Students Who Learn Differently
LEARNING-DIFFERENTLY
We all are individuals and we all learn differently from one another. For example, some of us are auditory learners and others of us are visual learners. Some of us have to hear something in order for it to make any sense, and some of us have to see it, or picture it in our minds, before it can sink in. Many of us are able to get through the prescribed educational curriculum sufficiently to pass our exams and obtain our diplomas. And many of us are not.
This report will be examining some of the issues and opportunities facing some students who are not able to succeed in the current educational system without some extra help. These are students who are of normal or above normal intelligence, students who suffer no obvious mental impairment or emotional problem, and students who have had the opportunity and the motivation to learn.
Most of the current terminology that refers to students who learn differently is derogatory. At best, they are classified as having specific learning difficulties. Other times they are referred to as being learning disabled. They are said to suffer from minimal brain dysfunction. Just a short while ago, they called it a brain "malfunction."
But is this really the case? Autopsies on "normal" and dyslexic brains have shown that the "normal" brain shows an asymmetrical development in one sphere while the dyslexic brain appears to develop evenly on both sides. In other words, the dyslexic mind appears to use the whole brain simultaneously while the area associated with language acquisition in the "normal" brain shows an over, or one-sided, development.1
Equal development of both spheres permits learning-differently students to enjoy special gifts. They tend to "see" things 3-dimensionally. They have a unique kind of spatial awareness. This allows them, among other things, to be excellent architects, inventors, directors for film and theatre, interior decorators, and teachers for other learning-differently students.
Current estimates of the percentage of people who learn differently range from 15% to 25%. That last figure represents 1 out of every 4 people. Parents and teachers are becoming better educated in recognizing students who learn differently. Additionally, the testing methods themselves are becoming more refined.
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1 Masiand, Richard L. "Neurological Aspects of Dyslexia." Dyslexia Research and it Applications to Education, edited by G. Th. Pavlidis and T. R. Miles. John Wiley and Sons, Ltd. 1981.
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Students Who Learn Differently
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10/29/99 EvE. Last updated 04/07/00 EvE
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