Small Changes CAN make a big difference !!
The Dyslexia Foundation of New Zealand recently asked their members to give three quick ideas on small and effective changes that could be easily implemented in schools; but which can that make a big difference to dyslexic children.
Here are some of the suggestions made:
"Three things that make the biggest difference:
1. recognition that there is something different - and open discussion (no longer hiding it)
2. acceptance and tolerance of dyslexia and developing pride in talents and skills
3. Understanding dyslexia is the cause of our difficulty (and our abilities) but not an excuse.
Teachers acknowledging that many strategies to help students with dyslexia can be used for all students.
Trialing different ideas in classrooms and feeding back on results to benefit all staff.
A video showing teachers what it is like to walk in the shoes of a dyslexic student.
Talking about famous people who are dyslexic.
All school tests printed in comic sans, larger font and on light blue paper.
Spread a test over a number of pages rather than crammed onto one page. Allow room for sketching rather than just the written word or even better, take the test orally.
Ensure font, size and spacing is not only good for dyslexics but is used consistently- also probably good for all students
Using a highlighter on every second line of text on printouts to keep the lines straighter for dyspraxia as well as dyslexia.
One instruction at a time.
Rhyming games (to help the child make the connections between words, helps with spelling too.
Children work with buddies for topic work so only one has to write ideas, recordings, answers etc. Dyslexic children can participate fully without their writing holding them back.
A support group for dyslexic boys year 7 to year 13, with the older boys mentoring the younger ones – empowering them, improving their self-esteem and providing an outlet for their creativity.
Working with clay to help children understand words and their spelling.
Organizing lots of experiences outside the classroom, remembering that every activity helps associate vocabulary with a real life experience. "
We all have good intentions, but often in our busy lives, it seems difficult to make changes to what we do .... however, if only we could stop and try to make 1 or 2 initial alterations to our approach to teaching, then this would be an excellent starting point .... from small acorns big trees grow !!
Anyone else got some practical , common-sense ideas for teachers or parents ?? Like to share some of them with us ?
http://www.dyslexiafoundation.org.nz/3things.html
The annual observance of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December was first started in 1981.The Day aims to promote a better understanding of disability issues with a focus on the rights of persons with disabilities. Dyslexia is a hidden disability which unfortunately often goes unnoticed by teachers and parents alike. When we think of disabilities we usually think of those people who are in a wheel chair or who are blind or deaf. We tend to forget about those people who have learning disabilities ,such as dyslexia.
The e-campus is due to open in Februay 2011.
All information about dyslexia will be offered FREE for two main user groups: Teacher trainers/teachers, and Education policy advisers.
DYSLEXIA INTERNATIONAL is a non-governmental organization which has operational relations with UNESCO.
What are the free resources that the Dyslexia International e-Campus will provide?
• an academy of online learning courses for teachers
• a film library
• a directory to sites offering quality resources
• a book room, recommended reading
• a press room, latest research and other news
• a map room showing Dyslexia Associations Work World Wide
• an arena for global video conferencing
What will be the main focus of the e-Campus?
Initially the main feature of the e-Campus will be the Dyslexia International first, free, quality online learning course for teachers, designed for ministries of education and education authorities to try out within their national education systems. The first versions, supported by the Belgian French community ministry of education are in French and English .
What languages will be used?
Initially, the e-Campus will be conducted in English and French. The e-Campus Library will carry reports in good teaching practice in Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish-speaking parts of the world, as well as in English and French.
In 2009, some musicans in New Zealand came together on a project to raise awareness and understanding of dyslexia. They produced a song which was released to celebrate Dyslexia Action Week .
The song was written by Don McGlashan, who is a parent of two dyslexic children .The single ‘The Closer You Get, The Bigger I Look’ is available for free download from the following site :
http://www.dyslexiafoundation.org.nz/biggerilook/
Here are the words of the song :
I might stand out
I might be someone you’d like to meet
I might fit in
I could be anyone on the street
You better watch me
You better watch me
Chorus:
If you’re gonna judge the cover
You better read the book
Cause the closer you get
The bigger I look
And if I hit the wall
I’m gonna find my own way round
And if I fall
I’m gonna get right back off the ground
You better watch me
You better watch me
Chorus x2
Oh yeah, the bigger I look
The bigger I look
The bigger I look
Dyslexia awareness week 2010 is running from the 1st to the 7th November in the UK.
This year the theme is hidden dyslexia.The aim is to try to raise awareness of the challenges faced by students with a disability that presents no visible physical signs to the outside world.
People who are dyslexic often spend their lives hiding their problems from others. Due to this, dyslexia can often go undiagnosed and unnoticed by teachers and parents.
Despite having problems in some areas , such as literacy and writing they also often have hidden talents.
Hidden talents such as :
- Innovative and big picture thinking
- Excellent trouble shooting and problem solving
- Strong visual skills
- Determination
The British Dyslexia Association (BDA) is organising several events during this week ,including a play festival of the work of dyslexic playwrights.
In Turkey the situation is much worse than in the UK as still dyslexia is unknown by many people.There are no reliable statistics about the number of students who have dyslexia in Turkey.As yet, there is no standardised reading test to assess reading levels. All we can see is the the tip of the iceberg... and it is certain there are many more dyslexic students who need to be identified and helped here in Turkey. !!Tell someone TODAY about dyslexia ... a neighbour , a friend , a work colleague ..spread the word.
As we have discussed previously in this dyslexia blog students with dyslexia often have problems regarding memory.
Hermann Ebbinghaus, a German pyschologist is famous for his research into memory which he carried out in the 1880’s. His experiments give an insight into learning and forgetting and his findings are still valid today. He tested his own memory using a large number of nonsense syllables which he created.
His findings were as follows :
It is harder to memorize material that does not have significance or relevance to the learner.
His data revealed that increasing the amount of material to be learned usually dramatically increases the amount of time it takes to learn it. This is the learning curve.
He established that relearning is easier than initial learning, and that it takes longer to forget material after each subsequent re-learning.
Ebbinghaus’s work also suggested that learning is more effective when it is spaced out over time rather than crammed into a single marathon study session.
Ebbinghaus also discovered that forgetting happens most rapidly right after learning occurs and slows down over time. This is the forgetting curve. It shows that about 80% of what students learn today will be forgotten within 24 hours ,if the material is not gone over.
So what can we learn from this ?
It is important that students regularly review the knowledge that they are learning; this is how things move from short-term to long term memory and become easier to recall at speed.
Effective revision should an ongoing process, not a cramming session just before the exams.
It is important for students to revise at particular points in time in order that they don’t forget the information they have learnt :
They should go over the information they are learning in the same day (in the evening for 10 minutes ) also 24 hours later, one week later and one month later ( or sooner ).
Remember that students with dyslexia will also need to revise even more frequently. The more over learning they do the easier it will become to recall information. It is a good idea if students can make up questions to test themselves on the information they are learning, as this is a good aid to learning.
It would be a useful if parents and teachers explain the importance and implications of the forgetting curve to children in order to encourage them to review material learnt more regularly.
In this dyslexia blog article there are some tips and advice on long multiplication.
Being able to recall basic multiplication facts is essential for success with long multiplication, therefore it is crucial you make sure your child practices their times tables on a regular basis. Games are a good way to motivate them to learn them !!
Students who have dyslexia will often have a weakness in their working memory. As a result it may be difficult for them to rely solely on mental calculations when solving math problems.The dyslexic student may often forget what they are doing and lose their place . In long multiplication ,of course,there is more of a risk that there will get muddled up since the numbers that they are dealing with are bigger.
When they are are doing long multiplication problems teachers and parents should encourage children to write down every step, including carrying numbers.They should also preferably use scrap paper to help them in their calculations.
Common errors made :
Students make mistakes because they haven’t kept their columns straight. Make sure they line up their numbers correctly and also encourage correct spacing. It is advisable to use squared paper at all times for maths calculations to prevent this problem.
Unfortunately sometimes teachers don’t leave enough space for workings out on worksheets and test papers and this creates problems !!
Forgetting to ‘carry’ numbers A good way to remember the carry number is to write it in a circle.
Forgetting to write down a zero eg :
110
x69
990
660 should be 6600
=1650 ( answer should be 7590 )
You could consider teaching your child alternative methods to solve long multiplication problems. One such method is long multiplication using key facts. This method is recommended by Steve Chinn who is one of the leading experts in the area of dyscalculia. With this method your child only needs to know how to double and half numbers and multiple by 10 to get the correct answer.
Long Multiplication using key facts
E.g 78 x 17
1) First set up an easy multiplication table with the key facts :
1 x 17 = 17
2 x 17 = 34
5 x 17 = 85
10 x 17 = 170
20 x 17 = 340
50 x 17 = 850
100x 17 = 1700
1x 17 is easy to find = 17.
To get 2 x 17 just double 17.
After workout 10 x 17 = 170 .Now you can easily find 5 x 17 – just half 170. ( 85 )
For the answer to 20 x 17 double 170 .
100 x 17 is easy just add a zero to 170 ( 10 x 17=170).
For 50 x 17 half the answer to 100 x17 = 1700 ie 850.
2)After find the easy numbers ( or partial products ) in 78 .
78 = 50 + 20 + 5 + 2 + 1
3) After add up these partial products :
50 x 17 = 850
20 x 17 = 340
5 x 17 = 85
2 x 17 = 34
1 x 17 = 17
Answer 78 x 17 = 1326
In Turkey however unfortunately some teachers are reluctant to teach alternative methods of doing maths calculations. Also this method does require more space on the paper for the workings out. In many cases worksheets and test papers provide little space for students to use .It is assumed a lot of workings out will be done mentally. Teachers here in Turkey need to try to be more flexible in their approaches in order to accommodate all children. I would recommend everyone to look at Steve Chinn’s books for more ideas regarding maths.
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