Book Review: The Adaptive Teacher

“The Adaptive Teacher: Faith-Based Strategies to Reach and Teach Learners with Disabilities” is a great resource for learning how to maximize the effectiveness of teaching students with learning disabilities.

John E. Barone and Charleen Katra have done a wonderful job authoring this comprehensive and easy-to-use teacher guidebook and while it is faith-based, I believe all teachers could benefit from reading and using it.

The book provides strategies and real-life examples that can help a teacher foster a “welcoming and comfortable” learning environment by understanding the specific needs of learners with disabilities and by adapting the teaching approach for the benefit of the learner.  

Barone and Katra share their extensive combined experience (of more than 70 years) in the field of catechesis for learners with disabilities by providing personal examples throughout the book, and I found this helpful for connecting with the content and thinking on each strategy and teacher tip. They also suggest practical techniques and ideas that can be applied to meet many of the diverse learning needs that may exist among the learners. 

For example, in Ch. 7 on Effective Classroom Communication, you can find “Ten Ways to Reduce Teacher Talk” in order to simplify your communication in the classroom. Another example that caught my attention is found in Ch. 12, “The Ghosts of Pedagogy Past: Forming Your Teaching Style.” On pages 141-143 the authors provide a top-ten list of “New School” intervention benefits that can help balance “the right combination of loving care and the firm boundaries and consequences that will work for all learners.”

Each chapter includes a “Two-Minute Check-In” (a few self-assessment questions for the reader to answer) at the beginning and “Three Takeaways” (key points) at the end and I found this format provided great flow for my reading. Also, this gives the reader a great way to quickly go back and review. Each chapter also includes illustrations, teacher tips and a list of “Further Resources for Teaching and Learning.”

During my teaching career (as a religious education facilitator, high school teacher and college instructor) I have, at times, wondered how I might be able to improve effectiveness in meeting the needs of diverse learners who have disabilities. Thanks to this book, I have discovered many fresh ideas and tips that can be helpful. 

“The Adaptive Teacher: Faith-Based Strategies to Reach and Teach Learners with Disabilities” contains a wealth of encouragement and helpful tips and there is no way this review can do it justice. Perhaps, the most relevant statement I can make is that all educators should acquire and use this great teacher resource.

John H. Dolezal is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.