Reasonable Adjustments in the Classroom… Tips for Teaching Learners with Specific Learning Difficulties…

Top 10 Teaching Strategies… Celebrate strengths and successes across a wide range of endeavours. Create opportunities for Dyslexic pupils to succeed – verbal tasks. Have visual aids available for every lesson. Make good use of multi-sensory sources of information and techniques – mind maps, spider diagrams, pictures, etc. Actively teach study/note taking skills. Provide notes for a focus on meaning and annotation, rather than copying. Vary input and outcomes, to maintain interest and provide memorable experiences! Allow verbal answers/ tasks as well as written ones. Avoid long lists of instructions given verbally and provide a clear lesson structure – use the board to provide information visually, where appropriate.

Top 10 Teaching Strategies… Make sure that high frequency word lists and subject-specific key wordlists are available and displayed prominently in classrooms. Change colours on presentation backgrounds and photocopy handouts on coloured/ pastel colours. This small change won’t impact on non-Dyslexics but will make a huge difference to Dyslexics. Encourage alternative ways of recording: e.g. individual white / black boards (be aware of glare off the boards) and coloured pens, large sheets of paper and felt pens, writing frames. Label classroom resources clearly and keep clutter to a minimum.   Do not draw attention to their difficulties; avoid: copying from the board; reading aloud; give thinking time and brain breaks.

Other Tips… Let the learners see the whole picture first before learning all the steps and details. This will allow them to focus better and understand what it is they are learning. The use of colour, humour, stories and images will suit Dyslexic learners as well and will help to bring the learning alive so that they can relate to it. Avoid asking them direct questions: Dyslexics often know the answer but have a problem retrieving the specific word, tip of the tongue effect, let them volunteer to answer a question, encourage them if they are not answering any. Don't Force Oral Reading: Teachers should never force students with Dyslexia to read out loud in front of the class. If for some reason this is absolutely necessary, warn the student in advance and show them exactly which passage they will have to read so that they can practice beforehand. At all opportunities try to raise their self-esteem, self belief and self-worth.

Other Tips… Homework reduction or give them extra time to complete tasks: Most teachers do not realise that it takes a Dyslexic student three to four times longer to complete the same assignment/ task as a learner that is not Dyslexic. If possible give them longer. Grade on Content: Some teachers take spelling and handwriting into consideration when assigning a grade. For Dyslexic learners, this is degrading. Grade on content and get them to work on spelling, grammar, proof-reading and handwriting in their Study Lab workshop. Limit or Eliminate Copying Tasks: It would be beneficial to the Dyslexic student to have a copy of the teachers notes. Copying information from the board takes a Dyslexic student much longer, and often is illegible. If a copy of the teacher’s notes is not available copying notes from a student gifted at taking notes is a good second choice. This avoids gaps in the Dyslexics notes.

Other Tips… Listen to Your Student: Often, Dyslexic students can explain strategies and techniques that help them learn to teachers. These are usually easy to incorporate into a classroom. When working with a Dyslexic student it is important to remember that you are a team. You need to work together for the benefit of the student. Teachers need to be aware that everyone's Dyslexia is different, like a thumb print to them and the ability profile of each Dyslexic learner and what they need differs with each student. Be as understanding as possible. Encourage learners to find their own strategies so that they become independent in their learning. Emphasise over-learning to help get learning into their long-term memory.

Multisensory… Use multisensory approaches to develop strengths and support weaknesses. As the pathway to the memory is through the senses, the more senses that are used at one time, the more direct and powerful the learning. Note we remember 90% of what we read, hear, see, say and do. This is the most effective way of learning for all students. We remember: 20 % of what we read. 30 % of what we hear. 40 % of what we see. 50 % of what we say or write. 60 % of what we do. 90 % of what we read, hear, see, say AND do. The more senses and learning methods used the better, as we remember more. There are striking differences in the way each individual takes in and processes the information. Use a range of visual, auditory and kinaesthetic learning strategies in your classroom as this will help all learners learn in the way that suits them the best and this way no-one is excluded or unable to learn in their own way.

What Happens When it Goes Wrong??? Almost all Dyslexic learners have ‘Dyslexic bad days.’ When this happens it becomes almost impossible to take in information and the best solution is to have a break and try it again another day. The real anguish felt by an intelligent but severely Dyslexic learner can rarely be appreciated by teachers. With Dyslexics as they come with many failures and negative teaching experiences behind them, constant explanation is needed to build trust between the teacher and learner. Teaching Dyslexic learners can be exhilarating in one moment and deeply frustrating in another. These often highly intelligent and articulate people maybe able to appreciate a concept and develop an idea more rapidly than their peers but will then spell a simple word wrong. Never compare a Dyslexic students work with a non Dyslexic peer. Don’t make a big issue of their extra time or having their handouts on a different colour, they are already embarrassed and feel different, don’t compound this.

Reasonable Adjustments… We as teachers must make reasonable adjustments in our classrooms both by law and under JCQ regulations. We need to ensure learners are practicing these methods so that they become part of their normal way of working. In our classrooms we can allow the use of: - Laptops, organisers, phones, IPADS. Dictaphones. Spellcheckers. Coloured overlays, coloured handouts, coloured backgrounds on boards and specific fonts on presentations (Ariel, Times New Roman, Calibri, Comic Sans). We can also make concessions in exams through access arrangements which can include extra time, readers, scribes, rest breaks, coloured overlays and use of a word processor to complete their exam.

Extra Time… Most learners with Dyslexia and other SpLD’s will be eligible for extra time and this means in mock examinations that take place in the classroom, as practising the use of extra time needs to become part of their normal way of working. In order to give them this extra time you could set them off early, keep them late, ask them to come to another one of your lessons where you watch them complete the rest of the exam, let them finish it for homework or go to the know/ study area and finish it off. It doesn't have to be over your dinner, in your free’s, at the beginning or the end of the day.

One Last Point… Try not to draw attention to a Dyslexic pupils difficulties. Many Dyslexic adults claim that if destructive activities had been avoided and simple tips had been followed, they would have been much happier and more confident at school. And finally ... always be prepared to explain a learning point again, in a different way, if the Dyslexic pupil has not understood the first time. This all ensures that learners have equal opportunities and are not at a disadvantaged to their peers.

Discipline… When these students act inappropriately where possible ignore them, avoid negative comments and avoid confrontation. You will get more success and build a positive relationship with these students when you do not humiliate them or put them down in front of the rest of the class. You need to set students clear limits on behaviour because learners need boundaries in order to feel safe and to know what behaviour is acceptable and what is not. Students must feel motivated to build up self-esteem, self-confidence and enhance self-respect. If they feel rejected by staff or that the activities have no relevance to their lives they will refuse to take part. Use positive praise, encourage and support them, set them achievable targets and vary classroom activities and tasks to minimise boredom. Empower learners and turn them into independent learners, using student centred, differentiated approaches. Let each student know they are valued and not ‘useless.’ Build trust, empathy and respect which will lead to acceptance.

Help??? If you suspect any of your learners as being Dyslexic please refer them to Karen Bates and the Inclusive Learning Team. They will then be offered an initial interview where we will investigate their background and assess if we think we need to progress to a full assessment to establish Dyslexia or another SpLD. This assessment will test the learners IQ, literacy, reading, writing, spelling, maths, phonological awareness, memory, ways of thinking, learning and problem solving techniques, as well as other things and will look at their individual profile of strengths and weaknesses to see if they are characteristic of Dyslexia or other possible SpLD’s.

Help??? A comprehensive and confidential report of the results with recommendations is then sent to the parents and used to inform teaching in the Study Lab support sessions to develop an individual, structured program to help learners improve and develop in areas where they want to, using a multisensory approach. International research shows that specialist, structured, multi-sensory teaching methods, linking four of the senses - auditory, visual, oral and touch - not only helps to minimise the difficulties that people with Dyslexia experience but can also improve general literacy. All support in college is tailored to each person’s individual needs using the strategies that specialist staff feel will be most helpful. Sometimes students may need 1:1 support from someone who understands their difficulties. Study Lab teachers provide tuition to help them overcome their specific difficulty and meet the demands of their coursework. Support is flexible and can be offered to suit their needs.  

The Law… DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) and SENDA (Special Educational Needs and Disability Act)? These laws state that we must not treat disabled students less favourably for any reason related to their disability and that we must provide reasonable adjustments for disabled learners. We must give Dyslexic learners equal amounts of help, praise and criticism. Ensuring teaching methods and materials are accessible for all.

Inclusion… Trying to access services when access is provided only in written English can be a barrier for many people, especially people who have Dyslexia or other special educational needs. This can result in many people not having access to services and things that they need, want, deserve and have the right to. This is why we need to get providers to understand the barriers and remove them by providing services in alternative ways, methods and styles that suit all requirements for everyone to understand. That way we can make sure that everyone has access to all services in the same way as everyone else, ensuring no one is excluded or not included in today's society. Inclusion is the future, one we all build together. It gives us all a sense of belonging, living in peace with one another, a sense of worth, a basic human right. It is something we do together, with liberty and justice for all, no buts, no ifs. Inclusion is not exclusion; it is about fair play, common sense, common decency and hard work. Learning to cooperate, share and work together. Society can change to accommodate disabled needs and we should want to. We can avoid putting up barriers, so that disabled people will not be discriminated against and then they will not be disabled. It is a way forward, not a way back. This must be our future, to give people the best chance in life. The chance everyone deserves, performing to their true ability, reaching their full potential and most importantly being who they want to be and gaining success.