I spent some time this week applying for the Master's in Education Program at Queen's University. I have been reading over the last couple of years about Brain Plasticity and exploring therapies that can be done with children (and adults) to improve weak neurological connections which are associated with Learning Disabilities. I find it infuriating that in 10 years as a Special Education teacher I had to find out about these possibilities for myself and somewhat by accident.
Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists have been helping students with strengthening particular pathways for years - but through direct one on one therapies - often expensive and out of reach for most families. In schools we only talk about accommodation.
In an educational age when growth mindset is all the "rage" - I would like the challenge various assumptions:
-First: I wish we would talk about Learning Differences - instead of Disabilities. In my experience students with some weak neural pathways have learned to compensate by strengthening others and if you can discover where their strengths lie - they can have a great deal to offer.
-Second: that the work of re-training the brain and re-shaping weak neural pathways must be left exclusively to professional therapists. While I am realistic about the effect a classroom teacher could have when compared to one on one therapy with a trained Psyio or Occupational Therapist - I do believe that there are things that can be done in the classroom which would help. Under a "necessary for some and good for all" model, consciously exercising your brain won't cause harm and could help, even in unexpected ways.
-Third: I would like to challenge the accepted role of the secondary Special Education teacher to accommodate exclusively. While accommodations can be a short term way to help students show their abilities in alternative ways - and should not be ignored - I believe they can also provide a "crutch" to weak neural pathways, meaning continued losses in the future. "Neurons that fire together, wire together".
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