[SSC] SSC Digest, Vol 19, Issue 4

Mon Jul 2 21:15:00 UTC 2012

Hi everyone,

I agree with Sandie and Mike W. here, that it would be a good idea to reflect on where we are and how we're doing on Wednesday, and beyond. 
In the meantime I'm really enjoying the conversations that Alan's reflections have initiated. 

Can we announce for the meeting with people wanting to study, on this Wednesday, that I'll be there to help out with childcare if anyone 
will need it? Not sure how to go about doing that...

Best,
Sarah 

On Mon  2/07/12 20:41, ssc-request at lists.aktivix.org wrote:
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> Today's Topics:
> 
> 1. Re: [Norton AntiSpam] Communications,	assessment and
> disability (Alan Gurbutt)
> 
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Mon, 2 Jul 2012 21:40:52 +0100
> From: "Alan Gurbutt" <agurbutt at g
> mail.com>
To: "'Sandie Stratford'" <sa
> ndiestrat at phonecoop.coop>
Cc: ssc at lis
> ts.aktivix.org
Subject: Re: [SSC] [Norton AntiSpam] Communications,	assessment and
> disability
> Message-ID: <000c01cd5892$f94fabb0$ebef0310$@com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> 
> Dear Sandi / everyone,
> 
> Grace enjoyed her day. Her grandmother once said her wisdom exceeded
> her
age, which, at the time, seemed like a strange comment to make, she was
> very
young. 
> 
> 
> 
> I look forward to a time when neuroscience and education become more
> integrated towards learning, but think science will only prove what
> Vygotsgy
already knew. The Brainwaves 2 project at the Royal Society is making
> headway.
> 
> 
> 
> People never cease to amaze me, we are remarkably resilient. I'm sure
> SSC
will provide support when needed. It just feels right.
> 
> 
> 
> Best wishes,
> 
> 
> 
> Alan 
> 
> 
> 
> From: Sandie Stratford [sa
> ndiestrat at phonecoop.coop] 
Sent: 02 July 2012 20:19
> To: Alan Gurbutt; ssc at lis
> ts.aktivix.org
Subject: Re: [Norton AntiSpam][SSC] Communications, assessment and
> disability
> 
> 
> 
> Hi all
> 
> 
> 
> It was delightful to have Grace take part, with her quiet wisdom and
> careful
listening.  I am so pleased that she felt able to be part of us.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks Alan for a really useful insight into dyslexia.  I love the ZPD
> theory and get more from it every time I study it.  It's one of those
> truly
intuitive models, for me.
> 
> 
> 
> You make the very valuable point that dealing with people as individuals
> is
what really matters.  I hope that's what the SSC will excel at.
> 
> 
> 
> Sandie
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> 
> From: Alan Gurbutt <agurbutt at g
> mail.com>  
> To: ssc at lis
> ts.aktivix.org 
> Sent: Sunday, July 01, 2012 9:16 PM
> 
> Subject: [Norton AntiSpam][SSC] Communications, assessment and
> disability
> 
> 
> Dear All,
> 
> 
> 
> It was good to meet you all yesterday. Thank you for allowing my daughter
> to
stay. I wanted her to experience learning set aside from schooling.
> She's
been busy with GCSEs which is leaving little time for reading more
> widely.
It must have worked; she is full of enthusiasm and is now busy
> transferring
the creative projects tree to a computer representation.
> 
> 
> 
> We enjoyed the communications workshop, looking at speaking and
> listening
for personalised accessible learning.
> 
> 
> 
> Regarding disability and special education needs, I'm conscious that I
> was
asked to write a short paper about my experience with dyslexia. Please
> accept my apologies for not having time to do this hence being ill
> prepared
for yesterday.  
> 
> 
> 
> To the best of my knowledge I am the only member of my family to have
> been
affected by dyslexia and by a twist of fate it hasn't been passed down to
> my
children. However, it should be noted that the word 'dyslexia' is a
> very
broad term which can have implications beyond genetic transmission,
> for
intergenerational learning. This can be compounded by compulsory
> education
where standardisation can fail to capture creativity of the young
> and/or
disabled. 
> 
> 
> 
> Some describe dyslexia as a specific learning disability (SpLD) whilst
> others see it as a gift of neurological diversity. I guess, where
> adjustments are made to learning it becomes less of a disability, where
> they
are not the opposite may apply. It is doubtful however to be clear-cut
> because for some the effects can be severe. For example, dyslexia is
> associated with conditions such as ADHD. 
> 
> 
> 
> Then there's the issue of how society constructs disability. Some argue
> for
inclusion, for equality of opportunity, whilst others see inclusion as
> a
dumbing down of excellence or cheating. State education in England has
> provided few favours. It has been in a state of flux since the 1944
> Education Act on how to divide children. Recent amendments to state
> education around admissions and academies will mean it will only get
> worse
for those who don't fit the mould. What this essentially means is that
> Higher Education will become a distant dream for many.      
> 
> 
> 
> There are legal protections in the Equality Act 2010. Basically, if a
> condition is expected to last for more than 12 months reasonable
> adjustments
must be made. I'll revisit this at some point.
> 
> 
> 
> The Scottish Government have produced a working definition of dyslexia
> which
is quite useful    
> 
> 
> 
> Dyslexia can be described as a continuum of difficulties in learning
> to
read, write and/or spell, which persist despite the provision of
> appropriate
learning opportunities. These difficulties often do not reflect an
> individual's cognitive abilities and may not be typical of performance
> in
other areas. The impact of dyslexia as a barrier to learning varies in
> degree according to the learning and teaching environment, as there
> are
often associated difficulties such as:
> 
> 
> 
> .         auditory and /or visual processing of language-based
> information
> .         phonological awareness
> 
> .         oral language skills and reading fluency
> 
> .         short-term and working memory
> 
> .         sequencing and directionality
> 
> .         number skills
> 
> .         organisational ability
> 
> .         Motor skills and co-ordination may also be affected.
> 
> Dyslexia exists in all cultures and across the range of abilities and
> socio-economic backgrounds. It is a hereditary, life-long,
> neuro-developmental condition. Unidentified, dyslexia is likely to result
> in
low self esteem, high stress, atypical behaviour, and low achievement.
> 
> Learners with dyslexia will benefit from early identification,
> appropriate
intervention and targeted effective teaching, enabling them to become
> successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and
> responsible citizens.
> 
> My extreme view for what it is worth is based on retrospection combined
> with
what I have learnt at the University of Lincoln on a child studies
> programme. Everything we become, our ability to process language, with
> the
exception of profound and unrelated illness, relates to our attachment
> to
our primary caregiver and our culture: social interactions with other
> people
and institutions.    
> 
> 
> 
> The work of Russian educational psychologist and revolutionary Lev
> Vygotsky
has had a profound influence on me, but not in the usual sense. As is
> common
to many dyslexics I often miss chunks of text, transpose meaning and
> arrive
at a different place. I misread Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal
> Development
(ZPD) meant I would need to analyse gaps in my own skills in order to
> find
additional support for my children's homework. Anyway, all was not lost
> by
failing to realise that teachers are intended to provide support within
> the
zone of consolidated knowledge and potential ability. At this point I
> had
spent three years campaigning for the underlying deficits associated
> with
premature birth to be passed from health into education so knew Vygotsky
> had
been at work here too (long story). It also became apparent that
> interventions such as REAL (Raising Early Achievement in Literacy) use
> his
theories of ZPD and language development. Moreover, the correct
> interpretation of Vygotsky's work was he rejected the notion that
> children
have to first meet a particular stage of maturation in order to move on
> to
the next stage of learning. With the right support learning could take
> place
through effective use of language. Most importantly, he had noted
> learning
can precede child development. He was ahead of his time. Current fMRI
> studies are noting that brain development occurs in spurts and the brain
> is
far more plastic than was previously thought, particularly in teenage
> years.
Professor Price (UCL) recently said: "We have to be careful not to write
> off
poorer performers at an early age when in fact their IQ may improve
> significantly given a few more years". 
> 
> 
> 
> Why am I waffling on about brain development and how does it relate to
> dyslexia?
> 
> 
> 
> Allen Schore et al. have provided a multi disciplinary synthesis of
> neuroscience from which they have determined sensitive periods of
> brain
development, particularly in the first 6 months, 24 months and
> adolescence
(up to 21/25 years of age). Most importantly, this type of research
> reinforces the influence of the environment on the brain throughout life
> -
on human potential. Furthermore, it is now generally noted that when
> damage
occurs to one area of the brain, the problem can be mediated by making
> another area of the brain accessible for that activity. 
> 
> 
> 
> This is why we need to make reasonable adjustments for students with
> disabilities in the assessment process. We need to move away from
> standardisation and state control.  
> 
> 
> 
> Best wishes,
> 
> 
> 
> Alan 
> 
> 
> _____  
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> End of SSC Digest, Vol 19, Issue 4
> **********************************
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