Following the Neil Mackay conference in June I began my own journey of research, reading and thinking around the area of dyslexia and how it is approached in schools internationally.
In November 2009 I had gathered enough information and developed a deeper understanding of dyslexia which enabled me to put together and deliver a presentation to all staff at Muritai School. Much of this information was gleaned from Neil Mackay's book "Removing Dyslexia as a Barrier to Achievement".
The presentation included short activities designed to give teachers an insight into some of the problems that our dyslexic learners face on a daily basis.
The presentation followed this format:-
Introduction – why are we here today?
¢What is it like to be dyslexic?
¢What is dyslexia?
¢Recognising dyslexia and deciding to intervene
¢So a child is dyslexic – now what?
¢Providing for different ways of learning
¢Our policy – the way forward
¢Conclusion
The presentation was quite detailed and lasted for several hours. Teachers were provided with a copy of the PowerPoint presentation to refer back to of some of the important facts about dyslexia that would aid their day to day teaching of dyslexic learners.
Overall the presentation proved invaluable as a way of providing staff with a basic understanding of dyslexia and how to begin to notice and make adjustments for our dyslexic learners in the classroom. It provided a great "launching pad" for discussions about what should be included in a whole school policy.
Staff later completed feedback forms about what was most useful and what more information and guidance was needed to really get the process of becoming a dyslexia aware school moving. This staff feedback was extremely useful when I began writing the draft policy.
I ended the presentation with this video of a song that I became familiar with as a teenage. This probably marked the starting point for me in wanting to become an educator, specifically to work with children who find learning an uphill struggle.
I ended the presentation with this video of a song that I became familiar with as a teenage. This probably marked the starting point for me in wanting to become an educator, specifically to work with children who find learning an uphill struggle.
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