As a teacher, if you have ever come across students with dyslexia, you might have faced some difficulty in dealing with them and understanding the nature of the problem at hand. Students with dyslexia typically have difficulty in learning to read or interpret words, symbols and letters. [1] X Research source However, this is not a reflection on their general intelligence. Following are a few tips that might help in addressing and formulating teaching styles for dyslexic students.
Steps
Materials
Students spend a large part of their time with learning materials in school. This section provides an understanding of these materials and how to enhance the learning experience for students.
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Simplify written directions: If you give instructions in paragraph form, with chunks of information, it might be overwhelming for some students. [2] X Research source Underlining, highlighting and dividing the task in steps could help.
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Give a small amount of work: The amount of work to be done could overwhelm some students. Tearing out pages would help students concentrate on the task at hand. [3] X Trustworthy Source National Health Service (UK) Public healthcare system of the UK Go to sourceAdvertisement
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Block out irrelevant stimuli: If a student is easily distracted by visuals on a worksheet or a page, try using a blank paper to cover up the sections not being worked on at the time. You could use line markers, larger sized fonts and increased spacing to separate sections, in order to aid the reading process.
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Provide additional practice exercises: Exercises such as peer teaching activities, self-correcting materials, instructional games and computer software could help.
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Use assistive technology: You could use electronic readers, tablets, text-to- speech programs, etc. to enhance the learning process. [4] X Trustworthy Source National Health Service (UK) Public healthcare system of the UK Go to sourceAdvertisement
Interactive Instruction
This section deals with the task of gaining students' attention and engaging them for longer periods of time. There are some techniques you can incorporate in your teaching method to make it more effective.
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Repeat directions: Asking the students to repeat directions might help them understand better. Students can repeat directions to not only their teachers, but also to their peers.
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Maintain a daily routine: When the students know what to expect from a particular class, they might not be overwhelmed. [5] X Research source
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Provide a copy of lesson notes: For students who have trouble taking down notes during a class, you can provide them with a copy of notes. [6] X Research source
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Use step-by-step instruction: Presenting information in small sequential steps would help students understand new and difficult topics easily. [7] X Research source
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Combine verbal and visual information: An overhead projector or a handout can be used to aid the learning process and make the lesson more interactive for the students. [8] X Research source
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Emphasize on the need for daily revision: Daily revisions of lessons would help students in connecting old information with the new. [9] X Trustworthy Source National Health Service (UK) Public healthcare system of the UK Go to sourceAdvertisement
Student Performance
Dyslexic students respond in different ways to various situations. For instance, some might perform better in oral presentations and discussions, while others might be better with writing numbers, letters, paragraphs and drawing. The ability to process information varies from student to student. The following tips might help you improve your students' performance:
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Vary response mode: Students who have a hard time with motor responses, such as writing, can be allowed to respond via other methods. This could include multiple choice questions, underlining, marking or sorting. [10] X Research source Giving them extra space for writing, or responding on individual chalkboards would also help.
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Provide a lesson plan: This would help students follow the lessons successfully and organize their schedules accordingly.
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Make students sit closer to you: Students, who have a hard time concentrating or focusing could be seated in the first row for extra attention.
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Use cues to pin-point important items: The use of bullets or asterisks help students divide their time efficiently on tests and assignments.
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Display sample work: Samples of completed assignments would help students understand what is expected of them.
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Flexible schedule: Students can be given a little extra time to master the skills and content. [11] X Research source
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Allow for assignment adjustment or substitution: Those students who are not comfortable with completing projects in oral form, they could be given the option of choosing a written project. [12] X Research sourceAdvertisement
Expert Q&A
References
- ↑ https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/All-Disorders/Dyslexia-Information-Page
- ↑ https://www.smartkidswithld.org/getting-help/dyslexia/treating-dyslexia/
- ↑ https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dyslexia/living-with/
- ↑ https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dyslexia/living-with/
- ↑ https://www.dyslexia.com/about-dyslexia/understanding-dyslexia/guide-for-classroom-teachers/
- ↑ https://www.dyslexia.com/about-dyslexia/understanding-dyslexia/guide-for-classroom-teachers/
- ↑ https://www.dyslexia-reading-well.com/dyslexia-treatment.html
- ↑ https://www.dyslexia-reading-well.com/dyslexia-treatment.html
- ↑ https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dyslexia/living-with/
