You may have a child with tremendous learning problems, who might function brilliantly, if he were only living in another culture. The reason for this seeming paradox is that different cultures place different priorities on specific learning abilities.
In our culture, the ability to read, write, spell and do math is very important. However, in certain South Sea island cultures, for example, it’s the ability to visualize the sky map and to observe distant landmarks and ocean currents that’s most important because of their need to navigate from island to island.
In certain African cultures, music is all-important. Children learn hundreds of dances and songs by the age of five, and musically illiterate are given special treatments for their disability.
It’s all relative — 25 years ago the ability to think logically was not as important in our culture as it is today with the advent of computers. Similarly, in 25 years we may need a totally new kind of learner who’s being ignored today!
Could this be your child?
Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D. is an award-winning author and speaker with twenty-eight years of teaching experience from the primary through the doctoral level, and over one million copies of his books in print on issues related to learning and human development. He is the author of nine books including Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom, In Their Own Way, Awakening Your Childâs Natural Genius, 7 Kinds of Smart, The Myth of the A.D.D. Child, ADD/ADHD Alternatives in the Classroom, and Awakening Genius in the Classroom. His books have been translated into sixteen languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Hebrew, Danish, and Russian.
