tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post5772021459479045349..comments2024-03-26T23:57:42.268-04:00Comments on SpeEdChange: Seven Simple Solutions - but first - a storyirasocolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01412837280249622430noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-88322898545024898682008-05-24T07:20:00.000-04:002008-05-24T07:20:00.000-04:00Vera: Thanks for all of your thoughts. You've alre...Vera: Thanks for all of your thoughts. You've already suggested two posts I want to write. <BR/><BR/>Empathy is not easy, and teacher-training institutions rarely support it. We're so concerned with "techniques" that we forget to listen to students. And thus we choose not to understand them, and choose not to give them what they need.<BR/><BR/>I'd love every pre-service teacher to read at least the first half of <I>The Drool Room</I>, but if I can't get that they at least <B>must</B> read <I>Borderliners</I> [Hoeg] and <I>The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time</I> [Haddon]. If they can't decide that the kids in these 2 or 3 novels are ones they are willing to work with on the kids' terms - they should not become teachers.<BR/><BR/>- Ira Socolirasocolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01412837280249622430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-59099785749096527522008-05-24T07:03:00.000-04:002008-05-24T07:03:00.000-04:00just to add one thought to what i wrote above. ho...just to add one thought to what i wrote above. how is it possible to have teachers who have been teaching for years and years and many of them still don't want to recognize that LD's really exist? I know for a fact that there are teachers that think ADD really should read as 'Adults Don't Discipline'. my belief is that they are teaching large groups and don't get to know, whether through a lack of time or sensitivity, the way their individual students process information. it's like what the teacher/author frank mccourt who wrote 'angela's ashes' said to a new teacher once re how they will affect their students. he said: 'you won't know what you have done for them or to them.' this quote to me says that throughout all his years teaching, mccourt doesn't have a handle on how is has helped or hurt his students. this quote doesn't apply as much to elementary school teachers, where i feel the real teaching usually gets done, but for the assesmbly line style of secondary ed, i think it does, and to a lesser extent for primary ed.<BR/><BR/>i teach 1 to 6 students at a time usually, and many times as an esl/ell teacher i have my students for more than one year. i get to know them very well. i also have 2 children of my own, 10 and 12 years old. being so closely involved in the education of children across longer time spans i feel has given me more insight into how students process information than the average classroom teacher would have. that insight has to be brought to them artificially in the form novels (the drool room) , teacher training videos (fat city), etc. teachers who love teaching and want to be better will soak up this info and it will have an impact. teachers who are burned out, never liked teaching that much anyway but can't find a better job, etc will not be responsive.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-28883797946576047102008-05-23T21:22:00.000-04:002008-05-23T21:22:00.000-04:00people who never had problems learning to read, ne...people who never had problems learning to read, never had a child with that problem, never had a student with that problem (or other LD issues) are just not going to be as sympathetic to the problem- it is unreal to them. the solution is to make it real to them. i haven't read 'the drool room' by ira socol yet, but that would be part of the solution if more people read it- just as helen keller illuminated what is was like to be blind and deaf. i myself after 11 years of teaching, my own initial problems learning to read as a child, a child with reading problems, and many students over the years with nontraditional ways of processing information, am just beginning to have a really deep sense of what's going on. to others with no experience, it just seems that the curriculum is being dumbed down, that we are letting students get away with something, that we are not challenging them enough. i don't think anger at these people is what i feel. i think it is just ignorance on their part- it's not malicious. i change minds when i take over students other teachers have been unsuccessful with and get results with them. i do it on a small scale, but it works when they can compare the frustrated, angry, 'oppositional' student before with the successful, outgoing, happy student after.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-63143393150468457372008-05-20T13:25:00.000-04:002008-05-20T13:25:00.000-04:00Ira - thanks for the insightful posts. Teachers t...Ira - thanks for the insightful posts. Teachers trained in literacy learn that literacy is communication with language, both receptive - listening, reading - and expressive, speaking, writing. As you note, reading and writing fall into the "recorded" language category. indeed developing language and literacy. <BR/><BR/>And, not only do we read words; as you note, we read symbols- MacDonalds vs Burger King, etc. I also find that people read their own language more easily than that of others, so frequently students will be able to read their dictated language first. Or, adults may read fishing or dirt biking magazines before they can read other text outside their areas of interest and expertise.<BR/><BR/>I really like that we have so many ways to access print available now--the more support a person can use, the better "readers" they become. After all, education is supposed to be about developing our thinking! expanding our knowledge!<BR/><BR/> I really enjoy your posts - always enlightening and thought provoking. <BR/><BR/>I like what you said about whole-word recognition, as in my work with lots of dyslexic readers, I find that the currently research about phonological processing doesn't seem to match my experience with lots of readers.Melinda Pongrey, MSEdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03820854205598732458noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-39599804465466245662008-05-20T03:12:00.000-04:002008-05-20T03:12:00.000-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.irasocolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01412837280249622430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-57397833814052477352008-05-20T02:28:00.000-04:002008-05-20T02:28:00.000-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.irasocolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01412837280249622430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-35802783083578237062008-05-20T00:30:00.000-04:002008-05-20T00:30:00.000-04:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-69813475525854725602008-05-18T22:24:00.000-04:002008-05-18T22:24:00.000-04:00Ira, it's a strong, well-written post. I think we'...Ira, it's a strong, well-written post. I think we're experiencing the same professional weather right now in this system.<BR/><BR/>Anonymous, as you note, has a very elementary definition of reading. We read all sorts of non-print texts as normal daily literacy. Some do it well, others naively. Some don't even realize, apparently, that they do it at all.<BR/><BR/>Again, enjoyed your ideas and prose. Sympathies for dealing with the anonymous (they're always anonymous) troll.CBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11236657531187596253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-67769434394439808922008-05-18T16:59:00.000-04:002008-05-18T16:59:00.000-04:00Thank you for this wonderful post. It is the most ...Thank you for this wonderful post. It is the most useful thing I've read on the internet in weeks. I'll be linking a bunch of these tools in my fall courses.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-1743173761080135322008-05-16T09:33:00.000-04:002008-05-16T09:33:00.000-04:00Well, I am thankful that you are no longer teachin...Well, I am thankful that you are no longer teaching. That's a small victory.<BR/><BR/>But let's get exactly what you are saying. I've never read any of the books I've read by listening to them. I've never passed any exam I've taken with text readers. Blind people do not read at all - that's impossible. <BR/><BR/>You are a fool - and you are a bigot.<BR/><BR/>And you can define neither illiteracy nor reading, which is sad.<BR/><BR/>Reading is not "the act of understanding written language" - it is "the act of understanding recorded language." And just as you might need help to read, say, ancient Persian texts (perhaps a translator, perhaps eyeglasses), dyslexics need help with certain other texts (perhaps a screen reader, perhaps a translator).<BR/><BR/>But please - if you worked in a place where people like me are "rampant" could you please tell me where that is? I sure can't find it. And I'd love to, because, unlike you, I'm not trying to limit human potential, I'm trying to expand it. <BR/><BR/>- Ira Socolirasocolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01412837280249622430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-44548398487564743622008-05-16T09:17:00.000-04:002008-05-16T09:17:00.000-04:00Do you honestly not know what reading means? You'...Do you honestly not know what reading means? You're presumably literate...<BR/><BR/>Reading is the act of understanding written language. <BR/><BR/>That you equivocate the wearing of eyeglasses with the inability to read is laughable. The wearing of eyeglasses doesn't diminish one's ability to read (and, hence, one's ability to succeed in modern life).<BR/><BR/>And yes, you--and those like you--have a very solid grip on educational policy. You people are partially responsible for the dumbing down of standards throughout K--12 and higher education, especially in mathematics and the sciences. In fact, I just resigned my position as an assistant professor because people like you are rampant throughout the administration of the "university" at which I used to work.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-24024430018063598242008-05-16T09:10:00.000-04:002008-05-16T09:10:00.000-04:00OK, now you're just a "victim." That's cute. The o...OK, now you're just a "victim." That's cute. The oppressor claiming that "we're all out to get him." <BR/><BR/>But ok, you poor abused person, please define "reading." In your example, a person who needs glasses is exactly the same as the student I was discussing - without an assistive technology they cannot get the information on a digital display or a label. But with it, they can. You just think that one kind of disability (vision) should be accommodated, while others should not.<BR/><BR/>But thanks for linking me with "educrats." They won't let me into their club, but I appreciate your efforts on my behalf.<BR/><BR/>- Ira Socolirasocolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01412837280249622430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-22272348130864885352008-05-16T09:03:00.000-04:002008-05-16T09:03:00.000-04:00All too easy: illiteracy is the inability to read...All too easy: illiteracy is the inability to read.<BR/><BR/>Someone who is illiterate cannot, for example, read a digital display or read the label on a vial. <BR/><BR/>And there's no point in identifying myself because a) I'm no one of consequence and b) if I did, educrats like you (including the vast majority of the education establishment) would try to find a way to either slander/libel me or sue me into oblivion at the first inkling of something that might approach a case.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-17603317832635866702008-05-16T08:59:00.000-04:002008-05-16T08:59:00.000-04:00Ah, the unidentified fool returns. I wonder if he/...Ah, the unidentified fool returns. I wonder if he/she could actually define illiteracy? <BR/><BR/>My guess is, probably not. There's usually a reason people won't identify themselves, and it usually isn't because they know what they are talking about.<BR/><BR/>- Ira Socolirasocolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01412837280249622430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-54648105357026298202008-05-16T08:55:00.000-04:002008-05-16T08:55:00.000-04:00So in your crazy little universe, illiteracy is no...So in your crazy little universe, illiteracy is no more of a big deal than needing glasses? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!<BR/><BR/>I must thank you. Your blog is quite entertaining.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-72224678060814182202008-05-16T06:50:00.000-04:002008-05-16T06:50:00.000-04:00Of course the comment above would be made anonymou...Of course the comment above would be made anonymously, because it is so very cruel, so very uninformed - at the most basic level - and so very typical.<BR/><BR/>How do you know what vial is what? There are lots of ways to "read" and lots of ways to identify items instantly. But this "anonymous" would rather, I suppose, die than get help from a doctor or paramedic who worse eyeglasses (exactly the same type/level of support we are discussing here). <BR/><BR/>The same for a pilot. People can fly planes with all kinds of artificial assists - eyeglasses, hearing aids, speakers and headsets with volume controls, even digital readouts and warning horns which bring them information rapidly through a couple of different senses.<BR/><BR/>All we are asking is for the same rights all the people this "anonymous" wants to call "normal" have. They, in fact, may not be "normal" at all. They may have weak vision. They may be too short. They might have less than perfect hearing. They may get headaches if they try to read whole books on a computer screen. They may not read Chinese well, or speak Hindi intelligibly.<BR/><BR/>Careful "Mr. or Ms. Anonymous" - You want to limit possibility to those you deem "perfect"? You might find yourself outside that definition all too quickly.<BR/><BR/>- Ira Socolirasocolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01412837280249622430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-77329280653617232772008-05-16T06:01:00.000-04:002008-05-16T06:01:00.000-04:00The idea of an illiterate pilot or paramedic is ab...The idea of an illiterate pilot or paramedic is absolutely frightening. <BR/><BR/>How, for example, can an illiterate person give the right dosage of the right medicine in an injection ("Quick, inject 30 ccs of morphine!" "Uhhhh....which one of these is morphine and how can I tell what 30 ccs is?")<BR/><BR/>And how is anyone who is illiterate supposed to make use of avionics? ("United flight 2384, this is O'Hare Flight Control. What is your altitude, over?" "Uhhhhh....Flight Control, this is United 2384. I have no idea, over.")Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-1912052501836568932008-05-14T18:50:00.000-04:002008-05-14T18:50:00.000-04:00Great set of tools, Ira! If you aren't already fa...Great set of tools, Ira! If you aren't already familiar with it, please check out Accessibar--a free Firefox add-on providing a whole toolbar that facilitates internet access for individuals with low vision. There may still be a few bugs, but the developer continues to work on it. (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4242)<BR/><BR/>--PaulPaul Hamiltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01594007631592685010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-91313925173628142702008-05-14T16:58:00.000-04:002008-05-14T16:58:00.000-04:00Ira, as usual you really SAY it! Thanks for your ...Ira, as usual you really SAY it! Thanks for your eloquence and your passion AND all the info on accessibility technologies. <BR/><BR/>After reading your posts, there are NO EXCUSES for not integrating all free software solutions into every school and workplace.<BR/><BR/>Are you familiar with K-12 schools that have done this? Colleges?Melinda Pongrey, MSEdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03820854205598732458noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-10034275471583828222008-05-14T13:35:00.000-04:002008-05-14T13:35:00.000-04:00ClipTalk is another valuable solution. I'm working...ClipTalk is another valuable solution. I'm working on "the next seven"irasocolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01412837280249622430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-18591515721887950002008-05-14T12:36:00.000-04:002008-05-14T12:36:00.000-04:00Thanks for the PowerTalk plug Ira and gTranslate s...Thanks for the PowerTalk plug Ira and gTranslate sounds very usefull.<BR/><BR/>So you have made me wonder if would <A HREF="http://fullmeasure.co.uk/cliptalk" REL="nofollow">ClipTalk</A> would also be useful as it speaks anything you copy to the clipboard?Steve Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05374932396732856455noreply@blogger.com