Post by Amtram on Mar 5, 2014 16:47:36 GMT -5
Interesting article from ChildMind Institute called Kids With Learning Challenges Shine on Stage. What I like about it is that nowhere in the article does it wax rhapsodic about the creativity of people with ADHD. It focuses instead on how children who have mental processing difficulties learn from performing how to express themselves better and more effectively. The teacher interviewed for the article says,
What do you think? Has this helped anyone here, or helped their children?
Gaynor drama teacher Kristen Plylar-Moore observes that while every student is different, she does see unusual dramatic abilities in children with different learning styles. "The children I work with seem to have access to a part of themselves that other students find more difficult," she said.
"Students who might be exceptionally good at learning in the very traditional way are very much in their heads," Plylar-Moore observes. "In some ways it can be very challenging for them to not just get in their heads but be in their bodies, their hearts, their feelings. The kids who have more challenges in learning in that more traditional way can, I think, sometimes have greater access to that part of themselves. The depths of their expression can seem greater."
And nurturing these strengths is especially valuable in children who have trouble with traditional approaches to learning, she notes. Their success performing carries over into other endeavors. "One of the reasons Gaynor values the arts so much," she says, "is because it really builds confidence which is crucial in the classroom." If children are too discouraged to try to succeed academically, "then that lack of confidence is a huge inhibition. That confidence creates an entryway for them to walk through."
"Students who might be exceptionally good at learning in the very traditional way are very much in their heads," Plylar-Moore observes. "In some ways it can be very challenging for them to not just get in their heads but be in their bodies, their hearts, their feelings. The kids who have more challenges in learning in that more traditional way can, I think, sometimes have greater access to that part of themselves. The depths of their expression can seem greater."
And nurturing these strengths is especially valuable in children who have trouble with traditional approaches to learning, she notes. Their success performing carries over into other endeavors. "One of the reasons Gaynor values the arts so much," she says, "is because it really builds confidence which is crucial in the classroom." If children are too discouraged to try to succeed academically, "then that lack of confidence is a huge inhibition. That confidence creates an entryway for them to walk through."
What do you think? Has this helped anyone here, or helped their children?