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Hello, this is 6 Minute English
from BBC Learning English. I'm Phil.
And I'm Pippa.
Are you a big reader, Phil?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no.
Sometimes I go a while without
reading anything. What about you?
Well, I really love to read.
I read on the train
to work all the time.
Ah, well, that is a great way
to get some reading in, I guess.
Yes and reading,
of course, is a life skill –
an essential skill which is useful
or important in everyone's life.
But reading can be a struggle
for people with dyslexia –
a learning difficulty making it hard
for people to read, write or spell.
It's thought that around one
in ten people in the UK are dyslexic,
and many dyslexic children struggle
at school,
where the focus is on reading
and writing.
But in this episode,
we'll be hearing how dyslexics
have other skills which allow them
to excel in the workplace.
As usual, we'll be learning
some useful new words and phrases,
and remember, you'll find
all the vocabulary for this episode
on our website,
bbclearningenglish.com.
But first,
I have a question for you, Phil.
Studies have shown that people
with dyslexia have enhanced abilities
in certain areas
and can excel in creative thinking,
problem solving and inventiveness.
So, which famous
scientist was dyslexic?
Was it: a) Stephen Hawking, b)
Albert Einstein, or c) Marie Curie?
Oh, I think...
I think it's b) – I think
it's Albert Einstein.
Well, we'll find out the answer
at the end of the programme.
Now, the British charity Made By
Dyslexia shares online learning tools
and works with schools and teachers
to raise awareness about the condition.
The charity recently collaborated with
British celebrities who have dyslexia
for this promotional video:
If you're dyslexic,
it's kind of your superpower.
It's, like, the way that you think.
Our brains – they're wired to, I think,
process information differently.
The way I see the world might be
different from somebody else,
but that's valid.
In fact, it's vital.
You might recognise some
of those voices,
including actors Orlando Bloom
and Keira Knightley
and businessman Richard Branson.
The message is that, far
from being a disability, dyslexia is
their superpower – the ability
to do something other people can't.
Made By Dyslexia was founded by
social entrepreneur Kate Griggs,
and Kate co-authored a report showing
that empowering dyslexic workers could
boost the global economy by billions.
BBC World Service programme
People Fixing the World met Kate
at the report's London launch event,
where she explained
why being dyslexic
can actually give advantages in life,
including some exciting
job prospects.
If you think
about what you have to do as a spy,
you have to be reading people really
quickly, spotting complex patterns
and solving problems really quickly,
so you can see
whether there's a terror threat.
It's natural
that dyslexics are brilliant spies.
Kate thinks dyslexics make good spies –
people who secretly collect information
about another country's government
or organisations. Why?
Because they're good
at reading people.
To read people means to be able to
understand someone's true intentions
through their body language and
behaviour, rather than their words.
Also present at the London
charity event was space scientist
and dyslexic herself,
Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock.
Here, Maggie tells BBC World
Service's People Fixing the World
how being dyslexic contributes different
skills and ideas to her project teams:
Well, I think it's recognising
people's skills and differences.
It's about teamwork
and collaboration.
We do it in science and
that's when we reach for the stars,
but to do that, we need to know
our skills and value all the skills.
Maggie thinks that
everyone's skills should be valued –
or considered important.
Dyslexics may struggle
to read or spell,
but their skills in
problem-solving and communication,
for example, can be essential
for scientific success.
By valuing everyone's contribution,
business and science teams can reach
for the stars –
an idiom meaning to be ambitious and
try to achieve something difficult,
even if it seems impossible.
And talking of reaching
for the stars, Pippa, I think
it's time you revealed the answer
to your question
about successful scientists.
Yes, I asked you
which famous scientist was dyslexic.
Was it a) Stephen Hawking, b)
Albert Einstein, or c) Marie Curie?
And you were right, Phil.
It was Albert Einstein.
OK. Let's recap the vocabulary
we've learned,
starting with life skill – an
essential skill, such as reading or
problem-solving,
which is useful in everyone's life.
A superpower is the ability to
do something that other people can't.
A spy is someone
who secretly collects information
about other countries' governments,
or organisations.
If you're good at reading people,
you can understand
people's real intentions
through how they act and behave,
instead of what they say.
If you value something or someone,
you consider them to be important.
And finally, the idiom to reach
for the stars means to have high
or ambitious aims and
try to achieve something difficult,
even if it seems impossible.
Once again, our six minutes are up,
but remember, you can find many more
trending topics,
plus a quiz and worksheet
for this episode,
on our website,
bbclearningenglish.com.
Hope to see you there soon,
but for now, it's goodbye!
Goodbye!
Vocabulary
Word 1 of 15life skill
collocation
0:29
"an essential skill that is useful in everyone's life."
More Listening Practice
About this lesson
Discover new perspectives on dyslexia and how changing the way we think about it can help those who have it in this 6 Minute English episode.