Editorial
This is a new and amended version of an article published in the Hungarian IATEFL magazine.
Identifying and Working With Dyslexic Students in the English Classroom
Sally Farley, UK
Sally Farley is a Teacher Trainer, Counsellor and Dyslexia specialist. She has worked for Pilgrims training teachers both at home and abroad for the last 15 years. She currently works as a Support Tutor for students with Dyslexia and other Specific Learning Difficulties at the University of Kent and the University for the Creative Arts in Canterbury. She has recently written 2 modules for the British Council ‘s Secondary School Teacher Training course on Inclusive Learning and Working with Dyslexic Students and has recorded a webinar on this subject for their website. Sally takes a Humanistic approach to teaching, using many multi-sensory, learner-centred techniques in order to help her students learn in the style that suits them and reach their full potential. She is interested in working with and embracing difference in the classroom, believing that every individual can become involved and enjoy language learning.
E-mail: sallyfarley18@yahoo.com
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Facts and figures
Now for some good news!
Strategies to help the individual student
Strategies that can benefit the whole class
Suggested reading
Figures suggest that 7-10% of the European population is dyslexic (Smythe & Everatt, 2000). In the United States it is thought to affect up to 20% of the population (NAEP, 2005). The prevalence of dyslexia in other parts of the world is not so well documented, but in languages such as French and English, with high degrees of phonic irregularity, dyslexia becomes more apparent. As Professor Tim Miles from the University of Wales explains, ‘Given that dyslexia is mainly a problem of memorising and reproducing symbolic material when it is presented at speed, achieving correct spelling in English presents the learner with exceptional difficulty’:
(www.investigacion-psicopedagogica.org/revista/articulos/4/english/Art_4_43.pdf)
This means that we are almost sure to have dyslexic student in one of our classes. The problem is how do we know if someone is dyslexic, and how can we help them to learn English?
Most people understand that Dyslexia is a language-based learning difficulty which has a negative impact on reading and writing. The most obvious indication that a student has Dyslexia is when there is a marked discrepancy between their perceived ability and their actual performance. This is because there is no link between Dyslexia and intelligence. You may know instinctively that a certain child is bright, but when you see their written work or hear them trying to read you are surprised and dismayed at their low standard. Written work may be messy, disorganised and chaotic with many spelling errors, ‘flipped’ letters, confused syntax and missing words. Reading may be hesitant and stumbling with the child having no sense of the meaning of what they are reading. On top of this they may find note-taking and copying from the board almost impossible. This is because Dyslexia impacts on the ‘working’ memory, the part of the brain that holds information while you do something else. Working memory is different to short-term memory; it’s the human equivalent of the time between ‘copying’ and ‘pasting’ on the computer. Further symptoms of Dyslexia include general disorganisation and difficulties with time-keeping.
All of this may seem very negative and raises questions about how we as language teachers can possibly help these students. The good news is….we can! The negative aspects of Dyslexia are well documented but there are plenty of positive aspects to counter-balance them. The dyslexic brain is not inferior to the non-dyslexic brain, it’s just different. Dyslexics tend to have strengths in right-brain thinking. They are usually good at seeing the ‘big picture’ with skills in holistic thinking, strategy, understanding systems and processes as well as computers. They can make exceptional entrepreneurs, politicians and strategists. Bill Gates and Winston Churchill are two fine examples of dyslexics who have excelled in these fields. Dyslexics also tend to have good spatial and visual intelligence and can be highly creative and imaginative: Picasso and Einstein are fine examples of this. Sports, music and acting are the other areas where dyslexics tend to excel and many more examples of famous dyslexics in these fields can be found, including Tom Cruise, John Lennon and Muhammad Ali. My work with dyslexic students at the University of Kent has shown me that dyslexia does not need to be a barrier to success in life. Teaching strategies which use the student’s strengths to overcome their difficulties are highly effective and can be employed as a matter of course in an ordinary class setting. We just need to realise that if our students can’t learn from the way we teach them, we must teach them in the way they learn.
Every dyslexic student is unique with their own particular combination of strengths and weaknesses. Once you know that they are dyslexic it is a good idea to spend some time with them finding out what they find most difficult and what they enjoy most in the class. If note-taking is a problem you can prepare clear notes to give them before the lesson. Sometimes dyslexics experience the text blurring or moving on the paper which makes it very hard to read. This is known as ‘Meares-Irlen Syndrome’ and can sometimes be overcome by using coloured paper or overlays which reduce the ‘glare’ of black print on white paper. You can experiment with different colours and find the one that helps your student most. It is a wonderful feeling if you can find a simple solution to what has seemed an insurmountable problem.
Low self-esteem is another problem that dyslexic children face as a result of feeling ‘stupid’ and failing to keep up with their peers. You can help overcome these feelings by making sure the child and the rest of the class understand that Dyslexia is nothing to be ashamed of, that it affects almost 1 in 10 of the population and that it is simply a different way of perceiving the world. Giving examples of famous dyslexics who your students see as role models is a good idea. Support, praise and encourage the dyslexic child and make sure you mark their work positively, ticking what is right rather than highlighting mistakes. Finally, never ask a dyslexic child to read out loud in front of the class. Of all the bad memories of school reported by my dyslexic undergraduates, reading aloud was the most humiliating.
If we think of learning English like climbing a mountain, then we can picture the dyslexic child having to take the steep and difficult route to the summit. Each step needs to be carefully cut into the rock face before the next step can be taken. Chunking information into small parcels is the answer. Give instructions one at a time, break worksheets into smaller sections and set short- term achievable goals. The rest of the class can climb the more gentle route but there is no reason why the dyslexic child can’t meet them at the summit.
Dyslexics usually find working on the computer enjoyable and there are several software packages which help with reading and writing difficulties, effectively cutting out the process by reading text to the student (Claro) or converting speech to text (Dragon Naturally Speaking). There is also mind-mapping software (Inspirations and Kidspirations) which mimics the thought process of the holistic thinker and enables them to convert this to a linear form in order to write essays and sequence information. If the school budget won’t stretch to this, the child’s parents can be another invaluable resource. Reading assignments to their children, or recording the reading on tape for them, can make an enormous difference. Providing a homework book to write tasks in, with information on how the parents can help and details of what needs to be brought into school the following day, will help the dyslexic child stay organised and keep up with their peers.
Teachers sometimes think that they don’t have the time to make special allowances for students with dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties. Luckily the teaching strategies that help these students to learn can benefit the whole class. Using multisensory teaching methods, including role play, music and drama as well as video and learning technologies will enrich the learning experience for everyone. Visual aids such as mind maps, timelines and Venn diagrams can be used in imaginative ways for language learning and then put on the classroom walls as constant visual reminders of the target learning. Timelines can be used to represent processes in a lateral rather than linear form. Everything from the events in a novel to the steps in a chemistry experiment can be converted into this format, as well as their more obvious use as a way of depicting time and tense. Consistent colour-coding of tense endings and plurals is another way of engaging visual learners, as is learning vocabulary through picture cards with the English word printed underneath. It is important not to include the Hungarian word on these cards as this interferes with the direct learning process of object=English word. Write important words clearly in the top right hand side of the board as this corresponds to the visual learning area of the brain.
Kinaesthetic activities which involve role play, movement, rhythm and touch can engage the whole class. Cuisenaire rods, buttons, shells, beads and pebbles can be used in many creative ways to encourage speaking as well as team-building. One useful activity that can be used at many levels involves splitting the class into groups and asking them to design a special room using the rods/pebbles/buttons etc. and whatever else they want to represent objects and features of the room. It can be a sports centre, disco, youth club, teenager’s bedroom or anything else that interests them. Tell them that money is no object and encourage them to be as creative as possible. Once the design is complete students answer questions from the other groups, explaining what the rods represent and why they have chosen to put them in specific places etc. Finally the groups vote on which room they would most like to be in.
There are many examples of kinaesthetic teaching activities on the internet so it is easy to incorporate them into your lessons as a matter of course. Your students can all benefit from the opportunity to express themselves through movement and touch, and the learning experience will be enhanced for all.
Finally it is worth remembering that you can really make a difference to the way a dyslexic child experiences language learning. Your attitude to their learning difficulties can turn a painful experience into something enjoyable, challenging and rewarding.
Davis, Ronald.(1997) The Gift of Dyslexia. New York: Berekely Publishing
Rifkin, Carol (ed.) (2008). Language Learning and Dyslexia Symposium Proceedings. London: SOAS
Ellis, Andrew W. (1993). Reading, Writing and dyslexia. A Cognitive Analysis. Hove: Lawrence Erlbaum
Please check the Methodology and Language for Primary Teachers course at Pilgrims website.
Please check the Methodology and Language for Secondary Teachers course at Pilgrims website.
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