Educating the Dragon

The following is a transcript of a conversation between a Teacher (T) and student (S). (The *****’s indicate a word or phrase that was spoken but not understandable)

If this is the level of their explanation in oral form then why are we expecting them to be able to WRITE a recount evidencing “mainly simple and compound sentences but attempting complex sentences, varying the beginning and length of their sentences”.

T- Tell me about what happened in Duffy Assembly this week.

S- We got them on Wednesday, the Duffy book …….******* Wednesday.

T- What happened?

S- We all got our books in…… we got to go outside and have our picture done and then we get to go home.

T- Who came?

S- ssssss …. Ummmmm…… My mum? ……*******

T- Was there a special visitor?

S- Yes…. There’s a ********

T- Pardon?

S- …. And a lady.

T- Could you say that a little clearer?

S- A penguin and a lady

T- And what did they do?

S- they look after the penguins… They look after all the…. They look after the polar bear and the penguins.

T- And where is she from?

S- ummmm…… I forgot where she come from. We got our Duffy books (My teacher) said….I thought (My teacher) said my name but it want my name.

T- It wasn’t your name?

S (shakes head) It was Mark’s! …M..A..R..K..Marrrrrrrrk!

T- Is there anything else that happened? That you want to tell me about.

S- Ted does!

T- No, I’m asking you.

S- We…we…we … orrrrr….got our parents and then we went outside to have our picture…then we had to hold up our books.

T-Thank you very much.

Two stories came to my attention:

1. Five year olds in this European city are not due to start school until they are six, in fact ON their sixth birthday. This five old I heard about is very, very bored at kindy and mum and dad want her to start school early. As part and parcel of the procedure for that to happen the kid needs to be assessed by a some Educational Psychologist or similar, there are a raft of result coming through regarding the kid but what stands out is the IQ of 140. The kid begins school immediately and is put in the Y0 class, where she spends the first week learning the number ‘1’. Are her needs being met?

2. Intermediate kid, he has special needs that I am unable to disclose. The school has streamed maths and literacy programmes. His ability is somewhat below even the lowest of groups in the lowest of classes. His class contains 29 students. The teacher sees him for focused teaching time, with 4 others three times a week. Are his needs being met?

The recent push in education towards ‘personised learning’ is merely rhetoric. The reality of one teacher personalizing the learning of 33 students on a continual basic is beyond the time and energy of any regular teacher. It is why Primary (Elementary) teachers have been organizing ‘differentiated’ groups for a long time now; it is the realistic balance between ‘personalized learning’ and ‘whole class teaching’.

When my kid finally hits school I want to know what is really happening in the classrooms. I don’t want some Principal talking to me about their ‘personalised learning plan’ when really its ‘differentiated learning’ in a new coat of paint.

Let’s keep it real people, let’s call it what it is.

I’ve been to 3 schools thiks week and it is Friday now. Finally I have by sticker, proudly displaying the words “Dyslexia Awareness Week- Blessing in Disguise” I’m just wondering how aware people have really been.

I have previously posted my feelings regarding the Dyslexia Foundations choice of tag lines but I have to say that the word ‘Blessing’ is again overstating it somewhat.

There are many, many kids (and adults) fighting everyday against their Dyslexia. What annoys me so much I think that in so many situations when you say “I’m Dyslexic” people will just dismissively laugh it away like it’s some kind of joke. I feel like screaming sometimes, “I’M SERIOUS….HELP ME!!!”

Just because I’m a teacher does not mean I’ve not got this learning difficulty. I have had to work REALLY hard to get where I am, doing what I’m doing. Sure, I’m not the best teacher in the whole world, but then nor am I the worst.

It takes me longer to think issues through (which is why I like the blog so much- thinking asynchronously works really well for me)

As for ‘Picture thinking’ – Yep, its true for me. Whenever someone says. “Have you seen my car keys? “ If I have I can see it in my head. Right there! By the …., Under the …. Behind the…. Agggrrrh! If only I could actually marry up those nouns with the picture in my head fast enough not look like an idiot, I’d be happy.

Is it gift? Am I blessed? Hmmm, not from where I’m standing.

 The old joke goes:

“What does DNA stand for?….. National Dyslexic Association”

Back in April of this year the government finally recognised dyslexia as reading and writing disability- Hurray for you!

I must confess that I am somewhat delighted that I grew up in Britain where it has been recognised for yonks. In fact, if it were not for that and a very determined mother I happen to have I would certainly not be sitting here in this hemisphere typing this right now.

It troubles me just a little that the Dyslexic Foundation leaflet has the by-line “The gift of picture thinking” - It hardly feels like a gift for the kid and looks like a total nightmare for parents. I appreciate the upbeat nature of the material being presented, however in going upbeat I would hate to think we are trivalising the nature of the difficulties.

I was 12 when I was diagnosed with Dyslexia. I then had additional reading lessons in school and out targeting the way I learn so I could learn. If only I’d spent more time considering how they were teaching me and what I was being taught, perhaps I be a better teacher for it. You see often people assume that I know how to educate the educationally challenged ‘just cos I was one’ – that is not the case at all. I fact I have very poor understanding the strategies I use. You see I have been taught that way, I read that way, I write and spell that way…. I think everyone sees the world as I do. But then don’t we all. I was amazed the other day to discover that people view a page and scan from left to right in zigzag pattern in a density to match the density of the text they are scanning. Others move down the centre of the page scanning left and right to get the essence of the text. I NEVER look at a page of writing in either of those ways. I start at the start and move right along to the next word and the next and …..so on.

I echo Clare Coulson’s words: “I am a “compensated dyslexic”, which means my natural cognitive strengths have compensated for the cluster of cognitive weaknesses that characterise dyslexia.”

The dyslexic foundation has worked hard over the last I don’t know how long to get dyslexia put on the agenda. When I was asked to look into dyslexia provision in New Zealand I thought there was none. School after school appears to be ‘not very far down the road’ in terms of acknowledging it let alone doing something about it.

There are an estimated 70,000 dyslexic children in New Zealand. These are children of regular or higher intelligence that think in a more creative and kinestic manner whose needs are not yet being address. 70,000 that’s 8.25% of school aged children in 2001. Is it a small enough percentage for the education system to ignore? I don’t want to list a whole heap of famous dyslexics, New Zealanders or not because lets face it they made it… You could argue that they reached their full potential with or without educational establishment help. But for every John Britten there were 69,999 other dyslexics who we haven’t heard about.

John Britten was plagued with his dyslexia all his life… I say plagued but somehow it would seem you can ‘overcome’ the disability.

“A world authority on dyslexia, Californian Ronald Davis, told the opening function that dyslexia was highly treatable.”

I don’t like the language of ‘overcome’ or ‘treatable’, it sounds like its something you get past and move on like that challenging 20 foot wall you see on all those SAS/ Survivor shows. Not so….

There are many myths surrounding Dyslexia.  Many people think it is a disorder that is simply impossible to beat - no matter how determined you are.   John O’Shea says: “It does get better.  You learn to cope.”

The point of me sharing this… I don’t know. The provision of educational opportunities for ALL should always be front and centre in our minds.

Regardless of their needs and challenges our students deserve the best possible education. They are entitiled to it, are they receiving it?

Links:

ThankGodI’mDyslexic

Clare Coulson’s article: Spelling it out

Dyslexia Foundation