3.3. Supporting dyslexia and learning
A positive and inclusive school ethos and understanding from staff contributes significantly to providing appropriate support for learners with dyslexia and their families – indeed this will be the same for all learners. Due to the individuality of all learners, it would not be appropriate to recommend specific resources from the many which are available. We do not make any set recommendations but leave teachers and others to evaluate resources for themselves and establish the most appropriate materials for the individual needs of learners as there is no ‘one size fits all’.
The Resources [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] section within the Toolkit has a range of free resources:
http://addressingdyslexia.org/ resources
- Auditory and processing skills
- Comprehension
- Coordination
- Literacy
- Literacy – Pre-Phonics
- Literacy – Phonological awareness and phonics
- Literacy – Reading/writing/spelling
- Memory
- Numeracy and maths
- Visual processing
Dyslexia Scotland has a range of resources available on their website. Some are free to download, and some can be loaned to members.
Curriculum areas
Dyslexia can impact on all eight curriculum areas within Curriculum for Excellence in different ways depending on the individual.
It is important for class teachers to be aware of strategies which may help the curriculum area or interdisciplinary areas they are teaching.
Module 1 and 2 highlighted 2 sets of books below which will support staff across the curriculum:
- Supporting Pupils with Dyslexia at Primary School (2011): A series of 8 booklets that were provided to every primary school in Scotland which contains information and advice about dyslexia from the early stages to transition to secondary school. They also and also contain information on support for learning departments, school management teams and good practice when working with parents. These booklets can be downloaded by Dyslexia Scotland members from the Dyslexia Scotland website.
- Supporting Pupils with Dyslexia in the Secondary Curriculum (2013): A series of 20 booklets that were provided to every secondary school in Scotland whichaim to provide subject teachers and support staff with advice and strategies to support learners with dyslexia. The booklets can be downloaded from the Dyslexia Scotland website.
Curriculum accessibility
Differentiation
Activity 24, Section 2.2 in Module 2 highlights a range of different approaches to consider when planning effective and meaningful differentiation. Figure 9 provides a reminder. You may wish to revisit this section of module 2.
Activity 12 Curriculum Accessibility - Differentiation
Reflective questions for professional dialogue with colleagues.
The following questions can be used when engaging in professional dialogue during professional learning opportunities and discussions with colleagues. The outcomes from these discussions can support planning for professional learning opportunities and improvement plans.
You can collate the responses in your Reflective Log.
Download a discussion sheet if required.
Download Differentiation descriptions of the areas to share with your colleagues if required.
- What areas are being used in your school community to support differentiation?
| Area of differentiation | Commonly used in my school | Additional approaches | Ideas raised which have not been used |
| Task | |||
| Grouping | |||
| Resources /Support | |||
| Pace | |||
| Outcome | |||
| Dialogue and support | |||
| Assessment |
- Are there any areas of differentiation which your school is not using which you could support?
- Has any additional good practice been highlighted through our discussions?
3.2. Support through inclusive practice