"I didn’t know that I was to become a poet, that in many
ways the very thing that caused me so much confusion and frustration,
my belabored relationship with words, had created in me a deep
appreciation of language and its music, that the same mind that
prevented me from reading had invented a new way of reading, a method
that I now use to teach others how to overcome their own difficulties
in order to write fiction and poetry' (Schultz, 2011)
I struggled with reading and writing in elementary school. I had
to take "tutoring" in those subjects. Now, thanks to my
teacher, reading and writing are two of my stronger attributes. I
find Schultz's story inspiring. He turned something he struggled with into something that he now truly loves. I love seeing someone who has struggled succeed and I appreciate Schultz greatly, because he not only shared his story but now he is sharing his method of how to overcome dyslexia. I know I did not struggle with as many issues as Schultz,
but as someone who once struggled with reading and writing I can
empathize with his feelings. I truly had a similar experience,
something I struggled to overcome has developed into a "deep
appreciation."
Since I am wanting to teach Spanish, and learning a foreign
language can be a challenge for dyslexic students, I find this
article to be a type of call to action. I think utilizing digital
storytelling could be helpful to my students who have dyslexia. I can
record my voice and speak more slowly and more clearly than I
normally might in class. I could also have the words in a sentence
being highlighted as I read them, so the student could read along and
learn pronunciation and spelling more easily. I could also present
pictures along with the words to help make a better connection with the mind. For example, I could show the picture of an olive
and slowly I would say the word "aceituna" (olive in
Spanish) and as I am pronouncing the word each sound I am making
would be highlighted as my voice is heard. I am sure some dyslexic
students would still struggle; however, an exercise like this one
might be helpful to all of my students.
I found a really interesting article to go along with this
reading. The article is called "Digital
Revolution Changing the Lives of Students with Disabilities."
This article discusses a teacher named Kathy White, who helps find
technology to specifically assist a child's special needs. Her work
has helped a number of students. One student that she helped is named
Correy, he has dyslexia. He was in a slow-paced science class and on
his to being placed in special education courses. Now, thanks to Kathy
White, he uses an iPod, a laptop, and computer software, that reads
to him, to help him succeed beyond what he could have ever imagined.
Schultz, F. (2012, Feburary 27). Digital revolution changing the lives of students with disabilities. Education Week, Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2012/02/27/mct_digitalspeced.html
Schultz, P. (2011, September 03). Words failed me then saved me New York Times, Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/04/opinion/sunday/with-dyslexia-words-failed-me-and-then-saved-me.html?_r=2
I'm dyslexic over the years I have tried many methods in order to "overcome my dyslexia" but none of them really worked. Luckily for me I have found a technology that helps me spell correctly (I will never be a writer) and really changed many things in my life.
ReplyDeleteThe assistance technology I found is Ghotit dyslexia spell and grammar checker.
Ghotit technology was developed by people with dyslexia and corrects text based on the context of the text.
You can try Ghotit technology on Ghotit web site www.ghotit.com