Elementary school is a breeze for some and a challenge for other kids. It was the latter for me (John-Mark Ferguson). I was a dyslexic child who flip-flopped the order of letters and numbers. Due to this problem a teacher told my parents I was unteachable. This was most likely a scaring event in my childhood development because I remember it vividly. For those of you who do not know, dyslexia is a disability that impairs a person's fluency or 'comprehension accuracy' in being able to read and write. The past and current education system still relies on reading and writing as standard practice. Thus having a learning disability in both produced barriers to success.
Fortunately, my grandfather found a program called Structure Of Intellect (SOI) which was based on military fighter jet training from the USA ( I remember him telling me: "jet fighter pilots did this too"). My grandfather told the teachers: "the kid is not dumb he simply thinks differently". Looking back, I bet my grandfather was likely dyslexic too because he was unable to spell and his handwriting was only legible to himself. He turned out ok and was a lawyer, a pilot, a physicist, commerce grad, and ended his career in charge of economic development in British Columbia!
After a few years in SOI my reading and writing was raised to a normal level for a kid my age. SOI presents learning environments differently and focuses on playing games, listening and neuro-plasticity to aid in development. I slowly became proficient at reading but I have never been able to write without spelling errors. I developed my own ways of coping with my brain idiosyncrasies and how my brain functions. For example, I would remember how to spell words, by representing individual letters with pictures of objects. My brain stores information with its auditory memory rather a sequential letter system of most people. You learn how to deal with your weakness and use specific tools to aid in your learning. The birth of modern computing has been a saving grace for me. So you can appreciate what a blessing it is to utilize the spell check function!
Fortunately, my grandfather found a program called Structure Of Intellect (SOI) which was based on military fighter jet training from the USA ( I remember him telling me: "jet fighter pilots did this too"). My grandfather told the teachers: "the kid is not dumb he simply thinks differently". Looking back, I bet my grandfather was likely dyslexic too because he was unable to spell and his handwriting was only legible to himself. He turned out ok and was a lawyer, a pilot, a physicist, commerce grad, and ended his career in charge of economic development in British Columbia!
After a few years in SOI my reading and writing was raised to a normal level for a kid my age. SOI presents learning environments differently and focuses on playing games, listening and neuro-plasticity to aid in development. I slowly became proficient at reading but I have never been able to write without spelling errors. I developed my own ways of coping with my brain idiosyncrasies and how my brain functions. For example, I would remember how to spell words, by representing individual letters with pictures of objects. My brain stores information with its auditory memory rather a sequential letter system of most people. You learn how to deal with your weakness and use specific tools to aid in your learning. The birth of modern computing has been a saving grace for me. So you can appreciate what a blessing it is to utilize the spell check function!
Jump ahead a decade: the dyslexic adult, starts attending university. With the the skills I developed through SOI, teachers, self reflection and introspection I was able to get through. In a career counselling session I remember talking to the counsellor how I wish I could help kids who were like me: Children who did not fit into the system as easily as others. But I did not want to become a teacher or a neurologist at the time so I put that thought back on the shelf.
What a surprise: here I am now, building an educational mobile game! A wise teacher knows when to use the right tool for the specific kid--but how do you know what tool to use? Learning is very subjective. It needs to adapt to the child rather than having the child adapt to the system. Technology will help aid in meeting each child where they are. We cannot change the past but are able to form the future. Let's meet kids where they are and use the tools which are right for them so that they can excel.'
What a surprise: here I am now, building an educational mobile game! A wise teacher knows when to use the right tool for the specific kid--but how do you know what tool to use? Learning is very subjective. It needs to adapt to the child rather than having the child adapt to the system. Technology will help aid in meeting each child where they are. We cannot change the past but are able to form the future. Let's meet kids where they are and use the tools which are right for them so that they can excel.'
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