Do you know Temple Grandin?
She's a Colorado State University professor of animal sciences, an animal behaviorist, and an autism activist. Labeled autistic, she didn't speak until she was three and a half. On Saturday, she spoke eloquently and passionately and intelligently about animal behavior, the lack of shop and sewing classes in public schools, the hands on classes where visual thinkers thrived.
Education phased out ways to enhance object visualizers she said, while bemoaning the demise of the Clever Engineer, working in the shop, inventing mechanical devices. We've lost the ability to make things, reminding us that the chip was invented here, but isn't made here.
There were three more take-aways I want to share:
- If I have to take a course to use the software, it's a failure. I shouldn't have to learn to use the software.
- A young man identified himself as "on the spectrum" and asked When you're weird, how do you sell your work. Her answer was simple and direct - You sell your work, not yourself.
- And then she explained Elon Musk. A visual thinker, he's good at the object projects - space, cars. Twitter is a verbal, linear program, and well out of his wheel house.
I do know of Temple Grandin and her work with animals and advocacy for those with autism. When I first started my study to become a special education teacher, way back in the stone age, there was so little known and the prognosis was usually grim. Things changed for the better, but we still have a way to go to honor all kinds of differences and diversity of abilities in education and society. And I cannot feel good about the direction Florida is going on that front right now.
ReplyDeletePoor Floridians. Everything she said goes against everything your Governor is for.
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I have read many of Temple Grandin's books. I'm assuming, since she spoke at this book festival, that she has a new book out? I must look for it. I have learned so much from her that I use in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteVisual Thinking is the new book. She is a wonder.
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It was discovered when he was about 40 that my son is on the spectrum. High functioning as he is, it certainly explained things, like that he didn't talk until he was three. His strongest intelligence is in math. His hardest challenge is that he doesn't suffer fools lightly.
ReplyDeleteLooking back, I'm certain that my Dad was on the spectrum, too. If only we had known.... we'd have been kinder.
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