ESL Discussion: Learning Disabilities – The Cambridge Professor Who Learned to Read at 18

Ready for more inspiration? Here it is: a young boy with major learning disabilities including Autism and Global Development Disorder learns to read at age 18 and becomes Cambridge’s youngest ever professor of color. If that doesn’t get you working towards your own goals, then nothing will! Learn about this inspirational man and the challenges he faced, then discuss a wide variety of related topics in pairs before letting your students create their own alternative curriculum.

• Warm-up question: Which of these would you consider the “most ridiculous” story ever told and why?

  A boy born without a right hand becomes a professional baseball pitcher.

  A blind man climbs the highest mountain on each of the seven continents.

  A guitarist with 3 working fingers becomes a generation’s musical inspiration.

  A man who learns to read at age 18 becomes Cambridge’s youngest ever professor of color.

• Watch the video once: Ask your students to each describe Jason in their own words.
• Vocabulary: Check out the vocabulary on the PDF and answer any questions.
• Watch the video again: Answer the questions on the PDF in pairs.
• Speaking Activity: Put students in pairs to complete the speaking activity – directions on the PDF.
• If you’ve still got time left over, put your students in small groups to discuss the group activity.
• For homework, think about assigning the go further article on the back page for a reading and writing assignment.

The video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMotp-PzBAI

Give your students some language skills to talk further on the subject by looking at our school & education activities >>