[SSC] SSC Digest, Vol 19, Issue 6
Alan Gurbutt
agurbutt at gmail.com
Wed Jul 4 07:31:02 UTC 2012
Dear Roland,
Thank you for your words. It seems we share common ground in years before diagnosis. I've also been doing a PG Cert. It's good to hear from you.
Best,
Alan
Sent by iPhone
On 3 Jul 2012, at 16:38, ssc-request at lists.aktivix.org wrote:
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> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Dyslexia and learning (roland pascoe)
> 2. Re: SSC Digest, Vol 19, Issue 5 (douglas brooks)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2012 13:39:44 +0100
> From: roland pascoe <rpascoe at phonecoop.coop>
> To: ssc at lists.aktivix.org
> Subject: [SSC] Dyslexia and learning
> Message-ID: <4FF2E810.8070909 at phonecoop.coop>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; Format="flowed"
>
> Hello all,
>
> Sorry that I have been quiet for ages but I have been finishing off the
> PGCE and now I am job hunting. Also as a long distance supporter I
> sometimes feel that the most supportive thing I can do is to get out of
> the way of you folks on the ground so you can get on with it. Anyway I
> just wanted to echo many of the points that Allen raises. Having had my
> dyslexia assessment last year aged 53, I am (a) still working out what
> that means for me and my learning and (b) how it impacts on the rest of
> my life. I also know that everyone is different etc but I tend to see my
> dyslexia as an impairment rather than any other label.
>
> If SSC can develop ways of supporting scholars with impairments then it
> would only add to its very great contribution to education.
>
>
> Best wishes
>
> Roland Pascoe
>
>
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> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2012 16:37:45 +0100
> From: douglas brooks <douggie12 at live.co.uk>
> To: <ssc at lists.aktivix.org>
> Subject: Re: [SSC] SSC Digest, Vol 19, Issue 5
> Message-ID: <SNT143-W16855F588183CA14723D4C8FE90 at phx.gbl>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
>
> Hi All.
>
> My apologies firstly for not attending last Saturday, it appears I missed a really interesting day reading the comments posted,
>
> Sadly I will miss Wednesdays meeting also due to prior commitments
> .
>
> regards,
>
> Doug Brooks
>
>
>
>> From: ssc-request at lists.aktivix.org
>> Subject: SSC Digest, Vol 19, Issue 5
>> To: ssc at lists.aktivix.org
>> Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2012 12:00:21 +0000
>>
>> Send SSC mailing list submissions to
>> ssc at lists.aktivix.org
>>
>> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
>> https://lists.aktivix.org/mailman/listinfo/ssc
>> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
>> ssc-request at lists.aktivix.org
>>
>> You can reach the person managing the list at
>> ssc-owner at lists.aktivix.org
>>
>> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
>> than "Re: Contents of SSC digest..."
>>
>>
>> Today's Topics:
>>
>> 1. Re: SSC Digest, Vol 19, Issue 4 (sarah at socialsciencecentre.org.uk)
>>
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Message: 1
>> Date: Mon, 2 Jul 2012 23:15:00 +0200
>> From: <sarah at socialsciencecentre.org.uk>
>> To: <ssc at lists.aktivix.org>
>> Subject: Re: [SSC] SSC Digest, Vol 19, Issue 4
>> Message-ID: <49923.1341263700 at socialsciencecentre.org.uk>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>>
>> 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:
>>> Send SSC mailing list submissions to
>>> ssc at lis
>>> ts.aktivix.org
>>> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
>>> https://lists.aktivix.org/mailman/listinfo/ssc
>> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
>>> ssc-request at lists.aktivix.org
>>> You can reach the person managing the list at
>>> s
>>> sc-owner at lists.aktivix.org
>>> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
>>> than "Re: Contents of SSC digest..."
>>>
>>>
>>> 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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>>> https://lists.aktivix.org/mailman/listinfo/ssc
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>>> **********************************
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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