SIARAN PERS
Untuk pembebasan segera 13 Agustus 2006
Meninggalkan ANAK yang diberikan
Gagal oleh GURU
“Left-memberikan anak mempunyai hak setara untuk mendapat latihan dan perlengkapan dasar benar bahwa akan memungkinkan mereka untuk menjangkau mereka penuh potential.”
Lauren Milsom – Left-Handers Club
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Berbunyi klik di sini untuk melihat survai adalah akibatnya dan analisa, memasukkan komentar terperinci yang penuh
Meskipun ada pandangan yang biasanya disetujui prasangka itu terhadap meninggalkan-handedness adalah hal yang kidal yang lalu schoolchildren masih diberi perlakuan tidak adil di sekolah, menurut studi baru dilepaskan hari ini untuk menandai International Left-Handers Day.
Penelitian dilancarkan ke luar oleh Left-Handers Club di antara 1.000 meninggalkan-handers di bawah 25 tahun ketuaan dan di pendidikan waktu penuh, untuk menemukan ke luar apakah sekolah memenuhi keperluan spesifik murid kidal mereka. Hampir semua meninggalkan-handers meninjau (99%) sudah mengalami kesukaran dengan tulisan tangan mereka, namun hanya 10% sudah mendapat bimbingan spesifik atas teknik tulisan kidal dari guru mereka. Walaupun mengajar membantu secara khas bagi anak kidal yang sekarang bisa dengan mudah dijumpai via situs web spesialis seperti www.anythingleft-handed.co.uk, hanya 3% dari mahasiswa membuat tulisan spesifik berlatih keset/pembentukan kata berolahraga untuk tulisan kidal dan, sangat mencemaskan, mengejutkan 85% belum pernah diajar postur dan kertas terbaik menempatkan untuk tulisan kidal. Latihan dasar ini esensial, sejak 76% dari mahasiswa mengadu punggung sakit atau kepenatan tangan waktu menulis, karena gaya tulisan buruk. Mengotori adalah masalah biasa untuk meninggalkan-handers, dengan di atas 88% mengalami masalah ini, namun hanya 7% pernah diberi bimbingan di memperbaiki posisi tangan mereka untuk menghapuskan mengotori.
Alat pun yang paling dasar tidak dibuat tersedia di amat banyak ruang kelas. Hanya 18% mempunyai akses ke pulpen kidal, atau pena dengan pegangan jari kidal. Gunting adalah kesukaran yang paling biasa di antara meninggalkan-handers, namun hanya 44% dari orang yang dituntut pernah mempunyai akses ke gunting kidal yang daksa, di hebat banyak kasus karena yang ini sudah disediakan oleh orang-tua mereka sendiri untuk mengambil ke dalam sekolah. Hebat banyak meninggalkan-handers tersadar bahwa alat dan perlengkapan benar akan memperbaiki kinerja mereka, masih tidak merasa bahwa sekolah mereka menghargai ini.
Sesuatu 14 tahun tua mahasiswa, Jack Victor sudah menerima hal ke dalam tangannya sendiri. “I sudah tidak mendapat hak bantuan kepada saya dibiarkan diberikan dari guru. Namun saya sendiri dijengkelkan dengan perlakuan ini dan approx. 2 bulan yang lalu saya membentuk kampanye kidal dalam panggilan sekolah saya untuk pengobatan yang lebih adil lefties. Saya mengeluarkan kuisioner kepada semua lefties pada tahun-tahun 7, 8, 9 dan 10. Untuk sementara kebanyakan jawaban di, dan saya bersiap menyusun data dalam musim panas, oleh sebab itu saya bisa menimbulkannya kepada guru kepala dan staf senior pada September dan mudah-mudahan mendapat hal changed.”
88% of left-handers feel that their school or teachers should give greater consideration to their needs, yet despite 90% of pupils knowing left-handed scissors would benefit them, only a tiny proportion (16%) felt confident to ask their school to provide these, and sadly often to no effect. Many such requests were met with comments such as: “it is not cost-effective to provide specialised equipment for such a small group” or “you just need to learn to cut with your other hand”. Such comments show a blatant disregard for the rights of left-handed children to equal learning experiences, and alarming ignorance of the relevance of hand-eye co-ordination and enhanced fine motor skill development in a child’s naturally dominant hand.
For many left-handed pupils, shared computer equipment can pose problems, since desk layouts and positioning of the computer mouse are more efficient for left-handers to use if they are reversed. Sharing a computer with one or more right-hander makes constant re-positioning or alternative equipment impractical, yet 41% of lefties believed they would be more efficient with an alternative desk layout. Since 31% of left-handers use a computer mouse on the left side of their keyboard, an ergonomic left-handed mouse is one of the most popular requests for left-handed equipment. However, specialised equipment is not necessary, since a standard mouse can easily be set up to work for a left-hander. Despite this, only half of the pupils surveyed had access to a left-hand mouse setup in their school IT department or classroom.
Practical subjects such as DT, woodwork & metalwork which involve using heavy machinery also raised concerns, both with blade positioning and over the positioning of safety overrides, which, according to 49% of respondents are positioned for right-handers convenience. This means that left-handers can lose valuable seconds in an emergency, as they would instinctively reach out with their dominant hand in moments of stress.
“I hate using the mechanical drills during Design and Technology lessons, because I feel so unsafe operating the drill with my right hand. Also, the emergency stop button is on the right hand side, making it awkward to get to.” says Emily Cragg, Age 14
Alarmingly, it appears very few teachers give specific safety guidance to left-handers on the best positions to adopt when using such machinery. Students are even being told to “use it right-handed” which not only means relying on their weaker hand, but also impairs hand-eye co-ordination, making them less accurate which can have disastrous consequences.
“I was badly hurt and almost lost several fingers because a belt sander was only made for a right-handed user. I used it "properly" (right-handed, since I was afraid I'd hurt myself by crossing my arms over) but my right hand was not strong enough to hold the wood steady and slipped; my hand was pulled inside and sanded down to the bone.” Maggie O’Toole, Age 20.
In textiles and food technology, left-handed students also found that they had to adapt in an awkward manner to get right-handed kitchen tools to work (95%), and to reverse sewing patterns and techniques (63%) yet only 9% of students had ever received any teaching on left-handed techniques.
“Sewing was a nightmare because the teacher would do it right handed and I would ask her how do I do it left handed and she would just tell me to work it out myself!” Julia Cook, age 25.
Opinions on music studies were fairly divided. Many children studying guitar were confronted with difficulties through their handedness, with 49% of left-handers being encouraged to play the guitar right-handed. The common reasons for this were the expense of left-handed guitars, inability to swap guitars with other pupils, and quite often, the inconvenience to the teacher of having to teach left-handed.
“When I was young, my teacher made me learn that way because it was easier for her.”
David Kenny, age 15.
However, an equal number of left-handed musicians felt music was a particular strength for them, and allowed them to use their creative talent. A common problem encountered by novice pianists occurs with the dynamics of playing, since the left hand (which plays the rhythm) is often louder than the right (playing the melody). Practice, however, usually solves this problem, and many left-handers go on to be accomplished musicians.
Sports, was an area of great encouragement for lefties, with 47% of students feeling they were at an advantage in their chosen sport. Left-handers felt they particularly excelled in combative sports (fencing, boxing, wrestling) and racquet sports (tennis, squash, badminton). The traditional advantage of left-handers in cricket, rounders and baseball was also confirmed. Problems were encountered by 49% of respondents with right-biased equipment for some sports e.g. golf clubs, baseball gloves, and many highlighted the fact that it is against the rules to play field hockey left-handed.
On a more positive note, The Left-Handers Club actively encouraged members to highlight schools that have taken significant steps to meet the needs of their left-handed pupils. Many children nominated their school for a “Lefty Friendly Award” which the Left-Handers Club awards to schools who provide specific training and equipment for their left-handed pupils.
Participants were also keen to point out the advantages they felt left-handedness offered. Art, computing, creative writing, music and drama all featured highly as areas of excellence, which respondents considered best used their talents for creativity and abstract thinking.
Conclusions
The overwhelming message from this survey is that there is a significant gap in teachers’ knowledge relating to their left-handed pupils. Far too few teachers are aware of their left-handed students’ needs and crucially do not know how easily these needs can be met.
Left-Handers Club spokesperson Lauren Milsom was concerned by the results of the survey. She states: “There is obviously an urgent need to provide teachers with the simple but effective steps that can overcome the majority of frustrations left-handed students encounter. Left-handedness need never be a problem for children provided teachers can guide them in the techniques to adopt when approaching new tasks as a left-hander.”
As a result of this survey, The Left-Handers Club, the foremost pressure group for left-handers worldwide, is spearheading a campaign to make information and products easily accessible to every school and parent in the UK, via a new website www.lefthandedchildren.org to be launched on International Left-handers Day , August 13th 2006. This site will provide all the latest information, teaching aids, school equipment and advice for helping left-handed school children in all areas of the curriculum. “Our aim” says Mrs Milsom, “is to ensure these children receive an equal learning experience to their right-handed contemporaries.”
* ENDS *
For further information, contact: Lauren Milsom
Email: lauren@lefthandedchildren.org
Telephone: 020 8770 3722
Post: Anything Left-Handed Press Office, Sterling House,
18 Avenue Road, Belmont, Surrey, SM2 6JD United Kingdom
Notes to editors
Click here to see the original survey form
http://www.lefthandedchildren.org/school-survey.htm
Click here to see the survey results and analysis, included full detailed comments
http://www.lefthandedchildren.org/school-survey-results.htm
* The Left-Handers Club is free to join -
Click here to join
http://www.lefthandedchildren.org/club-join.htm
Formed in 1990, the Club aims to:
- increase awareness of left-handers’ needs
- keep members in touch with research and developments
- improve education, facilities and equipment design.
* The Left-Handers Club is now the largest organisation of its kind, with over 50,000 members worldwide. Since its formation, the Club has been responsible for a number of product design improvements, the provision of left-handed cheque books by all major banks in the U.K., and is launching a unique website for teachers and parents of left-handed children on 13 August 2006.
www.lefthandedchildren.org
* The Club is responsible for International Left-Handers Day, an annual event when left-handers everywhere can celebrate their sinistrality and increase public awareness of the difficulties and advantages of being left-handed.
Visit
www.lefthandersday.com
for more info.
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