How difficult can this be?
Let’s discuss the video we watched today. Did you recognize any of the kids from your classes? Did you empathize with any of the participants? How would some of those exercises have made you feel? Share your thoughts.
17 Responses to “How difficult can this be?”
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October 9th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
The video was definatley enlightening. That guy was a really good public speaker. He actually kept my interst for his entire presentation. The most interesting part of the movie was when he discussed “fairness” being what somebody needs. I actually did look up the word just for the heck of it. The guy definately had good intentions, but after using several online dictionaries, the words that kept appearing were “equity” and “impartiality”. I certainly didn’t consider “learning disabilties” very severe before this video. I now realize that they are very serious. The speaker did a great job of using activities to better explain his points. I have no idea how he thought of those things. “How Difficult Can This Be” was probably the best video shown in this class so far.
October 10th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
I agree; the discussion of fairness was very interesting. I remember hearing teachers say that all the time, and especially for younger kids I think it is important to give them that idea of treating people “equally,” but if someone is completely unable to learn because the teacher doesn’t want to give them extra help, how is that fair? I think all teachers, and anyone who interacts with kids at all, would be very benefited by seeing this video or something like it. The instructor pointed out so many easy tips that I can imagine would make life exponentially easier for kids with learning disabilities. I remember sitting in class dreading being called on by the teacher, and I can’t imagine how much more difficult it would be if you not only have to worry about answering the question, but processing it as well.
October 10th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
I thought it was great that he pointed out that the little throw-away comments that teachers make to be sarcastic or to make a point can really stay with a child through the rest of the day or even change their view of school as a place where they should apply themselves. I remember teachers and even administrators from elementary school who would do exactly that; they would pick a victim and get the rest of the class to laugh along with them at that person’s expense. I’m sure they thought it was no big deal, but I’m really glad that this man showed the teachers how this can really feel.
October 10th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
I was so intrigued with the entire movie. I could relate everything that the speaker was saying to classroom experiences I have seen throughout my years of school, which made everything seem so real. It made me think back to all the times in class when I would see something similar to what he was talking about, and it made wonder if learning disabilities were ever uncovered in those classes. I completely agree with everything he was saying about learning disabilities. I never knew how difficult it could be, but the examples and activities that he did really helped me see what it would be like to have a learning disability. I loved how he let the teachers and families see what it would be like to be in one of those situations, because I think the most of the times teachers can’t handle students with learning disabilities simply because they do not know what it is like to be on the other side. Teacher have all been students before, but i think many of them were not students with learning disabilities. I think that the discussion on fairness was also really interesting. I also read some definitions online about the word fairness, and many of them do discuss “equity” in their definitions. But i don’t think that that disproves his speech, i thinik it proves it. Equity does not have to be seen as given the same things, something is equal because students begin on the same level, and in order to get on that “equal” level, some students, like those with learning disabilities, need more input. I agree with the movie, I think that giving more help like typed out notes to students with learning disabilities is completely fair.
October 12th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
In highschool I never really knew anyone with a learning disability, but this video really did depict the problems with the education system that now exists in the U.S. and throughout the world. The same message is continuing to be sent: if you can’t learn like the majority, then you won’t be able to learn at all. Society is not willing to make special preferences for students that aren’t able to learn at the same speed and through the same methods as the majority of students. Not only this, but teachers are becoming continually frustrated and not taking care of these students. A teacher should be a parent from home; someone who can criticize you, but ultimately wants to help you succeed. I feel the current education system has gotten away from these values. Teachers now aren’t working to help as much, as just get the lessons done and get their paycheck. This doesn’t include all teachers, but many of them aren’t being patient enough to deal with these disabled children.
The exercises shown in the video were very personal and singled out each participant. It really can destroy a person’s confidence and how they feel about themself. The exercises would’ve really been taken personal by me and would’ve really upset me. The teacher really made everyone feel stupid and rejected them from participating. Yes, I know that people feel the world isn’t fair and students need to learn this. But it is important to first build their confidence and allow them to understand they have a support system before you throw them out in the real world.
Overall, the video was very entertaining and informative.
October 12th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
As i watched this video, all i could think about was our class participating in this same sort of exercise. At first i thought, how hard could it really be, but while i watched the video participants struggle with the exercises so much i understood how truly difficult a learning disability is. Teachers get so frustrasted when a student does not grasp the concept they are trying to teach and as we learned in the movie, they become sarcastic and even mean when trying to help the student understand. i think this is becoming a huge problem in our schools because kids are expected to know so much more and perform at a higher level than ever in our times. There was never any positive feedback from the teacher, only negative remarks on why the student could not answer the question. This should never be the case because negative comments only make the student want to quit trying.
I am glad we watched this movie so we could see how truly difficult it is to learn for a student with a learning disability. Both teachers and fellow students should be more respectful and helpful towards these students. I think this video or one like it should be shown to both students and teachers so they can be enlightened by the struggle this disability is. It would allow teaches to see how they should NOT act towards students with such disabilities and allow them to see how these students actually learn.
October 12th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
I thought this movie was quite interesting. You really do not realize how difficult it is for someone to do something until you are out into their shoes. After seeing the video, I realized why it takes someone who is mentally challenged so much longer to respond to certain things. The different suggestions that were offered to the teachers all sounded like smart ideas to incorporate into their class to try to help those who are challenged. I think that it would be interesting to see how someone would react in an actual situation and how long it takes them to respond, even if the teacher gives them a heads up. I think this would be an interesting exercise for us to do as a class as well. Perhaps we could do something of the sort sometime.
October 12th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
The video took my understanding of learning disability to another level. It opened my eyes to their world and perception. The most memorable part was the visual perception exercise. He showed everyone a picture that appeared to be a skull and had everyone to come up with a title for the picture. All the names that the participants came up with were related to the words “death” and “skull”. Later, he reveals that it was actually a picture of a woman looking at herself in the mirror. Misunderstanding like this occurs so frequently to children with learning disability. Their perception is usually different from ours. It made me realize that we need to be patient and supportive when they make mistakes.
October 13th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
This movie was very interesting and eye opening. I thought the group of people he had assembled would have a pretty good understanding of how children with learning disabilities function, but they were completely unaware of some of their actions. This shows how little people, like me, who have little experience with someone with an ability, understands what they must go through. His lessons were intriguing; they made me think about these children’s struggles. Not only do they struggle with a learning disability but also with being completely misunderstood and constantly harassed.
October 13th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
Before watching this movie, I would have undoubtedly say that I empathized with learning disabled students. But after seeing the eye-opening exercises, I am now beginning to realize that I cannot understand what LD students are going through. I could not even imagine learning like that. The frustration would just be unbearable—I give a lot of credit to those kids who not only deal with it on a daily basis, but succeed with learning disabilities. This does present a controversial question: How do you integrate LD students into regular classrooms so as to provide a fair education without hindering those who do not suffer from disabilities?
October 14th, 2008 at 1:29 am
I think the video was quite compelling and was able to relate some form of similar difficulty with learning impaired to standard students/people. I remember the cow image and how difficult it was to see the embedded photo…I probably could have looked for hours and still not have seen the image. Once it was fully shown, or described, it became instantly clear…it just took a while. Had I been the only one who was having difficulty, I know I would feel quite embarrassed and left out. That in itself is a difficult way to try and learn, but to have this problem with everyday life is unimaginable. The video only provided small instances with learning troubles. What about the everyday life of a learning impaired, is it just as difficult and time consuming a process as it is in the classroom? How does this affect their lives beyond textbooks and reading assignments? I have seen people before with learning disabilities, and unfortunately most of them have been quite hostile towards other students. I wondered why they were so angry at others when they were either minding their own business or trying to help. This video helps to clarify some of that tension. I know I would feel defensive and upset if someone was trying to explain a problem in a way that even the explanation needed explanation. Another problem is that many students excluded the learning impaired from conversations as they thought it would be a hassle to try and maintain a decent pace. I would personally feel upset and embarrassed and therefore apprehensive toward those students had they excluded me. I think this video helped to shed some light on the issue for me.
October 14th, 2008 at 10:46 am
Wow, this movie was quite eye opening. Going into the movie I knew what learning disabilities were and everything, but I had no idea the seriousness and all the things kids with disabilities go through every day. It is so amazing to see intelligent adults become disabled when doing these exercises. That just shows how intelligent kids who must deal with learning disabilities all the time are. This workshop seems like a really good exercise for both teachers, siblings, friends, and parents. Once you have walked a while in someone else’s shoes, it is so much easier to understand their situation and to do all that you can to make it easier for them. I did not even participate in the exercise and I now feel that I could help children with learning disabilities learn. Before the video, I pretty much though along the same lines as most teachers concerning fairness, but the way the teacher explained how fair it was to help disabled children with things like notes and such, I realized how it was actually very fair to do those things. I now know how I would feel with a learning disability and I cannot imagine feeling that all the time. I have enough anxiety and stress already, I don’t think I could handle more. I admire everyone with a learning disability for being so very strong.
October 14th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
This video did a really good job of giving you the idea of a perspective, you may not have ever touched on before in your life. It was interesting to see how at first the people thought that they new exactly what was going on and they had a good grasp and understanding of what the teacher was going over. However, when the confident women turned in her paper, to watch it get ripped up because she thought it was a skull when really it was a lady looking in a mirror, you see how fogged our vision may be. This was a good representation that something that may appear one way may actually be something else. Even though we can not tell in our classes if a student has a learning disability, this movie helped put into perspective for us what it may be like as a student with a disability in a classroom. It helped open our eyes to some of the things our peers may be experiencing that we did not know about before hand.
October 15th, 2008 at 12:01 am
After seeing this video, I really believe that more teachers should be subjected to this type of learning experience. Right at the beginning of the ‘lesson’ the instructor told them that they would feel as a child with LD does, and they clearly got to experience that feeling. The example he used with the picture of the cow was priceless because not only did they have no prior knowledge of what the picture was of, but they also were ‘rushed’ and asked multiple times for the answer when they clearly didn’t know what it was. Feeling like that on a daily basis would be terrifying and especially if you were the ONLY one that just simply ‘didn’t get it.’ The other part of the video that I found to be really amazing was the Processing section. The part where the instructor described an example of a student answering a secondary question with the actual answer to an earlier question really struck me because I KNOW for a fact that some students get in trouble for being ‘inappropriate’ in class for that type of response, because I’ve seen it happen first hand. It just goes to show that there are circumstances in which certain children really do mean well, but there’s just something else there that is inhibiting their potential to be realized to its fullest.
October 19th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
I definately learned a lot from this video. You see most of these things happenening in classrooms from your in pre- k through high school. It does ont seem like much of a big deal because it is your teacher, the person who is suppose to know the right way of handling matters, who is doing the harm. I struggled with learning colors when i was younger and i remember going through the same problems. I learnt everything else at the same pace or even faster than most of my classmates, but struggled with colors. I would dread that section of class everyday because not only would the teacher single me out in class, telling me that i was trying enough, but the kids in class never held back at laughing at me, as they were not reprimanded by the teacher. I wish my teacher then had seen that video. But the man leading the seminar made it soo easy to understand what the affected child was going through and simple techniques to avoid making the child embarassed, that i feel it necessary for all teachers to watch that video even if they do not teach children with disabilities
October 21st, 2008 at 9:56 am
I thought it was very interesting watching how people performed under a stressful environment. Not only does it allow them to experience a short amount of time of what a learning disabled person experiences all the time, but it also opens up their eyes on ways to accommodate a learning disabled person.
I know that if I was put in the same situation, it would have been difficult for me, as well. In fact, some of the questions they were asked, I had to think about a good amount of time. Such fast-paced teaching does not allow for thorough thinking and mistakes will occur. Unfortunately, the learning disabled find themselves in these situations.
October 22nd, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Now, I am completely sympathetic to people with a learning disability. I never thought of how serious this problem could be. Its mind blowing that there are people out there that have to deal with this everyday of their lives.
I think that everyone should be enlightened to the severity of this problem. I think sometimes people do not take this seriously enough, which ends up hurting the child. We should all take time to walk in someone else’s shoes.
I also realized that this can be very embarrassing for the person with the disability. This can make them frustrated which makes them give up, and that is the last thing that we should want for anyone. They deserve their equality and opportunities just as much as we do.