ken has mentioned Coles
> currently has a book out on literacy which Amazon says it is yet to be
> published.
>
> CONTENTS
>
> 1. Hinshelwood's Legacy
> 2. Perceptual and Attention Deficits
> 3. Language Deficits, Memory Deficits, and LD subtypes
> 4. Technology and identification of neurological deficits
> 5. Drugs and LD explanations
> 6. Genes, gender, and the affliction of geniuses
> 7. Families, Children, and learning: An overview of the theory of
> interactivity.
> 8. Schools and schooling in interactivity
> 9. Reconsidering neurology
> 10 The function of the LD field.
>
> Nate
>
> inal Message -----
> From: Matsushima Hideaki <n47125a who-is-at nucc.cc.nagoya-u.ac.jp>
> To: <xmca who-is-at weber.ucsd.edu>
> Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 1999 5:32 PM
> Subject: Re: Dolly and beyond
>
> > Dear nate and xmca member
> >
> > Iwould like to ask a question about Nate's quote;"Learning Mystique by
> Coles"
> > I don't know about that article. Please teach me precisely about this
> quotation.
> >
> > > I found the Learning Mystique by Coles as an interesting historical
> tracing
> > >of the use of drugs/chemicals in education. Much of the "objective"
> knowledge
> > >which current research in built upon is very shaky. Many of the
> original
> > >studies
> > >were very badly done. Coles repeats many of the original research using
> some
> > >of Luria's tests.
> > >
> >
> >
> > sincerly
> >
> >
> > _/_/_/_/_/
> > _/_/_/Hideaki Matusima _/_/_/
> > _/_/_/_/_/ _/_/_/_/_/
> > Nagoya University Department of Education _/_/
> > School of Developmental clinical Psychology_/_/
> > _/_/_/_/ Japan _/_/_/_/_/
> > _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/Phone : 052-789-2656_/_/_/
> >
> > _/_/_/_/_/
> >