Building Advocacy

Now that I’m fully finished with my interviews, I’m realizing just how much I have learned from my peers. From my initial research I thought student interviews would highlight the need for learning tools in classrooms. But the interview process really changed that perspective. For example, I wrote a blog post about assistive technology before…

As I’m meeting with students about their learning differences, I’m finding that very few have ever been denied an accommodation. This is super encouraging. When they ask a teacher for help or open up to them about specific struggles with class material, teachers are almost always receptive. It’s really assuring to know that almost all…

I started interviews with students this week. The feedback I’ve gotten so far, has been super helpful. There’s been some feedback that matches the research I’ve already done, and some feedback I had not thought of before. Something I’ve noticed throughout my interviews is that teacher approachability and understanding towards their students is a huge…

Personally, one of the biggest challenges in managing my learning difference is having a sense of control over my learning. Even through my independent project process this need for control has proved challenging. At the beginning of my independent study I felt out of control. The whole concept of an independent study is to allow…

This week I focused my time researching student perspectives from outside Durham Academy. My favorite topic I read about was universal design. Universal design is when teachers design their course, instruction and materials, course work, instruction and materials so that all students, no matter their learning style, can achieve. One article I read says, ”…

Feelings of pressure, stress and failure are attitudes that come with having a learning or attention differences. Struggles in school attribute to students perceiving themselves as not smart. This perception contributes to an overall discomfort and dislike of school. I have been here before. I know what it’s like to feel incredibly uncomfortable in a…

Today, I had a failure. I had the opportunity to articulate my study’s goals, and it didn’t go well. I felt out of control and uncomfortable with speaking on the spot in a situation. It was similar to how I feel in class discussions or when a teacher cold calls me. I am great at…

I sent out my teacher survey at the beginning of last week. Since then, I have been researching online about how to build understanding and advocacy for students with learning differences. I’m specifically trying to find information from other students’ perspectives. I realize that as I research about how other students’ learning differences affect them,…

This week, I focused on designing my needs assessment surveys for faculty and students. I’ve been writing questions, reworking them, and researching how to best format surveys. My survey for students with learning differences is ten questions long and mostly multiple choice. I tried to design questions that take into account both what I’ve experienced,…

Hello, and welcome to my blog. I am so excited to take you along my Independent Study journey. I will be studying how to build advocacy and support for students with learning differences. In first grade, I was diagnosed with Dyslexia. For years I kept my Dyslexia a secret. I saw it as a learning…