Learning Disabilities

       The F.A.T. Workshop series on Youtube, was a very powerful and eye opening series to watch. It allowed for the audience to experience and get a feel for what it is like to have a learning disability. It shows the anxiety, frustration, and tension that students with a learning disability experience everyday.
       There were many parts of this series that stood out to me. First off, the idea of sarcasm in a classroom and how that can truly affect a student with a learning disability. The man in the video mentioned how simple sarcasm can be forgotten within minutes for most students and teachers, where as a student with a learning disability will remember the comment for the rest of the day. Many of these students are afraid to comment or volunteer in the classroom because they are afraid of what the teacher will say and of what the students will say. They also may be scared to not get any feedback at all.
       Another part in the series that stood out to me was how students with learning disabilities take many more steps to process a question. The students will hear the question and then separate each word so it makes sense. This will allow the student to process the question and come up with the correct answer. The struggle here is that, the processing takes time and all the other students are 10 questions ahead. An idea to help with this, was when the man talked about standing in a specific part of the room so the student knows when he or she will be called on and can prepare themselves to answer a question. The other students will not know this is occurring but the student with the learning disability will feel more comfortable and confident.
      One of the last points I found to be interesting was when the man talked about how students feel if "I cannot see the teacher, then the teacher cannot see me." This makes the students feel as if they can hide from being called on. I think it is important that teachers work with students with learning disability to make them comfortable in the classroom.
       Overall, this series inspired me to become more knowledgeable of all the students in my classroom. Most of the teachers in the video wanted to give up after a few minutes of the experience. Just imagine having the learning disability for life. Teachers must become aware of their students needs and help them in a way that makes them feel comfortable and does not involve every other student.