‘Generalizing’
University researchers
study learning disability
By Sandy Johnstone
OtttwEnwrakt
The man stands helplessly
in Safeway, staring at the array
of items and the busy shop
pers around him He has al
ways shopped at Albertson’s
before, and Safeway has ever
ything arranged differently He
stands alone, confused and
bewildered about how to begin
his shopping
The man is an example of
someone who has trouble
learning "generalization" —
the ability to transfer learning
of similar tasks in different si
tuations
The University Research In
stitute for the Study of Gener
alization with Severely Han
dicapped Students was creat
ed recently by a $1 5 million
contract for the next five years
The nrnfnpcn rc anH /tr'as'li
eralized rules that will allow
teachers to teach hand
icapped students specific
skills that can be translated
into generalized skills and
maintained for a long time
For example, they have
developed a method to teach
severely handicapped
students who are working for
Tektronix to generalize about
the skill
The students crimp capaci
tators, but with about 400 dif
ferent styles it is impractical to
teach specific skills Horner
says that by selecting three
capacitators, students are
able to generalize about all
400
"The same basic rules can
be useful in teaching how to
act in a grocery store," he
says "The advantage of our
research is it will build rules
Photo by Bob Baker
Robert Homer is one of the University researchers studying the problems of generalization' among
the severely handicapped
student
"We have a good idea of
what will work, and we are
mainly testing things, ' he
says "All teachers, to a large
specific areas and make up
packages, which explain how
to teach generalization in
specific areas such as tele
phone use. shopping or
they already had enough ex
perience to "deliver the
product" Four other groups
were awarded similar con
tracts, and they will coordinate
students working for the insti
tute will conduct research on
generalization skills and the
severely handicapped, who
often have problems with
generalization
Robert Horner, one of the
professers working within the
institute, says the problem is
that instructors can teach
specific skills much better
than generalized skills
It's easy, for example, for a
teacher to explain to severely
handicapped students how to
cross the street at one par
ticular place But when the
students have to cross at a
different intersection they may
become confused
Horner and his colleagues,
who have been doing research
in this area for more than two
years, are searching for gen
types of skills It will
develop something that
can be used across the
country "
The $1.5 million con
tract will allow the insti
tute to widen the scope
of their research The
institute's initial re
search will focus on the
theoretical rules that can
help teach generaliza
tion skills for a spectrum
of needs
"The first few years it
will be very much real
science' with controlled
and systematic exper
Finding
the Future
teachers They also will
conduct long-term
studies of individuals to
see how the skills are
learned and maintained
during a five-year per
iod
The contract, which
the Department of
Education awarded to
the University jointly with
the University of Califor
nia in Santa Barbara,
specifies what is to be
done with the money
Horner and his col
leagues spent about
three weeks, working
“We have the research
technology now that allows us
to do research without making
the situation so artificial that it
is of no use to the individual
extent, do research to prove
things they already know will
work."
The project's second phase
will apply the research in
iu-mvui uayo, ikj pic^dic
the contract proposal.
“It was a lot of work, but $1.5
million is a lot of money," he
says
Previous research showed
men awuvi/iudciy uvci uic
five years
One advantage the Univer
sity had was the high quality of
education for severely hand
icapped students already oc
curring within the Eugene
area school districts For ex
ample, in the Lane Education
Service District, students are
integrated in the schools, and
although they sometimes have
different classrooms, they are
mainstreamed with normal
students as much as possi
ble.
Horner says these advances
in public education are neces
sary to dispel the myths about
handicapped people.
“Parents, advocates and
legislators have decided the
values we hold for ourselves
should apply to the hand
icapped,'.’ he says.
Cash
For Textbooks
Mon.- Fri.
Smith Family
Bookstore
768 E. 13th
1 Bl. From Campus
345-1651
onuiiSL
New Item
Expresso
Coffee
9 - 2 p.m.
November
Monday
3
1
(tytieMdanA etUcMHfoct t0%
dotrUHQ 'Havemivt.
3
3
•I
Tuesday time dtU wee/t t* <pt
-1 r wqaiUject fivt t9$3~(?At>c6 <u£
tde telectam *£ <yuat ccUendcix^ at
t&e
3
s
Wednesday ^ ^ ^
1/C TkcccU a* a ccUatdcvi, (fa (t
yifovnafifuct ((fui) <xt t&t
SaaAtt&u,.
Thursday
17
Tfiut «a&6 &u%Jt444X at 2:00.
*7l*t€ maKOfemiMt 4€*tt*an tani^At,
fating cxUtndcvi,
3
Friday
3
3
■i
Saturday
19
& IXookotOAl focUUf, fax 19X3
@aU*eUvia! Stack ia limttaeC.
tO%
atUtf ufic&Unc (k (fcntxal Saakc
6X6-3510
| 13th & Kincaid
I H 1 Mon-Fri 7:30-5:30
BOOKSTORE Sat 10:00-3:00