16 ms·

‘I was a teacher for 17 years, but I couldn’t read or write’

2 points by Jerry2 9y ago

ddingus 9y ago
I have helped an adult to read in the past. I was a lot younger than they were. It's terribly hard for people, who end up where John did, to open up and get help. It is always amazing to see a person get it. Keys to the kingdom. What struck me about this story is how he taught. Use of films, and what had to be rich discussion. I'll bet his students loved him and were engaged more of the time than not. There is a nugget in there. An important one to be considered, especially in light of the greater information access we all have today. I also have some experience with special needs kids. Videos, stories, discussion are all very powerful tools. The power comes from getting perspective, and in how to think. By perspective, I mean voice of experience. Getting the overall picture, before trudging through details is a big help. One knows a bit more about what questions to ask, and some of why one would ask them. When I say, "How to think", this too is voice of experience, but of a different sort. Role models, essentially. Take this guy: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UChWv6Pn_zP0rI6lgGt3MyfA https://m.youtube.com/channel/UChWv6Pn_zP0rI6lgGt3MyfA He's one of my "watch on release" YouTubers. The technical content is very good, but what I find far more valuable are the how to think and perspective elements in most videos. Skookum. Chooch. Schmoo. Etc... Those fun expressions are linked to basic, important concepts of mechanical robustness, performance, and how they are valued, why they are valued. Now, one doesn't need the colorful expression to get that all done, but having it does help carry people through getting it done in a way they will often crave, admire. I once used adult material, comics, and other compelling, ahem... material to help a young reader get there. Flat out, they were disinterested. When that changed into, "and then what happened?" Right. Reading progress was improved. A lot. And we had some good laughs. How we educate could use more of this. Obviously, avoiding a life of pain like John's, but taking the good bits he had to sort out to compensate would be the goal. Sometimes, I get to volunteer. STEM projects, groups. Or, primary school, computers, music... I would do shop, but most schools don't offer it. (They should) Being able to connect with students, and tell them, show them real stuff is compelling and valuable.

2 points by Jerry2 9y ago

I have helped an adult to read in the past. I was a lot younger than they were. It's terribly hard for people, who end up where John did, to open up and get help. It is always amazing to see a person get it. Keys to the kingdom. What struck me about this story is how he taught. Use of films, and what had to be rich discussion. I'll bet his students loved him and were engaged more of the time than not. There is a nugget in there. An important one to be considered, especially in light of the greater information access we all have today. I also have some experience with special needs kids. Videos, stories, discussion are all very powerful tools. The power comes from getting perspective, and in how to think. By perspective, I mean voice of experience. Getting the overall picture, before trudging through details is a big help. One knows a bit more about what questions to ask, and some of why one would ask them. When I say, "How to think", this too is voice of experience, but of a different sort. Role models, essentially. Take this guy: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UChWv6Pn_zP0rI6lgGt3MyfA https://m.youtube.com/channel/UChWv6Pn_zP0rI6lgGt3MyfA He's one of my "watch on release" YouTubers. The technical content is very good, but what I find far more valuable are the how to think and perspective elements in most videos. Skookum. Chooch. Schmoo. Etc... Those fun expressions are linked to basic, important concepts of mechanical robustness, performance, and how they are valued, why they are valued. Now, one doesn't need the colorful expression to get that all done, but having it does help carry people through getting it done in a way they will often crave, admire. I once used adult material, comics, and other compelling, ahem... material to help a young reader get there. Flat out, they were disinterested. When that changed into, "and then what happened?" Right. Reading progress was improved. A lot. And we had some good laughs. How we educate could use more of this. Obviously, avoiding a life of pain like John's, but taking the good bits he had to sort out to compensate would be the goal. Sometimes, I get to volunteer. STEM projects, groups. Or, primary school, computers, music... I would do shop, but most schools don't offer it. (They should) Being able to connect with students, and tell them, show them real stuff is compelling and valuable.