To the Student Whom It May Concern
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| Title: | To the Student Whom It May Concern |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Klein, Stephanie |
| Source: | Support for Learning. May 2009 24(2):101-102. |
| Availability: | Wiley-Blackwell. 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148. Tel: 800-835-6770; Tel: 781-388-8598; Fax: 781-388-8232; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 2 |
| Publication Date: | 2009 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Descriptive |
| Education Level: | Higher Education |
| Descriptors: | Learning Problems, Preservice Teachers, Dyslexia, Learning Strategies, Personal Narratives, Attitudes, Preservice Teacher Education, Reading, Disabilities |
| Geographic Terms: | United States |
| DOI: | 10.1111/j.1467-9604.2009.01406.x |
| ISSN: | 0268-2141 |
| Abstract: | In this short piece Stephanie Klein, a final-year teacher trainee at a college in the USA, talks about dyslexia as seen through the context of her family experience. She provides a highly personal and uplifting account, which accentuates that there is a range of straightforward strategies which students can invoke to address their learning difficulties. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2009 |
| Accession Number: | EJ847669 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Url: https://content.ebscohost.com/cds/retrieve?content=AQICAHj0k_4E0hTGH8RJwT4gCJyBsGNe_WN95AvKlDbXJGqwxwH7KIccdReRl4D-xcCjyY9eAAAA4jCB3wYJKoZIhvcNAQcGoIHRMIHOAgEAMIHIBgkqhkiG9w0BBwEwHgYJYIZIAWUDBAEuMBEEDL2EZdEbpqbcxF7t1QIBEICBmkuOQ4i7wj3_hhie4v7Ty0AA77uV_d7tL7I02nrWALC0nwfriIBNChGWEqBn1D5z-fh-IEsqd5KW2RcyuAlX258ty9LHUMD4gl_Y5MO1P5MEb0J0-pHCgRErr4QYzJwMP4y7mL7thZwX_Y76qJ-2DGBz6y9xoWIt_XX0zVUCSuVdEUovJZCUOI28Iz5s5jHQM5Ng-EhneAWNlcw= Text: Availability: 1 Value: <anid>AN0043198281;d8x01may.09;2019May30.12:47;v2.2.500</anid> <title id="AN0043198281-1">To the student whom it may concern. </title> <p>In this short piece Stephanie Klein, a final‐year teacher trainee at a college in the USA, talks about dyslexia as seen through the context of her family experience. She provides a highly personal and uplifting account, which accentuates that there is a range of straightforward strategies which students can invoke to address their learning difficulties.</p> <p>Keywords: dyslexia; student experience; narrative account</p> <p>Have you ever been called lazy? Do you typically consider yourself smart, but school reports may say differently? When someone hands you a book, do you politely hand it back? If your teacher asks you to read aloud in class, do you all of a sudden need to use the bathroom? All of these scenarios are typical if you have been diagnosed with dyslexia. Except here's the problem: all you seem to know is that you have 'dyslexia'. What does that even mean?</p> <p>It's okay to have dyslexia. It is not a disease. It's not contagious or life‐threatening. Even though it's categorised as a learning disability, it's really just a <emph>learning difference</emph>. A disability implies that there is something you cannot do. People with dyslexia <emph>can</emph> learn; they just learn differently.</p> <p>So you've been diagnosed with dyslexia? Congratulations! You are in the company of Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams, Leonardo da Vinci, Pablo Picasso, Mohammad Ali, Nolan Ryan, Henry Ford, Alexander Graham Bell, Albert Einstein, Cher, George Washington, John F. Kennedy . . . need I continue? I am sure you have heard of at least a few of these people. They have all carried on very successful lives while having dyslexia. It is not a curse; in fact, it can be a blessing. How do we turn this 'learning disability' into a blessing? Simple, we acknowledge it for exactly what it is – a different way of thinking.</p> <p>If teachers stood in front of the class all day long and taught in a different language, students could not be blamed for not learning the lessons for the day. It is similar for those of you with dyslexia. If your teachers have been instructing you through one teaching method that clearly isn't effective for you, why are you the one who gets blamed? Shouldn't people be asking the teachers to do something differently? Just as the students couldn't understand their teachers in a foreign language, most students with dyslexia cannot learn well when taught in typical formats. Think about it: would you learn something better if a teacher gave you a packet of reading or if the teacher provided an activity or project to learn the information? Most students with dyslexia would choose to do the activity or project. So why is it that so much of the information exchanged in schools is through reading? This is not effective for most students with dyslexia, making it the responsibility of the teachers when these students fall behind.</p> <p>Please don't misunderstand me: reading is very important, and personally I love to read. However, reading shouldn't be the basis for everything in school. Students who aren't good at Science can still be good at Language Arts, right? But, unfortunately, students who have trouble reading will likely struggle in every subject because so much information is given through written text. Schools have made reading the basis for learning, which is great for students who enjoy reading and are good at it! But what if you don't like to read? Or what if it takes you three times as long as most students to read a textbook page? Does this sound familiar? Is this maybe helping to explain why school has seemed so difficult?</p> <p>Instead of continuing to struggle through school, it is important to find ways of learning which work for you! Here are a few examples of strategies that may be helpful:</p> <p></p> <p>• •</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> When you know you will have to take notes during class, ask the teacher for an outline beforehand. This will limit the amount of writing you need to do and enable you to focus on listening more than the laborious task of writing everything down.</item> <p></p> </ulist> <p>• •</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> When doing activities, try to find some way to make it multi‐sensory (using all of your senses). Maybe for spelling you would draw the spelling words in glue, put glitter on them and let it dry. Then you can feel the letters, say them aloud, see them and write them. You can draw a picture which incorporates the words that have a similar prefix or suffix. Some people benefit from associating words with something they enjoy that has similar spelling patterns. Get creative!</item> <p></p> </ulist> <p>• •</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> While working on Maths, forget the regular pen‐and‐paper approach. Try using manipulatives to <emph>see</emph> the problem and solve it. Maybe you are an artist and it helps you to draw the problem before finding the solution.</item> <p></p> </ulist> <p>• •</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> When you have to read, read aloud so you can hear the words. If you are around other people, mouth the words so you can feel what you are reading.</item> <p></p> </ulist> <p>• •</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> If you are studying a play, don't just read it – act it out. While reading a novel, illustrate what is happening to help with comprehension, draw a story map or have a discussion with someone who is reading the same book.</item> <p></p> </ulist> <p>• •</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> During subjects like History, when there are chapters that are supposed to be read at a certain time, ask your teacher if you can get it on tape. This isn't cheating. Rather, it is helping you to focus on the history content instead of struggling through difficult text.</item> <p></p> </ulist> <p>• •</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> If a test has a lot of text, ask your teacher for a time extension. This will allow you to take your time and truly understand what you are reading. Or perhaps someone can read the test to you so you can focus on the content.</item> <p></p> </ulist> <p>• •</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> Essay tests can be quite difficult for students with dyslexia, especially if you are being tested on a subject outside Language Arts. How can you focus on the Social Studies content when all you are concerned with is if you misspelled those last few words? Ask your teacher if someone can scribe for you (write down what you say). Or maybe you can record your essay instead of writing it.</item> <p></p> </ulist> <p>• •</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> Build on your strengths. Many people have noticed that students with dyslexia are more creative, excel at hands‐on activities and have great personal skills, among many other things. Keep those in mind and use them to your advantage.</item> <p></p> </ulist> <p>• •</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> For many with dyslexia, it's about finding ways to make it fun and interesting. Remember things that have helped you do this in the past and recreate them!</item> </ulist> <p>I hope these suggestions help. The biggest thing I want you to take from this letter is that you <emph>can</emph> learn. You just need to realise that you learn differently from most other students. When possible, use multi‐sensory learning – this seems to be the most effective strategy for students with dyslexia. Most importantly, have fun! If you aren't having fun learning, then it will continue to be a struggle. Find strategies that work for you and make learning exciting. And ask for help if you need it. We all need help sometimes, and it will pay off down the road.</p> <p>Don't give up! Remember – dyslexia is a <emph>learning difference</emph>, not necessarily a learning disability. You can learn! Quite often it is up to you to make that happen. The best way to be successful in school is for you to understand this thing called dyslexia and what it means for you. There is not a one‐size‐fits‐all approach to this learning difference. You need to find strategies which work for you in school, and try to incorporate those strategies into your everyday learning, even if the teacher doesn't tell you to. Not all teachers have a complete understanding of dyslexia. You need to become your own advocate.</p> <p>Best of luck to you!</p> <p>Sincerely,</p> <p>Stephanie</p> <p>I will earn my Bachelor's Degree in Special Education in May 2009 and begin teaching in the fall. Helping students with special needs became my passion early in 2005 when I began working for The Arc – a non‐profit organisation helping people of all ages with a range of disabilities. A special place in my heart was made for students with dyslexia when my little brother was diagnosed with it, along with dysgraphia and having an anxiety disorder, all following a diagnosis of ADHD. My parents were up front with him about this diagnosis and did not treat it as a disability. The combined approach of medication to help him concentrate, a tutor to give him the extra learning attention and time with a psychologist for his anxiety was all in a normal day. But it was obvious he felt different and did not want to talk about it with too many people. The corner was turned this past summer when he was at a week‐long service‐oriented day camp with many kids he had never met before in sixth to eighth grade. When asked to write for the group on chart paper, the 'cool' eighth‐grade boy announces that he has dyslexia and is not a very good speller, but he will give it a shot. As I heard Blake tell me this later that night, I could see that he knew having dyslexia would be okay.</p> <p>As I began to write this article, I thought about Blake and other students I have worked with who have various 'disabilities'. Thinking about those who are the happiest with their lives, I cannot help but notice that they are the ones who have acknowledged their difference and chosen to move on, often finding a way to use their difference as an advantage. I talked with Blake about this article as I was writing it, hoping to get some insight. What I realised was that, even with all of the initial coaching and discussion early on in his diagnosis, my little brother still needs constant reminders that dyslexia is a learning difference, not a disability. That was when I changed from writing my article to writing a letter. Kids need to know that having dyslexia is okay. Students need to be aware of this learning difference and what it means for their education; they need a constant reminder that they can learn. I hope this letter helps.</p> <aug> <p>By STEPHANIE KLEIN</p> <p>Reported by Author</p> </aug> |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1111/j.1467-9604.2009.01406.x Languages: – Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 2 StartPage: 101 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Learning Problems Type: general – SubjectFull: Preservice Teachers Type: general – SubjectFull: Dyslexia Type: general – SubjectFull: Learning Strategies Type: general – SubjectFull: Personal Narratives Type: general – SubjectFull: Attitudes Type: general – SubjectFull: Preservice Teacher Education Type: general – SubjectFull: Reading Type: general – SubjectFull: Disabilities Type: general – SubjectFull: United States Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: To the Student Whom It May Concern Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Klein, Stephanie IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 05 Type: published Y: 2009 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 0268-2141 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 24 – Type: issue Value: 2 Titles: – TitleFull: Support for Learning Type: main |
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