A Confluent View of Special Education

Effects of Confluent Education on High School Students Identified as Learning Disabled

“…Cangelosi (1982) has suggested that this involves considering the child as a "whole," rather than dealing with "separate" entities such as affect and cognition. Although affective programs (Krause, 1977;Cruickshank & Hallahan, 1975) as well as cognitive programs (Knaus & McKever, 1977) have been implemented in LD classes with some success, these have been treated as separate parts of the learning process.…”

“…This concept assumes that learning extends beyond the cognitive sphere and is significantly influenced by feelings of the learner about self and others, and by the interactions between students and teachers. Cangelosi (1982) proposed that confluent education, in fact, is a prescription for student-teacher interactions in which the teacher role is to facilitate learning, emphasizing sharing, acceptance, responsibility and independence. This author strongly advocated its use in special education, encompassing process and outcomes in areas such as decision-making, interpersonal communication and rational thinking.…”

The Case for Confluence and LD Teens

“…What is it? Confluent means a flowing together of parts; thus, confluent education integrates cognitive and affective (thinking and feeling) aspects of learners, and views education as a fluid process involving whole people (Brown 1971;Cangelosi 1982). It assumes that learning goes beyond cognitive processes (complex enough in their own right) to consider also the interaction of people's feelings (about themselves, their peers, their teachers) with those cognitive processes.…”