Presuming Competence

Paula Kluth’s book, “A Land We Can Share” has an important section in which she talks about presuming competence in your students. She discusses this idea in her chapter on teaching Literacy to students with significant disabilities. When teachers have the understanding and realization that their students know more than they may be able to express, and when they assume that their students are competent-Kluth calls this acting “as if.” It’s pretty apparent how powerful acting “as if” could be for students with disabilities. Kluth gives the example of constant talking with these students, even if they can’t communicate back. Also, she says teachers should presume competence by being sure to use age-appropriate materials, give opportunities to practice new skills, and to look for alternate ways to incorporate literacy. I think all too often people don’t treat students with disabilities like they would students without disabilities, probably because they think they can’t understand…and we know this isn’t true. So if we begin by assuming they can and will understand, we’re giving these students an advantage and setting them up for success.