JOURNEY
Allow me to begin with a story. Once upon a time, there lived six blind boys in a village. One day there was great excitement and the boys overhead someone shouting, "There is an elephant visiting the village!
Let's all go and see!"
They had no idea what an elephant was and so they decided, "Even though we will not be able to see it, let us go and feel it anyway." All of them went to where the elephant was. Every one of them touched the elephant.
"The elephant is like a pillar," said the first boy who touched the leg.
"Oh, no! It is like a rope," said the second boy who touched the tail.
"Oh, no! It is like a thick branch of a tree," said the third boy who touched the trunk of the elephant.
"It is like a big hand fan," said the fourth boy who touched the ear of the elephant.
"It is like a huge wall," said the fifth boy who touched the side of the elephant.
"It is a like solid pipe," said the sixth boy who touched the tusk of the elephant.
They began to argue. Every one of them was certain and insisted that he was correct. The young boys became increasingly agitated. A older blind man was passing by and he heard this. He stopped and asked them, "What is the matter?" They said, "We cannot agree on what the elephant is like!"
The wise man calmly explained to them, "That is because each one of you touched a different part of the elephant. Actually, the elephant is like all the features you have named. All of you are correct and yet none of you are correct in your understanding of the elephant."
Let's all go and see!"
They had no idea what an elephant was and so they decided, "Even though we will not be able to see it, let us go and feel it anyway." All of them went to where the elephant was. Every one of them touched the elephant.
"The elephant is like a pillar," said the first boy who touched the leg.
"Oh, no! It is like a rope," said the second boy who touched the tail.
"Oh, no! It is like a thick branch of a tree," said the third boy who touched the trunk of the elephant.
"It is like a big hand fan," said the fourth boy who touched the ear of the elephant.
"It is like a huge wall," said the fifth boy who touched the side of the elephant.
"It is a like solid pipe," said the sixth boy who touched the tusk of the elephant.
They began to argue. Every one of them was certain and insisted that he was correct. The young boys became increasingly agitated. A older blind man was passing by and he heard this. He stopped and asked them, "What is the matter?" They said, "We cannot agree on what the elephant is like!"
The wise man calmly explained to them, "That is because each one of you touched a different part of the elephant. Actually, the elephant is like all the features you have named. All of you are correct and yet none of you are correct in your understanding of the elephant."
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This story serves to illustrate the nature of my journey. What I've found in the field of special education is that we have moved closer to describing the parts of "Learning Disability," but we struggle to perceive (or agree upon) the whole. It is very difficult to address the needs of an elephant when one cannot conceive of the entire elephant.
My journey at UBC has been an attempt to resolve the larger picture of Learning Disability by more fully understanding some of its component parts and their relationships to one another (Paths of Inquiry).
Through my courses I have learned that it is crucial to take human development into account (505); that there is a tremendous body of literature to support the understanding of cognition, learning, culture and human neurobiology (604); that it is possible to assess learning and behavioural profiles in a variety of ways and then design cognitive, dynamic individual programs (534, 431, 408). I've learned that social and emotional behaviours (585) are a form of communication and that if we listen very carefully, we can catch the message. I've revisited the fact that our special education system in BC is both flawed and beautiful in its size and complexity, and spent time exploring the core issues that exist (526, 512); ones that have always been there (diagnosis, inclusion) and ones that are new (technology).
Perhaps most importantly, I've become keenly aware that every one of the six blind boys was certain he knew how to describe an elephant after touching only one part. Certainty is not an advantage when working with students who have Learning Disabilities. New theories emerge from the old, our understanding of human biology and neurology changes rapidly, individuals change throughout their lives and the world changes inexorably around us. During my journey at UBC, above all else, I have felt privileged to be part of a learning community that is committed to remaining uncertain as it strives to understand both the parts and the whole.
My journey at UBC has been an attempt to resolve the larger picture of Learning Disability by more fully understanding some of its component parts and their relationships to one another (Paths of Inquiry).
Through my courses I have learned that it is crucial to take human development into account (505); that there is a tremendous body of literature to support the understanding of cognition, learning, culture and human neurobiology (604); that it is possible to assess learning and behavioural profiles in a variety of ways and then design cognitive, dynamic individual programs (534, 431, 408). I've learned that social and emotional behaviours (585) are a form of communication and that if we listen very carefully, we can catch the message. I've revisited the fact that our special education system in BC is both flawed and beautiful in its size and complexity, and spent time exploring the core issues that exist (526, 512); ones that have always been there (diagnosis, inclusion) and ones that are new (technology).
Perhaps most importantly, I've become keenly aware that every one of the six blind boys was certain he knew how to describe an elephant after touching only one part. Certainty is not an advantage when working with students who have Learning Disabilities. New theories emerge from the old, our understanding of human biology and neurology changes rapidly, individuals change throughout their lives and the world changes inexorably around us. During my journey at UBC, above all else, I have felt privileged to be part of a learning community that is committed to remaining uncertain as it strives to understand both the parts and the whole.