Dr. David Koppenhaver, professor of reading in the Department of Reading Education and Special Education (RESE), has co-authored the book Social and Dialogic Thinking and Learning in Special Education: Radical Insights from a Post-Critical Ethnography in a Special School with Dr. Karen Erickson, professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Dr. Charna D’Ardenne, assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Dr. Nitasha Clark, research assistant at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and Dr. George Noblit, retired professor from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Released by Routledge in December 2021, the text offers a uniquely theoretical and conceptual contribution to special education and capability research as well as powerful re-imagining of how educators and researchers can perceive, observe, and respond to students beyond current institutional and cultural norms.
Koppenhaver and his co-authors received a grant from the Spencer Foundation, which allowed them to spend time in classrooms for almost three years observing students in order to understand the world from their perspectives.
“This is the first attempt at developing a theory of thinking and learning in this population,” said Koppenhaver.
“The field of special education has long been interested in what works,” he added. “We were more interested in how things work in real classrooms for real kids.”
“My co-authors and I struggle with deficit notions of disability and the absence of theory in instructional interventions for students with significant support needs,” he noted. “We decided we needed to understand how these students really think and learn.”
Koppenhaver hopes that this text is the beginning of additional research. He and his co-authors are currently seeking funding to look at similar questions across diverse environments such as inclusive classrooms.
The text is geared toward scholars in special education, educational equity, researchers interested in critical ethnography, teachers interested in trying to better understand the thinking and perspectives of students with significant support needs.
Koppenhaver, who joined the Appalachian faculty in 2004, earned his Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction in 1991 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He holds North Carolina teaching certification in reading (K–12), middle grades language arts (grades 6–9), intermediate education (grades 4–6) and elementary education (grades K–6).
His research focuses on literacy in children with significant disabilities, including autism spectrum disorders, intellectual disabilities, complex communication needs and multiple disabilities.
Dave Koppenhaver
