Beyond Individual Differences

Charles A. Ahern, Ph.D. is a neuropsychologist specializing in the application of neuropsychology to education.  Dr. Ahern received his doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He trained in the neuropsychology of learning and learning disabilities at Wake Forest Medical School, and completed his postdoctoral training at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center, where he was an Irving B. Harris Fellow. Formerly on staff at UCSF Medical Center, Dr. Ahern is currently in private practice. In addition to working directly with students and their families to address learning difficulties, he consults with schools and educational therapists. Dr. Ahern is frequently invited to speak to educators and parent groups and has lectured nationally and published on topics pertaining to the neuropsychology of learning. He is on the faculty of Holy Names University. Kenton de Kirby is a Ph.D. student in Education at the University of California at Berkeley, where he also received his B.A. in Linguistics. For over ten years, Kenton has worked one-on-one with students of varying ages and with a range of learning differences. He lives in Oakland with his wife, Amelia.

Preface.- Acknowledgments.- Part I: Doing Without Learning.- Chapter 1: A Riddle.- Chapter 2: Below the Surface—An Introduction to Mental Organization.- Chapter 3: At the Time of Learning—The Encoding Process.- Chapter 4: How Things Go Wrong—Breakdowns in Organizing Processes.- Chapter 5: Learning to Learn—Organization and the Student’s Experience.- Part II: Teaching With a New Awareness.- Chapter 6: The Role of the Teacher.- Chapter 7: Awareness and Sensitivity—Four “Anchors” to Use in the Classroom.- Chapter 8: Enlarging the Classroom—Practices for Creating Supportive Conditions.- Part III: The Principle View.- Chapter 9: How Enlarging the Classroom Makes Room for Variation in Cognitive Capacities.- Chapter 10: Two Ways of Understanding Learning—Integrating the Profile and Principle Approaches.- Conclusion: Coming to Balance.- References.