The class of Wednesday, May 7th.

     This past Wednesday's class was one that intrigued me on a number of levels.  To begin, teaching to the average student versus teaching to the edges is a very interesting method of looking at instructing students.  Secondly, the number of levels and complexity of reading was truly astonishing.  Furthermore, not only was the examination of the brain intriguing, but the grains that can be achieved in dyslexic's with the application of proper techniques was truly astonishing. The world of teaching is truly interesting as the use of technology and new ideas continue to revolutionize the field.

     Starting with the metaphor that related teaching to the cockpit of a fighter jet, we realize that teaching cannot be done with a one size fits all approach.  In this Ted talk the presenter mentions how although all of the technology and strategies were in place the pilots could not succeed or make any progress within a cockpit that did not meet their needs.  The simple fact was that they were never comfortable in their environment and thus could not perform.  He then applies this to the classroom and talks about teaching to the outside edges (Higher and lower levels) rather then to the average within our classrooms.  He suggests adapting the classroom similarly to the cockpit and give our students the chance to progress and succeed in their learning.

     We then heard from a boy who was struggling with reading due to his dyslexia.  After analysing the brain and being reminded once again of its complexity the information gained from the study became even more remarkable.  The study examined activity within certain portions of the brain while reading.  They discovered that dyslexic's have less activity while reading text.  What is truly remarkable is that after the young boy was taught some strategies (colours) and then applied them during his exam the results showed a greater amount of activity.  It is incredible to think that as educators with the proper training we could impact the lives of LD's as we viewed in the video.