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分享一篇文章《The Extraordinary Characteristics of Dyslexia》"难语症的非凡品质 ...
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The ExtraordinarCy haracteristicosf Dyslexia
by Jack Horner, Paleontologist
Those of us with dyslexia share a common thread of growing up in a society that judges us. ln some cases, we have been judged as retarded in our abilities to read or do math. ln others, we are seen as less able or less intelligent. ln most cases, though, the judgment is usually wrong.
Each of us can narrate an early experience of failure in schools. Becauseo f it, most of us havek nownsome form of peer persecution. But what most non-dyslexicsd on't knowabout us,b esidesth e fact that we simply processi nformationd ifferently,is that our early failures often give us an important edge as we grow older. lt is not uncommont hatw e "dyslexicsg" o
on to succeed at the highest of levels.
I don't care much for the word dyslexia. I generally think of " us"as spatial thinkers and non-dyslexicass l ineart hinkers, or people who could be most often described as being dys-spatios. For spatiatl hinkers, readingi s clearly necessary but over-rated. Most of us would rather write abouto ur own adventures than read about someone else's. Most spatial thinkers are extremely visual, highly imaginative, and work in three dimensions, none of which have anything to do with time. Linear thinkers (dys-spatics) generally operate in a two-dimensional world where time is of the utmost importance. We spatial thinkers fail tests given by linear thinkers because we don't think in terms of time or in terms of written text. lnstead, our perception is multidimensional, and we do best when we can touch, observea, and analyze. lf we were to give spatial tests to linear thinkers they would have just as much trouble with our tests as we do with theirs. lt is unfortunate that we are the minority and have to deal with the linear-thinkers' exams in order to enter the marketplace to find jobs. Even though we often fail or do miserably on these linear-thinker tests, we often end up in life achieving exceptional accomplishments. From the perspective of the linear thinkers, we spatial thinkers seem to "think outside the box," and this accounts for our accomplishments. However, we think outside the box precisely because we have never been in one. Our minds are not clogged up by preconceived ideas acquired through excessive reading. We are, therefore, free to have original thoughts enhanced by personal observations
ln 1993, I was inducted into the American Academy of Achievement, an organization started in 1964, that annually brings together the highest achievers in America with the brightest American high-school students. The achievers included United States presidents, Nobel Laureates, moviestars, sports figures, and other famous people. The high school students were winners of the best scholarships lie the Rhodes, the Westinghouse, the Truman, and so on. In other words, it was supposed to be a meeting of the best of the best according to the linear thinkers who "judge" such things. The idea was that the achievers would somehow, over the course of a threeday meeting, influence the students, and push them on to extraordinary achievement. Interestingly, however, most of us "achievers," admitted that we would never have qualified to be in such a student group. The largest percentage of the achievers were actually people who had difficulties in school and didn' t get scholarships, or awards, or other accolades. Most of the achievers were spatialthinkers, while most of the students were linearthinkers. From1964 until 2000, less than half a dozen students broke the barrier to be inducted at the American Academy of Achievement' annual get-together. How could it be that so many promising students, judged by the linear thinkers themselves, failed to reach the highest levels of achievement?
I think the answer is simple. Linear thinkers are burdened by high expectations from everyone, including themselves. They go out and get good jobs, but they seldom follow their dreams because dream-following is risk-taking, and risk- taking carries the possible burden of failure. We think outside the box precisely because we have never been in one.
We spatial thinkers have known failure our entire lives and have grown up without expectations, not from our teachers, often not from our parents, and sometimes, not even from ourselves. We don't meet the expectations of linear thinkers and are free to take risks. We are the people who most often follow our dreams, who think differently, spatially, inquisitively.
Personally, I think dyslexia and the consequences of dyslexia-learning to deal with failure-explains my own success. From my failures, l 've learned where I need help, such as reading and math. But l 've also learned from my accomplishments what l'm better at than the linear thinkers. When I'm teaching lineart hinkers here at Montana State University, I know to be patient, as they have just as hard a time with spatial problems as I have with linear ones. We both have learning talents and learning challenges, but I would never think of trading my spatial way of thinking for their linear way of thinking. I think dyslexia is an extraordinary characteristic, and it is certainly not something that needs to be fixed, or cured, or suppressed! Maybe it's time for a revolution! Take us out of classes for spetialed, and put us in classes for spatialed, taught of course,by spatial thinkers!
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发表评论 评论 (4 个评论)
- 回复 盲刺客
- 哦，据说达.芬奇、乔布斯、李光耀、萧敬腾等人都有一定程度的“读写障碍”（没考证过，但个人觉得发明了“镜书”的达.芬奇应当是，他所具备的一切技艺、能量，如此彪悍！），较之于其他人，他们接受外部信息时大脑相应区域的活跃程度有差异而已。
“（立体）空间思维者”这个称谓好！相对绝大多数线性思维者，读写障碍者的思维方式有时确实可以成为一种特别的禀赋，利于创造，赢得非凡成就。看过一部印度电影《地球上的星星》，对此有生动展示。
话说“（立体）空间思维者”的思维方式，正类似于因数字时代而生的“马赛克美学”
的主张啊——突破线性、持续、连贯，面对信息的交互、非连续性及碎片化状况，在瓦解的同时制造新生。
读写障碍者能不能遇到耐心、有爱的爹妈和老师，很关键！
