USING TEXTBOOKS WITH STUDENTS WHO CANNOT READ THEM

Too many students have difficulty comprehending information presented in the textbooks intended for their use. One reason for this is that t extbooks are often organized so that the task of reading and thinking about them is made unduly difficult. Further, teacher editions offer l ittle in the way of helping teachers improve the textbook's usability for students who struggle with reading. This article summarizes the ex isting literature on effective textbook instruction. The author then p roposes how special educators and content instructors can combine thei r talents to compensate for poorly written books and maximize good boo ks when teaching all their students, but particularly those students w ho do not learn in the expected ways.