Training on learning disabilities

for parents and teachers.

New strategies and methodologies

and ICT contribution.


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In the methodology and activities

Spelling Lessons:

Creating spelling lessons for dyslexic children or adults can be a challenging task. However teaching them the unusual truth about English can encourage confidence and independent learning. Dyslexic people really want to know how the language works.

Independent Learning:

A dyslexic person needs to have confidence to learn to spell. Once they have belief in themselves they will start learning independently. Part of the problem is that dyslexic people, deep down, don’t believe they are capable of learning. This cripples motivation.

Once a student believes in their ability to learn they will start to look at words in a different way. They will begin to dissect them with their brains, and analyse their structure. This is the first stepping stone towards independent learning.

Reading lessons:

Make sure the foundations are in place:

Dyslexic people can sometimes experience visual problems that make it harder to read, such as glare, blurring and words jumping around on the page. These problems need to be diagnosed and alleviated so they can start to enjoy reading.

If a student reports any visual stress there are a number of interventions that may help:

  1. Coloured overlays can reduce visual stress caused by the glare of black text on white paper.

  2. A student may report words moving or jumping around on the page. If so, they need to try core exercises or a wobble board, both of which help the bodies balance and coordination. This in turn helps the eyes to work in sync.

  3. Convergence exercises strengthen eye muscles and help them to work in unison.

Make reading interesting:

Once any visual problems have been alleviated dyslexic students will still need motivation to read. This means reading whatever is of most interest to them.

For boys this may mean comic books; for girls it may be fashion magazines. Sorry about the gender stereotyping, but you know what I mean. Maybe it’s not necessary to give an example, we think is clear what you’ve written before and after.

Using comic books and magazines in reading lessons should be encouraged in schools if children are interested in them. The Development of functional literacy is much more important than the quality of content.









-Visual strategies and making good use of other alternative resourse for information input.

-Promote cooperative learning: cooperative groups, co-tutoring, working in pairs…

-Use multiple resources, for representation and access to information, so that the pupil can make his tasks and give the results of his work.

-Use visual and auditive compensation strategies to facilitate access to information. Introduce a topic using images (on DVD, slides, power point, murals, pictures, mapping, etc.) as complementary information to help them memorise and study.

-Use visual material such as pictures, mapping, etc., to support written text.

-Make the most of the use of ICT resources in the classroom to support and comensate their learning difficulties:

-Recorder: can be use by the pupil to record oral explanations in the class so he can listen to them again when needed; can also be used to self record answering exercices that others do written.

-DVD: use didactic resources connected with the concept and topic explained in the class to work on the digital blackboard.

-PCO: create word documents, use specific software to correct spelling mistakes , change text into audio, audiobooks, etc.

-Use of a diary, on paper or digital, to help them organise their work and plan ahead.

-Allow the use of formats to present information in the class other than written text, such as PC, audio, fims, etc.

-For dyslexic children written tasks should be reduced to the minimun possible and reading adapted to their real acquired reading level. Bearing in mind that their difficulties should not interfere in achieving the expected learning aim even though these pupils are going to need other activities, materials and help to achieve them.

-Using Project Learning: Children with learning difficulties often struggle to do homework up to the expected standards, project learning allows teachers and pupils to engage in a different way of working in the class since it instigates looking for relevant information, organising it, sharing points of view, challenging previous ideas, promoting creativity to produce the work, elaborating new connections with other topics, etc.

-We will also work on executive functions in a contextualised and motivating way.

- The use of ICT in the classroon is very useful for these pupils, especially those oness with reading and writing difficulties.

It could be especially useful for:

. Recording explanations so the pupil can listen to them as often as needed, both for doing homework and study.

. Choose web pages to do activities done in the classroom in a more visual way, mininizing reading and writing.

. Use reading software to work on and study subjects with extense verbal content, both in the classroom and at home.