Learning is a life-long process and everybody knows that it is often very painful and difficult. Teachers are supposed to meet the individual needs of the students, to help him/her to gain insight into the academic world and to succeed in school. It is often difficult for teachers to fulfill these tasks but it can become even more difficult if there are other factors that play a significant role in the learning process such as a learning disability called dyslexia. Nowadays there are a lot of children, who get the diagnosis dyslexia, and they are still treated the same way as children without a learning disability.
It is often difficult for parents to accept the fact that their child might be dyslexic because they know how problematic the life of the whole family can become. These children have almost no chance to have a positive experience related to reading in school as a lot of teachers are still unfamiliar with teaching techniques that are appropriate for dyslexic children. Jackie Stewart, a Scottish race driver, who won 27 Grand Prix titles and has dyslexia, said once: “You will never understand what it feels like to be dyslexic. No matter how long you have worked in this area, no matter if your own children are dyslexic, you will never understand what it feels like to be humiliated your entire childhood and taught every day to believe that you will never succeed at anything.” (Wolf, 2008, p. 166) Society has to accept that idea that there are dyslexic children, whose needs are different from the ones of normal children. Teachers should use teaching techniques for dyslexic children in school such as multisensory instruction, phonemic awareness, and promote the idea of home schooling, as they would not influence normal students in a negative way. Consequently, dyslexic children as well as normal children would have a good chance to be successful.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Discussion
Objectives and Topics
This paper examines the challenges faced by children with dyslexia in educational environments, focusing on how a lack of appropriate teaching strategies can lead to academic failure and public humiliation. It explores the neurological differences in dyslexic brains and discusses intervention methods to support these students.
- Neurological aspects of dyslexia and reading difficulties.
- The psychological impact of academic struggle on children.
- Teaching techniques, including phoneme awareness and multisensory instruction.
- The role of home schooling as an alternative educational approach.
- Identifying and supporting dyslexic students to foster academic success.
Excerpt from the Book
Discussion
The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) and the National Institute of Health considers Dyslexia to be “a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin,” that “is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition, […]poor spelling and decoding abilities.” It is often called a learning disability but Fergusan (2008), the author of A Resource about Dyslexia for People in Hawaii, argues that it is only a learning difference, which could become a disability if the education of society and the dyslexic child itself is not appropriate for this situation because they have the chance to be successful with other teaching techniques than normal children.
According to Kathy Fergusan (2008), “Dyslexic persons are often creative thinkers who excel at multidimensional, “big picture” thinking” and Maryann Wolf, who is a professor in the Eliot-Person Department of Child Development at Tufts University and also published several books about dyslexia, supports her point of view as she believes that “an unusually large number of dyslexic people are talented,” who “cannot learn to read, despite all their intelligence and despite the critical importance of just their type of intelligence for the species.” (Wolf, 2008, p. 227) However, Noam Chomsky and Blaise, who are both linguists, think of dyslexia as a “language-based disorder” (Wolf, 2008, p. 173)
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the challenges of dyslexia in schools and highlights the emotional and academic risks children face when their specific learning needs are not met by traditional teaching methods.
2. Discussion: This section analyzes the neurological basis of dyslexia, compares different expert perspectives, and details pedagogical interventions like multisensory instruction and phoneme awareness to support dyslexic learners.
Keywords
Dyslexia, learning disability, learning difference, public humiliation, reading, phoneme awareness, multisensory instruction, education, neurological origin, academic failure, creativity, home schooling, student-teacher interaction, pedagogical techniques, brain structure.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this work?
The paper focuses on the struggle of children with dyslexia within the school system, specifically addressing how inappropriate pedagogical approaches can lead to negative psychological outcomes and academic failure.
What are the central themes discussed?
The central themes include the neurological background of dyslexia, the emotional impact of being labeled as a failure in childhood, and the importance of implementing specialized teaching techniques.
What is the primary goal of this research?
The primary goal is to advocate for a better understanding of dyslexia as a learning difference and to highlight effective strategies, such as multisensory learning, that can help dyslexic children succeed.
Which scientific methods or approaches are utilized?
The paper utilizes a literature-based analytical approach, synthesizing findings from neurological studies, psycholinguistic tests, and expert pedagogical guides to support its arguments.
What topics are covered in the main body?
The main body covers the definition of dyslexia, brain connectivity differences in dyslexic readers, the negative experiences of students, and detailed methods like phoneme awareness training and multisensory instruction.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include dyslexia, multisensory instruction, phoneme awareness, academic failure, neurobiology of reading, and individualized education.
How does the author define the distinction between a 'learning disability' and a 'learning difference'?
The author highlights that while often termed a disability, experts suggest it is a learning difference that only becomes a disability if the educational environment fails to adapt to the student's unique needs.
Why is multisensory instruction considered effective for dyslexic children?
It is effective because it engages multiple senses—sight, hearing, touch, and movement—which helps create stronger neural associations and compensates for the difficulties dyslexic children have with traditional, auditory-visual methods.
What role does home schooling play in the author's argument?
The author suggests that home schooling serves as an alternative that can provide the necessary individualized instruction and flexible environment to prevent the "humiliation of academic failure" often found in traditional schools.
- Quote paper
- Annemarie Wendicke (Author), 2008, Dyslexia’s Puzzle, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/135543
