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Special Libraries, Special Challenges is a column dedicated to exploring the unique public services challenges that arise in libraries that specialize in a particular subject, such as law, medicine, business, and so forth. In each column, the author will discuss public service dilemmas and solutions that arise specifically in given subject libraries, while drawing links to how such issues affect librarianship in general. Special or subject-matter librarians interested in authoring a piece for this column are invited to contact Melissa K. Aho at ahox0017@umn.edu.

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Organized Non-Activity: A Proposed Solution to Some Common Classroom Problems

The authors recommend practical techniques and resources for teaching at-risk secondary students, who are often nontraditional learners. The article describes tactual and kinesthetic instructional resources that research has shown are effective for typically performing and at-risk students who do not learn conventionally.     

Adapting Self-Regulated Strategy Development in Persuasive Writing for Adolescents Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Within the special education community, research and policy focus on teachers implementing evidence-based instructional practices with fidelity. However, special education teachers may have to adapt evidence-based practices if the research supporting those practices has not yet included studies that represent populations in the classrooms (i.e., students with low-incidence disabilities). That is, there may be a tension for teachers between adopting evidence-based instruction and adapting lessons to meet the needs of students. This article describes one teacher's adaptations to an evidence-based practice in writing to meet the needs of her adolescent students who are deaf. Her experience models ways teachers can use professional wisdom to adapt evidence-based practices to meet the needs of students with disabilities.     

Issues of Collaborative Authorship in Higher Education

The essay considers two analogies that help to reveal the limitations of -value-added modeling: the first, a comparison with batting averages, shows that the model's reliability is quite limited even though year-to-year -correlation figures may seem impressive; the second, a comparison between -medical -malpractice and so-called educational malpractice, suggests that strict -accountability measures within education are out of line with legal precedent.     

TEACHING STRATEGIES BASED ON LEARNING STYLES OF ADULT STUDENTS

One of the major purposes of community and junior colleges has been to provide easy access to postsecondary educational opportunities for a broad spectrum of the general population. Access alone does not justify the existence of these institutions, instead, successful student learning determines their worth. Achieving this success is no small task when the student population is largely non‐traditional both in age and experiential background.

The study was conducted to examine the effect of adjusting teaching methods to coincide with the learning preferences of students enrolled in a small, predominantly black, community college. Previous research, conducted in elementary and secondary schools, had indicated significant gains in student learning as a result of this modification.

The learning styles of students entering a freshman level social science class were assessed with the Productivity Environmental Preference Survey (PEPS). Students were assigned to experimental or control groups based on the results of the PEPS. Teaching strategies for the experimental group were modified to suit their learning styles, while the control group was taught by the traditional lecture method. The CLEP Social Studies Test was used to measure achievement during the semester.

The Mann‐Whitney U‐Test for Independent Populations was used to test the hypothesis of no difference in the achievement of the two groups. A calculated U of 7.5 indicated a significant gain by the experimental group.