Chapter 4: Learning Differences and Learning Needs
Cerebral Palsy and Multiple Disabilities. Damage to the
brain before or during birth or during infancy can cause a child to have
difficulty coordinating his or her body movements. Many children with cerebral palsy
also have secondary handicaps. In the classroom, these secondary handicaps are
the greatest concern (Wilfolk 150-151).
Chapter 8: Cognitive Views of Leaning
Attention and Teaching. The first step in learning is paying
attention. Students cannot process information that they do not recognize or perceive.
But how successfully information is processed depends on several things, not
just attention (Wilfolk 188).
I’ve decided to tie each of these together due to the
student I am currently a 1:1 for. My student has cerebral palsy along with
other behavior and attention disorders. My student uses three ways to
communicate: his voice, his word board and his device. His device is a great distraction
because he does not use it accordingly but more as entertainment. He is a
brilliant kid, but it is best to stay one step ahead of him. It is much like a
game of chess. At first it would seem as if he does not enjoy learning because
his attention is always elsewhere besides the subject at hand. I developed a
way of doing IEP work with him by modeling it like a game show. He is extremely
responsive to grand, boisterous movements, and presenting the material in the
manner of a game allows him to have fun but continue to learn better than he
ever has in a traditional style of teaching. This requires making sure that I
am always “on” while at school, but even through the hardest times it is
important to remember why you are doing what you’re doing.
With diversity becoming more dominant in almost every aspect
of education, we must be aware of what occurs after schooling is done. We are
living in a diverse world whether we are ready for it or not. We communicate
with all types of people, and some of them may not practice English as a first
language. Higher degrees of bilingualism are correlated with increased
cognitive abilities in such areas as concept formation, creativity, theory of
mind, cognitive flexibility, and understanding that printed words are symbols
for language (Wilfolk 176). In other words, learning another language may help
young adults think outside the box, and further stimulate their minds. We
always hear the same rubbish; “This is ‘Merica! You need to learn to speak ‘Merican!”
and one can only chalk this up to ignorance. I’m not saying I don’t have
respect for the English language and its use in this country, because I
consider myself very patriotic. What does that have to do with expanding your knowledge
and becoming a smarter individual? With ignorance comes prejudice and results
in the problems we have today.
There are people that strongly believe English should be the
only language spoken here, and as I respect that opinion we are seeing a trend
as a result. Prejudice starts early. By the age of 6, over half of the White
children in a United States sample and 85% of students in a Canadian sample had
significant pro-White, anti-Black biases (Wilfolk 220). Should we question
where this stems from? We are taught hate and if we are not careful can acquire
more each day. Wilfolk talks about the innocence of young children and their
ability of being “color-blind” when it comes to race, but this has not been
concluded through scientific research. I have a hard time having to see the
road block that is “This is not true because it has not had any research to
back it!” Sometimes the best research is day to day life and not what can be
done in a lab over “x” amount of weeks. I love working with young kids because
of their acceptance of everyone. Especially in special education, as the kids
at my school could care less about the color of your skin. The difference we
see is their concept of understanding as opposed to children in a typical
school setting. A dad can teach his able son to hate Mexican people because of “x”,
now “x” didn’t happen to the son but now he can relate that to hating Mexican
people and the vicious cycle of racism continues.
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