If only we knew
As the carver knew,
how the flaws
In the wood led his
searching chisel to the very core.
-David Whyte
At the
end of Chapter 7, Maryanne Wolf again discussed her home life, in particular
her son Ben, who we learned earlier in the chapter had been diagnosed with
dyslexia at a young age. In this
particular anecdote, Wolf reveals that Ben would soon be attending Rhode Island
School of Design, and was an accomplished artist as was revealed in an incredible drawing of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. After a lengthy discussion about
her work on Proust and the Squid with
Ben, he asked, “So does this mean I’m more creative because I use this right hemisphere
more than other people and my right pathways got strengthened that way? Or does it mean that dyslexics are just born
with more creative brains from the start?” These questions are answered as this story leads into Chapter 8. Genes, Gifts
and Dyslexia.
Wolf
begins by providing examples of some of the most famous dyslexics in recorded
history. Men such as Thomas Edison,
Leonardo Da Vince and Albert Einstein all struggled in school and had
difficulties acquiring their native languages.
Wolf is quick to point out that there are no specific ‘reading’ genes,
so there is no pre-determination for dyslexia.
But what she does make clear is that there may be specific genes that
cause weaknesses in some older regions of the brain. These older regions are what form the reading
brain. As I discussed in the last blog
entry, the brain is ever changing and compensates for where it lacks. So in the dyslexic brain, where a student
lacks in the reading connections on the left side of the brain, the right,
creative, hemisphere strengthens itself to make up for the deficiency.
Now does
this mean that dyslexics are more creative than non-impaired readers? Wolf cites the work of Norman Geschwind and
Al Galaburda. Over time at Beth Israel
Hospital, they set up a brain bank, which became a place for the preservation
of brains from dyslexic individuals for the use of study. They found in most people, the planum
temporale (PT) is larger on the left side than on the right. In the dyslexic brain, the PT was larger than
usual, which rather than overpowering the left, was symmetrical. Due to his large size on the right
hemisphere, the PT hinders communication between both hemispheres, thus
allowing for more activity to occur on the right side of the brain.
Through
this study, and a study of twins and reading development by Dick Olson, the
genes that can causes delays or problems along the reading circuitry could be
inherited from both sides of the family.
Wolf strengthens this statement by once again referring to her family
history as well as that of her husband’s.
To
revisit the question posed at the beginning of the previous paragraph, there is
no clear indication that dyslexic brains allow for more creative processes than
that of non-impaired readers. What is
important to consider is how these students are nurtured. Wolf makes a very emphatic statement that we,
as educators, do not miss the potential of any student, regardless of ability.
In my
own personal experience as a literacy teacher, I do not believe that there is
enough done to support the struggling reader.
Year after year I see different strategies and curriculum thrown about
hoping one will stick. Reading
intervention, in the time of standardized assessment, has become something to
attempt to fix the surface problem. This
has come to mean that all students are looked at through one possible solution
rather than looking at each child individual.
Disgusting. No two children are
alike, so therefore, no two instructional models should be the same. I know full well as a teacher that tailoring
instruction for each student is an almost impossibility, but I can dream, and I
can try my hardest.
Until next time…
Dyslexia is an interesting phenomenon. I always thought my sister was dyslexic because she reversed letters and hated reading. she still does to this day but reading on her new Kindle has helped her to see the value of reading. She is 40 something and is beginning to read for pleasure. she enjoys it and likes to share what she is reading with us. she managed to get through school with minimal expectations. My son on the other hand is showing signs similar to her. He reverses words and letters and dislikes reading. He likes listening to others read and enjoys discussing text. He is a perfect lego builder and loves to draw. He is in a classroom where one solution is best for all. This does not help in meeting his needs as a reader.
ReplyDeleteI do think dyslexics are more creative like you describe. We do not support this part of them like we should.
What an interesting connection. One of the points Wolf makes is that dyslexia tends to run in families and even those who are not identified as dyslexic often have some symptoms. Have you found strategies that work for your son in terms of over coming his struggles with reading?
DeleteI agree with you that no two children are the same. I feel that individual conferences, although time consuming, can really help both teachers and students. I mean if we take the time to meet with each of our students about the reading for the day and get their take on the reading we can learn a lot about their knowledge on a particular subject or any struggles they may be having. =) I too have always wondered if dyslexic children are more creative, this was really interesting!
ReplyDeleteTom, You did a great job of pulling out the important parts of this chapter. When I was reading the chapter I was really frustrated with it, because I wanted to know more about dyslexia. The previous chapter really hooked me in so I was prepared to learn a whole lot more and found this one to be disappointingly short.
ReplyDeleteExcellent description of brain pathways and how they affect reading and creativity. Telling students with various learning disabilities about famous people throughout history who also had learning disabilities is great! Another important way to nurture students with LDs is to point out the fact that in order to have a learning disability, you have to have at least average intelligence. Many students with LD think they are stupid, and this self-perception can become even more of a challenge to their learning than their LD.
ReplyDelete