Sunday, March 7, 2010
Learning Diversity
Collins writes, "I have used the phrase 'learning disability' to talk about Asperger's, but that is probably not entirely accurate. My impression of the way in which my son learns is not that he has a disability--but rather he sees the world in a different way." Collins' claim for a different way of seeing the world, rather than a disability, can be applied to any sort of learning difference. How does rethinking disability as a different way of seeing the world change the way you think about learning diversity? How will looking at difference in this way translate into the way you approach a tutoring session?
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ReplyDeleteSunday night as I was sitting in the WC reading this article, a young woman in a wheelchair came in for an appointment. All the tutors sat dumbfounded as we contemplated what to do next. She smiled and said "I have an appointment and it might take longer than half an hour". Day to day around campus I do not have many opportunities to interact with disabled students. This unit concerning working with 'learning disabilities' was one that I actually overlooked. This is not to say that I am prejudice against disabilities or that I purposefully ignore them. More so, I have become accustom to the many individuals in society who mask their disability.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that a person with a disability is only different in the way they see the world. I have a cousin who currently suffers from autism. Unfortunately, he is not capable of communicating soundly with other people, because his intelligence surpasses ours. Yet, when the time is set aside to actually attempt a conversation I find that everything he expresses is understandable, the only difference being what he says is presented in a different fashion. The way he speaks, writes, and plays music is very concise and specific, something most individuals are not familiar with, considering we love telling a story rather than getting to the point.
In my opinion, every student is different. I
think this point and case contributes to learning diversity. Disabilities many hinder a student’s learning ability, but they choose whether or not to overcome the obstacles that are presented to them. I really liked the elevator-stair analogy used in the reading. By embracing change and challenging “normalcy”, people with disabilities are very inspiring. By rethinking the term “disability” as a different way of seeing the world, I think anyone is capable of learning. Regardless of a disability, if there is a will there is a way and everyone has the right to learn, in any way. Such diversity benefits education and allows others to experience different learning strategies. Looking at learning disabilities as being a different way of seeing the world, I feel that as a tutor I should embrace and respect the student. Being aware of a disability will not affect my tutoring approach. I feel that I would treat the session as I would any other one, unless asked to do otherwise. It is per the student’s discretion to confide in me, yet I understand if they choose not to. In the event that I recognize a disability, I might consider tailoring my approach to help them adjust the session. Overall, I think that they would take offensive if I blatantly went out of my way to make the process “easier”. Again it goes back to respecting the student; with a disability or not, most people exude discomfort in certain situations. As a tutor I want to first make the writer comfortable, and then help them according to their expressed concerns.
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ReplyDeleteBy considering “learning disabilities” as different ways of seeing the world, we can better understand not only the students we work with, but also ourselves as students. I really love this description of different world views instead of the “disability” label. The concept of different lenses on the world is one that I find helpful for any tutoring session because I think one of the most critical parts of the session is stepping outside of my own learning route and onto the learning route of the student. Considering the many lenses of learning allows me to recognize my own learning patterns based on the questions that come to my mind during a tutoring session while also gathering information about other ways of learning from the reactions and the displayed thought processes of tutees in sessions.
ReplyDeleteLearning diversity is essential to incorporate both in a tutoring atmosphere and in all educational realms. Those with learning disabilities are not the only students to be affected by the range of learning methods included in schools; all students take in and organize information differently in their minds, so embracing different learning methods in every academic environment fuels success. Being aware of learning diversity allows us to grow as tutors as we look at each student’s way of learning individually in every session and discover the learning methods that work best for us at the same time. As far as approaching tutoring sessions, I think it is important to consider the strategies that we have learned, but to always view the student as an individual (rather than simply trying to match the student to a formula of strategies); it is equally important to try to get a feel for what makes the student comfortable based on the beginning moments of a session. Since every student learns and puts together ideas in a unique way, attending carefully to their responses to the questions we ask them as tutors lets us know which types of questions are working with their learning styles and which types are not as effective for their particular way of learning.
The idea presented in the articles (most explicitly in the Neff article) that the information is there, and some students with learning disabilities just need cues to tap into the information is one that could apply to any student. The retrieval of information and ideas may be a more expanded struggle in students with “learning disabilities,” but I think the struggle to tap into information and ideas that already exist in our minds is one that we are all familiar with on some level as writers. This connection can help link us more powerfully with students during tutoring sessions. I agree with Revae that respect is extremely important to all sessions. I think patience is another one of the most significant factors; taking sufficient time to recognize and address the needs of the student helps maintain a connection with the student and maximizes what can be accomplished in the session.
First off, Revae, I love your point about how disabilities hinder students, but it is only their choice and motivation that will help them overcome their obstacles. We, as tutors, can only help so much. We can be respectful and resourceful, pick up on the cues where they need help most-- but when it comes to actually writing the paper, it is the student that has to work on it. In this way, they're not much different from all the other students we help. They came for our advice and counsel, and we set them up for success-- it just rests on how much effort they want to put back into it.
ReplyDeleteThe term "learning diversity" brings to mind the concept of kinesthetic, auditory, and verbal learners. I'm sure a lot of you all are familiar with these... This theory behind learning rests on the idea that we all have different learning styles, or perhaps specialized areas in which we learn better. If I don't speak my notes out loud, I won't remember them as well (auditory), and my friend can read his notes in his head, but he can't do well in class unless he's chewing gum and tapping his pencil (kinesthetic). Now these don't qualify as "disabilities" but I certainly think that it makes a point about how we all learn a bit differently. If the ideas don't stick well enough the first time, there's always another way to learn them better.
Perhaps a disabled student does not see things the same way, even when looking at a subject two or three times. Perhaps this could be an advantage, or it could prove to be a disadvantage. Especially in sessions with students with learning disabilities, the key here is CLARITY. What we explain to them has to make sense or they will walk away potentially more confused than when they arrived.
I would approach a tutoring session with a "disabled" student essentially the same as I would with any other student. I would keep a more keen eye on the student's body language when I am explaining certain concepts, such as the thesis or topic sentences. If I see them getting frustruated, I'm sure there are several other ways I can phrase what I'm saying to them, and I'm sure there are examples I can find for them, or maybe even a type of way to lay it out (in an organizational manner).
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ReplyDeleteI think what it all really comes down to is the fact that if a student can leave the writing center having learned something, you have done your job well as a tutor.
ReplyDeleteI haven't had an appointment with a "disabled" student yet, but I think in terms of how you act and present yourself, you would create the most welcoming environment if you didn't treat your student any differently than you would treat any other student. While there are some students with certain disadvantages that should be attended to, I think that if I were a "diverse" student (which, actually, I am), I would find it refreshing to be presented with a tutor who did not see me as "disabled" or "different" right off the bat. I would want to be, more or less, on the same playing field as everyone else. Like Hannah said, different people learn differently, and there are students who need to be approached a different way than others. A good example of this--something we talked about last week--is that I, for example, write my essays most comfortably and effectively by writing them ridiculously slowly and compulsively, sentence by sentence. Only when I feel completely comfortable with my previous sentence will I move onto the next. While I am not clinically "disabled," I would say that the way I write my essays--which, I don't know if you guys remember, Crystal said was a pretty rare occurrence--is a good example of learning diversity.
There really is no formula to embracing learning diversity. I would argue that every student learns differently; every student is a diverse learner.
The bottom line is that we are not teaching experts. We are simply an aid to students, and we are not required to ensure that our student leaves the WC feeling philosophically enlightened; it is only our place to help our students enlighten themselves. On the same note, I think learning to embrace learning diversity should not be a huge challenge--simply because a student will know if your intentions are genuine or not right from the start because of your body language, tone, and so on. Embracing learning diversity, in my opinion, is about not letting it hinder you or cause you to treat your student any different than you would anyone else. Thus, I really feel that the most effective way to approach these types of situations is to make sure we stick to the basics: give the writer control of their session and be sensitive to their needs, whatever they may be.
I completely agree with Pritha's idea that we should treat learning disabled students in the same way we'd treat any other student. Most of the time, you won't even realize you're working with a disabled student until well into the session! I think it's very important, as both Hannah and Revae discussed, to stay respectful. These students are just as intelligent (and often more intelligent) than we are, they just need a little push in the right direction to get things rolling.
ReplyDeleteI've had the opportunity to work with a few learning disabled students in the the last few years as a dance teacher and I've found that patience is the most important thing you can bring. These students have all the knowledge they need to accomplish their goals, but often they take a different path or take longer to find the path towards that goal. However, these elements that I've mentioned (respect and patience) are the same things I try to bring to every tutoring session. As stated in the Neff article, "the writing advisor must treat learned disabled persons as the intelligent, resourceful persons they are. Conferences without respect and understanding are seldom successful." Going into a session with a disabled student should be no different than any other session. I believe that as tutors, it is our job to empower these students and help them uncover the brilliance they already possess. Lastly, we should assume nothing about a learning disabled student. Each student has their own unique way of learning and coming into a session with a preconceived notion as to how this student will act is (in my opinion) not a good plan. Just as a non-learning disabled student is different, every learning disabled student is different and we need to approach these sessions as an opportunity to develop our patience and abilities to empower. Essentially, we have to know how to adapt our approach to best fit each student, in the same way we adapt to fit different ESL students.
I think Collins is totally right in giving learning "disabilities" a different name. We here at the Writing Center are probably well aware of the power of language, and even by removing the name "disability" we can destroy some of the negative connotations and prejudices that are ascribed to that term.
ReplyDeleteCollins points out that most students with Asperger's don't reach out for help because of the stigma attached to the "disability," and instead try and mold their own unique learning styles into methods that probably don't work for them. I think this fear to ask for help is really a shame, and it reflects the assumptions and stigmatization our society and education system have. We're so quick to isolate people who are different that it causes these anxieties about asking for assistance. I think in the Writing Center, it is important to be aware of this fear when we're working with anyone, not just "disabled" students. Like Hannah pointed out, everyone learns differently, and very rarely will we be working with a student who learns or writes in the exact same style we do.
As of yet, I have not had the opportunity to work with a student who has a learning disability, but I think when the time comes, I will approach the session just as I would any other session--I would try and make the student feel at ease and comfortable so they aren't afraid to ask for help, and I would treat them with the utmost respect and patience so they don't feel condescended. I think this applies to all students, and although sessions vary on an individual basis in specific approaches, every student deserves our respect and full attention.
My girlfriend Ashley’s little sister, Claire––who is one of my favorite human beings in the universe, has an extremely unique speech-related learning disability (undiagnosable, in fact) as well as a form of ADHD. And for the last two years that Ashley and I have been dating, Claire and I have developed a pretty awesome friendship too. We have quite a bit in common. Foremost, we’re both the youngest child in our families, and we’re both eccentric, attention-hogging divas. Another thing is that we see the world in really different ways from other people. I mean, of course everyone has their own unique view of reality, but somehow Claire’s view and mine complement each other well. I don’t know how else to explain it. We’re buddies. Anyways, there have been several times throughout my buddy’s public education (she’s now in junior high) that she has been marginalized, neglected, and labeled “disabled” instead of being accepted and incorporated into the classroom. She has her share of “scars” like many LD students, as Chris mentioned. This year, however, after lots of support and prayer from friends and family, Claire received acceptance to and tuition money for a private school that accommodates alternative learning styles. The difference has been immense. At her new school Claire wrote a story about a two-headed llama, named after her twin brothers, that came from outer space. She brought it home and showed her whole family, and then she read it to me when I came to visit. “She’s just never done that before,” her mom told me. “She’s never been proud of her schoolwork or cared about it enough to show it off like that.”
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started getting to know Claire––I’ll be completely honest––I thought she was, well, crazy. I mean, you would too if you rode next to her in the car for an hour, with her screaming, singing songs from Disney’s High School Musical, and interrupting everyone’s conversations with a big “HAAAGGHHH!!!” when she feels she isn’t being noticed. Though, as I’ve hung out with her more and have seen her interact with her family, I frequently have thought “WE (the rest of her family and I) are the crazy ones.” Claire sometimes says things that are really profound or ingeniously hilarious, things that not even the brightest or funniest person could think up. Are these occurrences accidental? Random bits of wit from a girl gone mad? I don’t think so. It’s actually quite the opposite. I’ve been coming to realize that her case is not a matter of insanity, or even what modern medical knowledge points out to be aberrant or unhealthy; as Terry Collins writes, we’re just different. People have different learning styles, and those whose style can conform to the astandard and satisfy what is seen as the RIGHT way can get by with relative ease. For those who do not fit the norm, what do we do with them?
Well, I think several good strategies are brought up in the readings, as far as approaching tutoring sessions. The most important and fundamental thing we should do, as brought up in Chris’s article, is to change our perspective of learning-disabled students––to not label them, but to SEE them. The multiple modes of knowledge should be explored and valued, not pushed aside or demoted. Then, looking at the Neff article as well, on the practical level we should focus on an LD student’s strengths, provide them a comfortable atmosphere with the same tutor (if possible), and use patient, respectful, directed conversation. We should not assume they don’t have the knowledge for a task––they most often do, but we need to realize that their means of accessing that knowledge and articulating it are different. It is important to be “saying and doing” the whole time, and to make things clear and tangible. No two minds are exactly the same, so, logically, no two cases of learning disability will be the same. We must meet LD students where they are and give them the same writing center experience that everyone else is entitled to.
I have some questions I want to bring up too for discussion, but I’ll save those for then.
Though I have known friends with learning disabilities all my life, the concept of learning disabilities has always appeared almost...“abstract” to me, if that makes any sense. They are something I, as a student without any sort of disability, have a natural difficulty completely understanding. While in the middle of reading the articles earlier yesterday I talked to one of my roommates—an old friend who has dyslexia—and asked him (for the first time in a long time) what having his “disability” is really like. Now, I've known this guy since we were in kindergarten and I've grown up watching him deal with his dyslexia over the past 15 years. He is undoubtedly one of the smartest people I know and I often find myself forgetting he even has a learning disability ...but then I remember all the bad grades he received in our middle school English classes. All the extra hours he had to put into attending special tutoring sessions. All the lacrosse practices he missed because he had to revise his papers. Though my friend has had it for 20 years and though it would be difficult now for someone who didn't know him to even recognize his disability, he still struggles, at times, with his dyslexia. He has learned to cope and even succeed with it, but he still has and always will have a learning disability.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the anecdote. As usual, I'm not entirely sure where I wanted to go with it... I guess my main point is that learning disabilities are...complex; especially since we live in a world that is generally misunderstanding of all things that stand in opposition to the status quo. Thankfully, however, we attend a University that is, for the most part, well equipped to handle students with “disabilities”. And thankfully we all get to work in a Writing Center focused on collaboration :D That in itself is, I think, possibly the most easily accessible way to approach a student with a learning disability. Regardless of what their disability is, sharing their writings with a tutor—who is genuinely interested in improving the writer, not the writing—and having an extra set of eyes and ears willing to evaluate their works is truly invaluable.
That being said, I completely agree with what a lot of you have already stated above: unless a student comes out at the beginning of the session and tells me that he/she has a disability, I don't think I'd treat them differently from any other student. And even if they did come out and tell me immediately, I don't imagine either of us would feel comfortable with my somehow “changing” my tutoring methods unless I had been specially trained to deal with that specific disability. To do so, and especially to assume they have some sort of disability without them telling us outright (e.g. the writer possesses all the signs of being dyslexic, but actually isn't) seems almost like an offensive gesture, even if we're merely attempting to be polite and understanding. While I'm sure there are many students with learning disabilities who actively seek additional help, there are probably just as many who want to be treated the same as everyone else.
Overall, I really enjoyed the readings this week and thought all of them did a good job with explaining and providing examples of learning disabilities.
Oh and thank you, Pritha, for what you said in the beginning of your entry: “I think what it all really comes down to is the fact that if a student can leave the writing center having learned something, you have done your job well as a tutor.” I consider that to be absolutely true, even though I find myself forgetting it all the time.
I have to use this moment to describe a very intimidating, scary, ill-confident, frustrating, and completely enlightening experience I had with a student during a summer program I tutored for last summer. I still maintain good contact with the student to this day after what we went through together.
ReplyDeleteShe was a very interesting student, very profound in her opinions, and very nervous (which I thought was because she came to school here all the way from New York). She came to see me the VERY first day of classes for tutoring on an assignment that wasn't due for four weeks. I thought she was an "over-achiever." We discussed it, and having never tutored before this, I merely tried to distract her attention from the assignment to first get her more comfortable with the actual class we were in, and just began that day. That, I discovered, triggered her anxiety attack that turned into a fitful outrage of displeasure, all streaming from her angry tone and her slowly raising voice. She stormed out of our tutoring session saying she's going to drop the class because the assignment is already too hard for her.
I sat there in absolute shock and discontentment, thinking of how much I failed the first day of tutoring. But turned out later, she was a registered student with the SALT center, which is a center students pay to be a part of to manage their learning disabilities, as well as other reasons. Because of her, and us working together to find a common ground, I learned to be patient, and to reiterate which is something Collin's discusses. From that student, patience is what I was taught, and I think is one thing we must all keep in mind if we come upon a student with a disability, not to pretend that they're separate sorts of people, but merely as ones we can learn from, just like ESL students.