Word – blindness (2)

I have just received my test results. Miss Joseph said I did a great job. I know I did a great job. Although I still struggle with reading and writing, I have greatly improved. I am no longer scared of going to school because my classmates have stopped making fun of me, my class teacher is presently working with Miss Joseph to help me.

Miss Joseph is my best teacher. She has taught all the teachers in my school about this learning disability. Thanks to her effort, more dyslexic children have been identified and we are all receiving the needed help.

Being dyslexic doesn’t mean I am dumb, I am actually a very creative girl. I am more confident in my ability to learn and I am doing a great job at it. – The chronicle of Sarah, the dyslexic girl.

All over the world, children like Sarah struggle each day to succeed. They can only succeed when teachers do their job effectively.

To be able to help dyslexic learners, teachers need to start with building the self-confidence and self-esteem of these children. This can be done listening to and talking to them. Get to know them and have them get to know you. When this is done, it becomes easier to know how to help them.

Teaching dyslexic children.

1.    Use teaching methods with a multi – sensory approach. This allows the children to use all of their senses (touch, sight, movement, and sound). Teachers need to find out if the child is auditory, visual, or kinesthetic.

Visual learners:

·       Use pictures

·       Paste spelling words all around the class and encourage parents to do so at home.

·       Before reading a comprehension passage or a story, look at pictures and talk about them.

·       Use mindmap- Freemind mind mapping tool will be of great help.

·       Use different colours while writing on the board. E.g. butterfly

Auditory learners:

·       During classwork, make sure that instructions are orally clear.

·       Have them read along with the audio recording of books.

·       Use chants, songs, and music.

Kinesthetic learners:

·       Make use of sand trays. The child can trace the spelling words in the sand tray. This engages their sense of touch.

·       Use hands on activities.

·       Play games.

·       Have the child memorize certain facts by moving around or by skipping.

2. Do not ask a dyslexic child to read aloud in class while teaching.

3. Since dyslexic children struggle with short term memory, repetition is very important. Keywords, ideas, and instructions should be repeated as they are more likely to remember what you have said.

4. Have the dyslexic child sit close to the teacher to avoid or minimize distractions. This will also make it possible for you, the teacher to repeat instructions when necessary.

5. Testing:  remove the time limit on testing. They often have troubles working under pressure, reading and understanding the questions. Ample time should be given to enable them to understand the questions, think and write down the answers. Multi choice test questions should be used to reduce the pressure on the child. Oral tests may benefit a dyslexic child. The questions can be read to the child and his answers recorded.     

 

6. Homework:  A typical child can spend an hour on homework, but a dyslexic child can spend two or more hours doing same work. Rather than giving same quantity of homework, you could give a dyslexic child half of the work a typical child is given.

Make homework fun by allowing the child record (audio or video recording) his work, instead of writing it.

7. Do not focus on handwriting but on content. Minimize the volume of copying.

When it comes to dyslexia, teachers should not rest on their paddles. Teachers should work hard to help the dyslexic child cope. When you or the dyslexic child in your care are overwhelmed, research on famous people (e.g. Albert Einstein) who were or are dyslexic and let their experiences encourage you. You are not alone in this, seek out other teachers and find out how they are working with their dyslexic children.