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The teaching failure lies making what you struggle with a required component of education, and measuring you on it in the same way as others, while providing yo

The teaching failure lies making what you struggle with a required component of education, and measuring you on it in the same way as others, while providing you with no alternative route to success that doesn't require you jumping through hoops. To give an analogy: someone who can't walk has a disability, but it would be a failure of the instructor to make 5K running the only way to get a passing grade in physical education, while simultaneously not making barbells available. And looking at your very well-written and perfectly structured comment, I struggle to accept its conclusion. If all you need to write this well is spell-checker — a tool more common than a ballpoint pen at this point, and one that's been around for decades — then the instructors that didn't teach you to use it were failing at teaching. If you can speak well, and they never even suggested dictation software (again, something that's been around for a long time), it's a teaching failure. Writing is not about spelling words the same way dictionary spells them. Writing is about communicating ideas clearly, and your written prose is great. You can't write without a spell-checker; your tutors can't write with a quill, most likely. There's no difference. That you think that your prose is poor — there's the teaching failure. Do you see what I mean now?

lazyasciiart 5y ago
> To give an analogy: someone who can't walk has a disability, but it would be a failure of the instructor to make 5K running the only way to get a passing grade in physical education And that individualized education would have no effect whatsoever on their place in the eventual statistic that x% of Americans cannot run 5k.
- romwell 5y ago
  And why would that statistic be important? Also, imagine running 5K being a requirement for admission to college.
  - lazyasciiart 5y ago
    God knows, dude, it was your analogy. If you want to argue that 6th grade literacy is a bullshit stat that shouldn't be relevant to college admissions, knock yourself out.
    - romwell 5y ago
      Yes, I'd argue that "literacy" that doesn't allow one to use a spell-checker is a bullshit stat that should not be relevant to college admissions. Because by that metric, the commenter I was responding to would be deemed "illiterate" and not worthy of being admitted to college (in spite of being able to express their thoughts more clearly than most). Again, I have a PhD in mathematics, and have taught college-level math 2010-2017. I have taught hundreds of students (if not thousands), and have seen many of them hindered by bullshit stats like that in mathematics. Mathematics in particular is an incredibly diverse field; yet people with dyscalculia feel that they "can't do math" — even though so much math has nothing to do with numbers or calculation, and would be accessible to them (had we only been allowed to teach it). As it stands, we are judging fish by their ability to climb trees. Now, you are free to have your own opinion (knock yourself out), but please have some respect for my experience in the field, if nothing else. I'm speaking as an educator. And the above is something that many, many educators are well aware of, but feel powerless to change. If you have qualified objections (i.e. based on something more than you just thinking that way), I'm all ears.
      - lazyasciiart 5y ago
        > Yes, I'd argue that "literacy" that doesn't allow one to use a spell-checker is a bullshit stat that should not be relevant to college admissions. Your focus on your own 'experience' appears to be blinding you to the topic at hand, which does not involve spell checkers. Perhaps does not cover the area of literacy and how it is assessed?
        romwell 5y ago
        >Your focus on your own 'experience' appears to be blinding you to the topic at hand, which does not involve spell checkers. Perhaps does not cover the area of literacy and how it is assessed? You joined the thread well after its topic was set in place, and, frankly, I don't know what you think the topic is. The comment I was responding to did specifically involve spell checkers; did you miss it? Your last sentence seems to be missing a subject. And if you thoroughly read the originally submitted Wikipedia article, you'll find out that: * The notion of literacy (in the language sense) includes reading as well as writing (particularly, as assessed by NAEP). In fact, any notion of literacy mentions the ability to read and write. * The notion of literacy, as assesed by NAAL, also includes quantitative literacy (something I have expertise in) * The issue of (lack of) equity in literacy assessment has been particularly highlighted in the Wiki article * Spell-checker is a way to achieve equity in writing assessments for people suffering from dyslexia The commentor I was responding to would be deemed "illiterate" by these assessments for not remembering how to spell words like "through". Yet that person has very clearly demonstrated that they don't struggle with either understanding other people's points, nor clearly expressing their own. Something that can't be said of most (ostensibly literate) people even on this forum, sadly. >Perhaps does not cover the area of literacy and how it is assessed? Would you mind rephrasing?

lazyasciiart 5y ago

> To give an analogy: someone who can't walk has a disability, but it would be a failure of the instructor to make 5K running the only way to get a passing grade in physical education And that individualized education would have no effect whatsoever on their place in the eventual statistic that x% of Americans cannot run 5k.

romwell 5y ago
And why would that statistic be important? Also, imagine running 5K being a requirement for admission to college.
- lazyasciiart 5y ago
  God knows, dude, it was your analogy. If you want to argue that 6th grade literacy is a bullshit stat that shouldn't be relevant to college admissions, knock yourself out.
  - romwell 5y ago
    Yes, I'd argue that "literacy" that doesn't allow one to use a spell-checker is a bullshit stat that should not be relevant to college admissions. Because by that metric, the commenter I was responding to would be deemed "illiterate" and not worthy of being admitted to college (in spite of being able to express their thoughts more clearly than most). Again, I have a PhD in mathematics, and have taught college-level math 2010-2017. I have taught hundreds of students (if not thousands), and have seen many of them hindered by bullshit stats like that in mathematics. Mathematics in particular is an incredibly diverse field; yet people with dyscalculia feel that they "can't do math" — even though so much math has nothing to do with numbers or calculation, and would be accessible to them (had we only been allowed to teach it). As it stands, we are judging fish by their ability to climb trees. Now, you are free to have your own opinion (knock yourself out), but please have some respect for my experience in the field, if nothing else. I'm speaking as an educator. And the above is something that many, many educators are well aware of, but feel powerless to change. If you have qualified objections (i.e. based on something more than you just thinking that way), I'm all ears.
    - lazyasciiart 5y ago
      > Yes, I'd argue that "literacy" that doesn't allow one to use a spell-checker is a bullshit stat that should not be relevant to college admissions. Your focus on your own 'experience' appears to be blinding you to the topic at hand, which does not involve spell checkers. Perhaps does not cover the area of literacy and how it is assessed?
      - romwell 5y ago
        >Your focus on your own 'experience' appears to be blinding you to the topic at hand, which does not involve spell checkers. Perhaps does not cover the area of literacy and how it is assessed? You joined the thread well after its topic was set in place, and, frankly, I don't know what you think the topic is. The comment I was responding to did specifically involve spell checkers; did you miss it? Your last sentence seems to be missing a subject. And if you thoroughly read the originally submitted Wikipedia article, you'll find out that: * The notion of literacy (in the language sense) includes reading as well as writing (particularly, as assessed by NAEP). In fact, any notion of literacy mentions the ability to read and write. * The notion of literacy, as assesed by NAAL, also includes quantitative literacy (something I have expertise in) * The issue of (lack of) equity in literacy assessment has been particularly highlighted in the Wiki article * Spell-checker is a way to achieve equity in writing assessments for people suffering from dyslexia The commentor I was responding to would be deemed "illiterate" by these assessments for not remembering how to spell words like "through". Yet that person has very clearly demonstrated that they don't struggle with either understanding other people's points, nor clearly expressing their own. Something that can't be said of most (ostensibly literate) people even on this forum, sadly. >Perhaps does not cover the area of literacy and how it is assessed? Would you mind rephrasing?