TEACHING METHODS FOR DYSLEXIC CHILDREN

2008-07-04T17:04:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody, here you can find an article related to Dyslexia because I have three students with this learning disability and it is a challenge for you as a teacher. Apart from that disability you have to motivate them too much because sometimes they do not think they are able to do things.

MULTI-SENSORY TEACHING METHODS

Studies from the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development have shown that for children with difficulties learning to read, a multi-sensory teaching method is the most effective approach or treatment.
This is especially crucial for a dyslexic child. But what does it mean?

Using a multi-sensory teaching approach means helping a child to learn through more than one of the senses. Most teaching in schools is done using either sight or hearing (auditory sensations). The child's sight is used in reading information, looking at diagrams or pictures, or reading what is on the teacher's board. The sense of hearing is used in listening to what the teacher says.
A dyslexic child may experience difficulties with either or both of these senses. The child's vision may be affected by difficulties with tracking, visual processing or seeing the words become fuzzy or move around. The child's hearing may be satisfactory on a hearing test, but auditory memory or auditory processing may be weak.

The answer is to involve the use of more of the child’s senses, especially the use of touch and movement (kinetic). This will give the child’s brain tactile and kinetic memories to hang on to, as well as the visual and auditory ones.

The majority of dyslexic children experience confusion over the direction of ‘b’ and ‘d’. They can both be seen as a stick with a circle at its base. But on which side does the circle sit?
A teacher might give the child a tactile (touchy/feely) experience of the letter ‘b’ by getting the child to draw the letter really large on the carpet. This will involve the child using their arms, their sense of balance, their whole body. They will remember the day their teacher had them 'writing' on the carpet with their hand making this great big shape, and can use that memory the next time they come to write the letter.
Some teachers purchase letters made out of sandpaper so that the children can run their fingers over the letter ‘b’, giving them a strong tactile memory.

Writing the letter ‘b’ in cursive handwriting on paper and with a big movement in the air puts a quite different slant on this letter. The letter starts on the line and rises to begin the down-stroke: there is nowhere else to put the circular bit but ahead of the down stroke.
Yet another way to give a strong tactile memory of ‘b’ is to make the letter out of plasticine, play-dough or clay.

A commonly used ‘trick’ to remember the direction of ‘b’ and ‘d’ is to show the child the word ‘bed’ on a card. This word begins with ‘b’ and ends with ‘d’, so that if you draw a bed over the letters, the upright part of ‘b’ will become the head of the bed, and the upright part of the ‘d’ will become the foot. You can draw a child lying on the bed to complete the picture. This gives a strong visual memory for the child to use each time the letter has to be written.

You can also show the child how to hold up their index finger on each hand, with the thumb and second finger touching, making the word ‘bed’, but without the ‘e’. If they learn to do this, they can make this shape discretely with their fingers each time they need a reminder in class.

The net result of these activities will be that a child has a visual memory from seeing the letter, an auditory memory from hearing the sound it makes, a tactile memory from writing the letter in cursive handwriting, in the air, and from touching the sandpaper letter, and a kinetic (body movement) memory from having drawn the letter really large on the carpet. Altogether a multisensory experience!

This tried and tested method has been used successfully for a long time, and its success lies in the fact that the dyslexic child is not limited to visual and auditory experiences but can make use of other areas of the brain in trying to establish clear memories of letters, words and numbers that are difficult to remember.

References
• VAKT Reading Method - Visual-Additory-Kinesthetic-Tactile Method - V.A.K.T.
• Multisensory learning
• Sensational Strategies for Teaching Beginning Readers (Orton-Gillingham)
• NICHD Reading Research Offers Crucial Data for Educators
• The Dyslexia Institute Literacy Program

CONFIDENCE BUILDING

The majority of dyslexic children have come to the conclusion that they are stupid! In any school in any week of the year a dyslexic child experiences a huge amount of failure. With sequencing difficulties, any form of writing or math/s is going to present severe problems, and the dyslexic child cannot fail to notice that almost all of the other children are able to do the work which he or she finds so hard. Why can't he read and spell? He must be dumb, thick, stupid. It's the conclusion that anyone would reach in similar circumstances, and it badly needs changing before any corrective teaching is going to be effective.

Success using the confidence-building exercise

"Doing this exercise may be the most rewarding experience Kevin has ever had. It was as though he had seen himself for the first time: his usually close-knit brows and solemn expression vanished. I really saw a physical change in his appearance the next time he came for tutoring. I recommend that everyone give this a try." (A.D., TN, USA)

Confidence-building in practice
I began this activity by talking about a new session my learners would be having with me, which is Positive thinking. I modelled on the board my list and the children called out ideas. At the beginning of this activity this particular learner said, 'I'm not good at anything'.
My reply was 'Yes you are. You are good at football'. This made him realise that - yes - he can do things. With some discussion he managed to make a list.

Recognizing low self-esteem
A J is the typical 14-year-old boy—great athlete, “cool” with the girls, and loves to clown around when the pressure is on. I believe that underneath that façade what he projects is fear of failure in the eyes of his peers. During class he appears to pay attention but, when he is called upon to answer something that he is unsure of, he pretends not to have heard anything in the past five minutes.
This elicits a classroom response of giggles, especially in English or history. Science is a totally different matter, where he is truly interested, and is the first to answer or ask questions about an experiment. History and English are difficult, so he is frequently forgetting to complete assignments on schedule without constant reminders. He wants his peers to believe that he is just as carefree as everyone else and that school doesn’t offer any extreme challenges. (Lisa Landers, Texas)

Praise for non-academic achievements
Dyslexic children rarely receive certificates, merit points or stars for academic achievements. To compensate for this, non-academic achievements can easily be recognised and rewarded. Examples of such instances include:-

• Helping in class by handing out/collecting in work;

• Demonstrating to rest of class in P.E.;

• Showing good effort (regardless of outcome);

• Keeping desk tidy;

• Being organised with own equipment for lessons;

• Showing kindness to others;

• Willingness to participate in discussions;

• Sitting quietly and attentively;

• Good table manners at lunchtime;

• Helping to put out equipment or tidy up;

• Being polite; • Setting a good example to younger pupils;

• Willingness to become involved in all aspects of school life (productions, clubs, trips, fundraising activities, etc). (Rebecca Draper, Suffolk, UK)

Creating a true picture

I made a list up with MC of his strengths, things that come easy to him, and his weakness', things that he struggles with. When we started the list it was just me asking him what he thought of himself and he mainly focused on the areas he thought he was weak in. He seemed to think that there was automatically suppose to be more negative than positive things on the list. If there was more positive he tried to come up with negative things to make that side more. So then I had his sister, dad and I be a part of the list and we had so many positive things to say about the type of person he was that he was smiling and agreeing with them, he could tell we weren't just saying those things but that we actually meant it. By the time we were done the list of strengths way out weighed the negative and he believed that the list was right. He was able to see on that piece of paper the areas he struggles in are just a very small part of who he is a whole person. (T.R., Orlando, USA)

Confidence building in class - Dyslexia is not a visible disease or condition. It is a silent learning difficulty, which can leave people feeling frustrated about their inability to learn things their friends find easy, such as spelling, reading or writing.
The education system that has been in place for hundreds of years is in fact a contributor itself in that everything is geared towards the dominant way of learning. Phonics, spelling strings, letter sounds, etc., linked to tests and exams at every stage.
These methods work well for the dominant majority but set impossible tasks for dyslexic children to achieve. Students with dyslexia often seem very bright but they cannot learn in the ways that are so successful for their peers.
People do not understand the problem – parents, teachers, friends – even the dyslexic children themselves.
People might label the student ‘lazy and not trying’. This can lead to feelings of low self-esteem and negativity for the dyslexic child.
However there are things that can be done to help the child and a good starting point is ‘to focus on the hopeful and the positive.’ One way to do this is to set realistic goals.

With one class I have established a target-setting program to help people to cope with spelling tests. Every week we have words to learn in line with our school policy.

Learning 20 new words a week is a difficult thing for a dyslexic or any child with learning difficulties to do.
However by target setting, each child is able to look at the list of given words and decide how many they think they will be comfortable learning that week.
Linguistically able children always put down the full 20/20 while some are happy with 15. James used to regularly get 1 or 2 out of 20 – a failure rate to him of 18 or 19 words.
Now James usually chooses to set a target of 3 or 4. We call this differentiation by choice in our planning.
Now, when the tests are marked and the results checked James achieves his 3 or 4 word target for that week. He has achieved as much as the children who set and achieved a target of 20 words.
Children are rewarded merit points in line with their own target settings, NOT by the number out of 20 they have achieved. This is very successful, as James is not penalised for his inability but praised for his achievements.
In another scenario I sat down with a child - Sam - and made a list with him of his strengths and weaknesses. The weaknesses are what you might have expected, namely reading, writing and spelling. However, working together, the list of strengths started to grow and grow. Things on the strengths list included tap dancing, acting, swimming, sporting activities, drawing and looking after people.
I must stress here the working together part – it was not until the list started to grow that Sam became enthused by the exercise. His whole attitude changed when we talked about how important all these things are to his life. They make him the person he is today.
The list set me to thinking as well about the rewards I give out in my classroom.

Yes there are lots – merit points; smiley faces; ink stamps with praises such as ‘brilliant’, ‘excellent’ and ‘well done’; special mentions in assembly; praise from the Head Teacher when he visits the class, etc.
But when do I give them and why? I wanted to think of some new ways of encouraging different talents and marking achievements that were not in any way linked to academia.
My first came to me while changing the boys back from PE. Most are independent but tying the tie always causes problems. ‘If you can tie your tie by yourselves today I will give out certificates,’ I called out.
Sam came straight up to the front of the class and did his tie up quickly and perfectly, no problems. What’s more he had the biggest smile on his face!
Three others achieved this feat that day but Sam was the first and we now have a permanent list on the wall to prove this.
It is a small step but it made his day! Now when anyone else gets the tie certificate their name is added to the list to mark their achievement. But Sam will always be top of the tie tiers!
There are many ways to boost a child’s self-confidence and help them feel valuable members of the school society. We now have a range of certificates and rewards in place for everything from neat handwriting and spelling results to being a good friend, expertise with the computers, listening well in class and keeping your area tidy.
It may not be possible to get all these rewards but the children – ALL the children are having fun trying!!
Alison Page
November 2002.

Some practical methods for confidence-building and increasing motivation

Ideas for encouraging children to succeed both at home and in the school are as follows:-

At our school : "Principal's or Headteachers award"

"The Brilliant Brick award": a photocopy of a brick. It has the child's name and why they were given the award. This idea could also be done at home.

"Star of the day": a special chair to sit on for the day, so that everyone knows that they are special.

I think it would be nice for a child to be able to bring a letter home from school for the parent to read that their child has done well or tried hard at something. That way the child would get praise at school and again when they get home. The letter could then be hung on the wall.

Everyone should feel proud of their achievements no matter how big or small those achievements are. Unfortunately people with learning difficulties tend to put themselves down. So we need to show them that we have noticed their achievements and let them know that we are proud of them and that they should feel proud of themselves too!

Giving homework - Many of us are guilty of hastily writing homework on the board in the last minute of a lesson, and dyslexic children often arrive home with an incoherent and incomplete note of what is to be done. Parents try to help, but cannot work out what the homework is supposed to be.
Copying homework from the board is a daily problem for dyslexic children in school, and a regular nightmare for parents. Bonny Rieger suggests some teacher guidelines for making it easier for dyslexic children to go home with an accurate note of their homework.

• Put daily assignments on the morning board. Some dyslexic students seem to function better in the mornings. They might not have a problem transcribing from the board when school first begins. (There also might be less on the board at the beginning of the day.)

• Try to keep the board clear from several days work and only do one day at a time. The extra clutter seems to be very distracting and frustrating. It is hard to distinquish Yesterdays work, from tomorrow or todays.

• Leave the assignments on the board for the entire day. This not only prepares the students for the day, but also allows adequate time for copying from the board. Dyslexic students like being informed ahead of time about what will be expected of them. This would be an excellent way for the student boy to know the days agenda.

• Write in block letters and larger.

• Use short assignment terms and always the same terms.

• Position the assignments in the same place on the board everyday. This will help the dyslexic students feel confident that they are copying the right thing down.

• Asking to see all the students assignment sheets before they leave for the day would be a way of checking to make sure it was copied correct. Students could pull the assignment out and lay it on their desk. You wouldn't be asking only the dyslexic student to do this, but at the same time you would be able to check the work.

Confidence building in class - Building self-confidence is not just an exercise that we can do with a dyslexic child one to one. It is an element of our day-to-day teaching in the classroom which benefits the dyslexic children as well as everyone else. Alison Page describes some of the methods she has used.

Dyslexia and exams - Examinations and tests are the worst time for a dyslexic child, teenager or student. Gillian Sams describes some examination and course work accommodations (modifications) which will help a dyslexic child show what they really know without being held back by problems with spellings or lack of time.

DYSLEXIA

TEACHING METHODS FOR DYSLEXIC CHILDREN