I listened to a YouTube video this morning featuring MIT Professor Catherine Drennan discussing her dyslexia and its advantages. Here are extracts from the video along with my comments. LINK
Catherine Drennan:
"I learned to read through the shapes of words. You see things differently when you are dyslexic, and that can be useful in certain areas. This ability to visualize and see shapes and patterns is true."
My thoughts:
Learning to read through word shapes is a perspective shared by many teachers.
I have explained this in my post here.
However, this statement by Catherine may unintentionally be detrimental to other dyslexics, as reflected in the comments on the YouTube channel. Parents of dyslexic children might encourage them to learn words by shape based on her statement.
A significant issue for dyslexic children who struggle with reading is their difficulty in understanding blending when consonants are taught with extraneous sounds. Given her background as an MIT professor, Catherine could benefit from researching the reasons behind her own reading challenges, including having to repeat the sixth grade. By the time she completed her second year in sixth grade, her brain had likely figured out how to read—not solely by recognizing the shapes of words.
Many children learn to read between grades 4 and 9, when their brains develop the understanding necessary to overcome their reading difficulties. Catherine might consider exploring how David Chalk learned to read in just 11 days at the age of 62. Did he learn by word shapes? Similarly, how did Tom Cruise manage to learn to read after the age of 22? Was it through letter shapes?
Catherine Drennan:
"The only way you figure out what you are capable of is to try it. You can’t be afraid to fall on your face. If you are going to do anything important or insignificant, it is going to be hard, and there is going to be failure. The key to success is, well, that didn’t go well; let’s try that again. So, pick yourself up and go right back at it. If you do that and love what you love to do, and find things that are cool, interesting, and fun, you will be successful."
My thoughts:
For every dyslexic like Catherine, how many leave school as illiterates? Many end up as excellent tradespeople and artists when they could have pursued careers as lecturers like Catherine.
No comments:
Post a Comment