Supporting learners with Dyslexia in the classroom: A Guide for schools and educators

Educators play a vital role in the academic and emotional well-being of learners with Dyslexia. This learning difficulty is more common than people often realise and is thought to affect around 10% of the population, and 4% severely. It is the most common of the Specific Learning Difficulties and often described as a hidden disability. Although weakness in the area of literacy is often the most visible sign, dyslexia affects the way information is processed, stored and retrieved.

What is Dyslexia?

The Rose Report (2009) offers the following definition of dyslexia:

• Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that primarily affects the skills involved in accurate and fluent word reading and spelling.
• Characteristic features of Dyslexia are difficulties in phonological awareness, verbal memory and verbal processing speed.
• Dyslexia occurs across the range of intellectual abilities. It is best thought of as a continuum, not a distinct category, and there are no clear cut-off points.
• Co-occurring difficulties may be seen in aspects of language, motor co-ordination, mental calculation, concentration and personal organisation, but these are not, by themselves, markers of Dyslexia.
• A good indication of the severity and persistence of dyslexic difficulties can be gained by examining how the individual responds or has responded to well-founded intervention.

Learners with Dyslexia may have emotional responses to their difficulties. These can include embarrassment, low self-esteem, frustration and anger, which will cause additional barriers to learning. Learners with Dyslexia have many strengths and it is important to ensure the environment the child finds themselves in is one that fosters the development of these strengths. Consider incorporating the following tips to ensure a safe, encouraging learning environment is created for your learners with dyslexia:

Teaching

• Pre-teach key vocabulary and provide subject specific key words in classroom handouts;
• Revisit previous leaning at the start of the lesson and teach using an integrated, multi-sensory approach;
• Keep oral instructions brief and clear. In lessons where there will be considerable not taking, print out a copy for learners with dyslexia;
• Learners with Dyslexia respond best to visual, rather than textual, information. Where possible provide diagrammatic representations of concepts and encourage them to revise through methods like Mind Maps.

Reading

• Incorporate more advanced audio books into the programme of the learner with dyslexia. Often, learners will choose books that appear beneath their capabilities, but are in line with their reading abilities. The inclusion of more advanced audio books can maintain their interest and stretch their abilities.
• Teach important reading skills such as skimming and scanning, and when to use them;
• Limit the quantity of reading, by guiding learners to relevant sections;
• Only ask a learner with dyslexia to read aloud if you know they are comfortable with this. The provision of texts in advance may allow learners to feel more prepared to push themselves in this regard.

Writing

• Break down writing tasks into manageable chunks and provide examples, modelling good practice;
• Focus on marking written work for the content rather than precision and accuracy;
• Encourage learners to make a glossary of important terms for your subject. If they focus on spelling these words correctly, you can focus your corrections on these when marking;
• Encourage alternative methods of recording work that are in line with the learners strengths, consider, writing frames, diagrams, labelled drawings and flow charts;

General

• Establish a buddy system for support. Identify a reliable classmate who is contactable for homework guidance and reminders, this can be invaluable;
• Teach organizational skills explicitly by showing learners how to prioritise their work;
• Always encourage independence via the use of diaries, sticky notes and checklists.

Making the reasonable adjustments suggested in this guide will help to create an environment where learners feel secure and confident to take risks and increase their learning potential.

This guide was prepared by BELLAVISTA S.H.A.R.E (www.bellavista.org.za)

Sources Used:

• The British Dyslexia Association: bdadyslexia.org.uk
• Supporting Pupils with Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia) in Secondary Schools (2015) Published by NASEN.
• Kelly, K. & Phillipps, S. (2016) Teaching Literacy to Learners with Dyslexia: A Multisensory Approach.