The
Inclusion Development
Programme
Dyslexia
1
The materials
Alex Murray, SENCo, Crestwood College
Linda Campbell, Asst. HT/SENCo, Eggars School
Jason Illingworth, SENCo, Cowplain Community School
Gillian Green, Literacy Co-ordinator, Lakeside School
Pauline Bentote, SEN Consultant
It is anticipated that it would require a full day to deliver the
entire training and that each of the 3 sections would take
approximately 1-2 hours.
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Part 1:
Introduction
User guide for navigation
and implementation.
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Programme Background
The Inclusion Development Programme (IDP) is part of
the Government’s strategy to enable schools to
become increasingly inclusive and to help teachers
deliver ‘Quality First Teaching’ to all pupils.
The IDP will ‘support schools and settings in meeting
the needs of individual students.’
In 2008, the IDP launched with two foci: Dyslexia and
SLCN. In 2009, Autistic Spectrum was added.
Schools have been sent a DVD and can also access the
IDP through the website (click link).
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Navigating the DVD / website
The IDP (dyslexia) is organised into three
sections:
a) Background
b) Barriers
c) Overcoming Barriers
Each of these sections has 5 subsections:
a) Prior learning
b) Information
c) CPD
d) Activities
e) Resources
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Navigating
Use the tabs at the top of
each page to get to the start
of each subsection.
Use the blue arrows to move
forwards and backwards
within each subsection.
Use the hypertext links to
access resources.
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If you get lost…
… visit the home page and navigate to Page 2 using the
blue arrow to bring you to this index of topics.
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The IDP is useful when identifying
groups of students who are
underperforming.
The following slide may also help
staff to identify gaps in their own
confidence, knowledge and skills
in the achievement of students
with dyslexia.
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This form is available in the IDP for teachers to determine their
current level of expertise at teaching students with dyslexia.
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Using the IDP as part of
the School Improvement Cycle
To maximise impact, school leaders need to use the IDP
effectively by:
– linking the use of this material with whole-school
improvement priorities
– using the CPD and other resources as part of a wholeschool approach
– implementing arrangements for the monitoring and
evaluation of impact on learning
– drawing up an IDP action plan for the first year
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ACTIVITY
Use a planning sheet to start thinking about how
your school can use the IDP to maximise impact.
Suggestions….
• An Inset day to ‘launch’ aspects of the IDP
• Whole staff presentation then staff using the IDP
individually to develop inclusion skills
• Linking completion of this to performance management
(teachers/TAs/other staff)
• Follow up sessions to re-visit aspects previously covered
• Monitoring impact through lesson observations along
with other evidence
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INFORMATION Section
The INFORMATION section focuses on the question: ‘What
are specific learning difficulties?’
The ‘crystal’ model of specific learning difficulties is
explained via a link to the interactive video.
click on crystal (and wait)…
…or go to Background/What are SpLD/Information/page 2.
c
r
y
s
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The three SpLDs (Dyslexia,
Dyspraxia and Dyscalculia) are
explained as combinations of
difficulties. You can click on
each difficulty for an
explanation.
To summarise, the crystal
represents the range of
strengths (the facets on the
underside of the crystal) and
the range of difficulties (the
facets on top of the crystal) in
people with SpLD.
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Try answering these questions to activate your
prior knowledge:
Which specific learning difficulty is normally associated with:
1. Perseveration, distorted perception and poor comprehension?
dyslexia
dyspraxia
autistic spectrum
ADHD
Dyslexia
2. Distractibility, poor comprehension and impulsivity?
dyslexia
dyspraxia
autistic spectrum
ADHD
ADHD
3. Poor sense of time, poor phonological awareness and low self-esteem?
dyslexia
dyspraxia
autistic spectrum
ADHD
Dyslexia
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CPD, ACTIVITIES & RESOURCES
CPD
The online resources (particularly the interactive video) could
be used as an introduction to SpLD for staff, parents and even
students, or to stimulate discussion on the best ways to plan
to include those with SpLD.
ACTIVITIES & RESOURCES
Activities/resources include ‘Activating Prior Learning’ (see
earlier slide) and weblink: ‘Understanding dyslexia – specific
learning difficulties.’
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BACKGROUND QUESTIONNAIRE
Hampshire have produced a useful questionnaire to
complete prior to accessing the IDP.
It is suggested that you complete this now and then
complete it again in about 3 months time to see if the
IDP has positively impacted on your classroom practice.
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PLENARY
WHAT NEXT for the Inclusion Development Programme ?
• You could use the IDP departmental-based worksheets
to reflect on how your department can improve
accessibility for children with dyslexia (SpLD).
• A ‘sorting’ activity looking at matching up dyslexia
related factors, the effect, strategies and support
would stimulate discussion about this.
• Don’t forget to re-do the questionnaire in a few months
time to look at the impact of using the IDP.
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Part 2:
Barriers to Learning
What is dyslexia?
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This presentation should help
you to have more confidence in
recognising dyslexia in your
classroom and understand
what barriers to learning a
dyslexic pupil will routinely
experience.
.......Let’s start at the very
beginning.
What is dyslexia?
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Dyslexia.
The word is Greek in origin and means difficulty
with words
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How do we identify a dyslexic student?
They may seem to be very talented orally, but
cannot commit thoughts to paper. And when
they do, it’s a bit like trying to read Chaucer!
“Whan that the Knyght had thus his
tale ytoold, In al the route ne was
ther yong ne oold That he ne seyde
it was a noble storie…”
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How do we identify dyslexic students?
• May be artistic but unable to
explain ideas in words
• May be able to read, but
understand very little of what
was just read.
• May find that their eyes do
not stay fixed on the line so
they repeat what they have
just read or skip a line.
• May find reading very
challenging.
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How do we identify dyslexic students?
• May spell inconsistently
and poorly.
• When spoken to quickly,
may lose track of the
meaning of what they are
hearing.
• May reverse letters – b’s
for d’s - and they may do
the same with numbers.
• May have illegible
handwriting.
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Knowledge Check
True or False..?
1. “Dyslexia is hereditary”
Dyslexia is often found in siblings.
True.
2. “Dyslexia is linked to general ability ”
Dyslexic students can be found across
the ability range.
False
3. “Dyslexia can be cured”
Dyslexia cannot be cured but
students can learn strategies to
lessen its effects.
False
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Knowing what dyslexia is, is one thing,
knowing how it feels is another
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Let’s begin with the three main processes
involved with learning
Taking in information
Storing that
information
Retrieval
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Taking in and storing information
For everyone, a lot of the information taken in fades, unless of
course, we make a conscious effort to remember it.
Some information – such as our mother’s birthday, the route to
work, the time our daily train leaves, we transfer to our long
term memory. Most of us have strategies to enable us to do
this.
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Taking in and storing information
• Repeat the information
over and over.
• Write it down (and
hopefully remember
where we put it!)
• Divide it into chunks.
• Relate the new piece of
information to something
we already know.
All in all, we make an effort to put it
into our long term memory.
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Auditory perception and discrimination
If we are listening to music and the
phone rings, we know it’s the phone
and not the front door bell. We can
perceive the sound and differentiate
it from the front door.
However, a dyslexic pupil may find it
difficult to differentiate between
similar sounds.
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Limited short term memory
Imagine your short term memory as a
shelf.
Most adults can hold seven pieces of
information on their short term
memory shelf. A dyslexic pupil can
hold about three or four pieces of
information. The shelf is smaller.
The information may be each digit of a
phone number, dates for a History
test or an item on a shopping list.
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Speed of information processing
We may need to retrieve
information from our long
term memory to enable us
to understand and make
sense of new information.
If this cannot be done fast
enough, some or all the
new information will fall
off the shelf.
Many pupils will need time
to retrieve and process
information.
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Sequencing
If there is a weakness
in the working
memory, then
sequencing will be
difficult – days of
the week, times
tables or following
flat pack furniture
instructions.
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Reading, spelling and writing
are all sequencing tasks.
Reading
decoding a sequence of letters
to read
encoding sounds in the right
order to spell
putting words in the right
order to paragraph.
Of the three skills, reading is
slightly easier as the words
remain on the page while the
reader tries to sort them out.
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Spelling and writing
Spelling and writing are harder because everything has
to come from long term memory.
Having decided on a sentence to write, the words need
to stay on the short term shelf while the letter shapes
which make the sounds are retrieved from the long
term memory.
Tricky.
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Organisational skills
Poor short term memory can
result in poor organisational
skills.
Knowing where you need to
be, when, with what
equipment, to see …. who?
requires information to be
manipulated and can be a
real barrier to dyslexic
learners feeling comfortable
in school.
All this .. before they’re even
asked to open a book or put
pen to paper.
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General points to consider
• Dyslexia can affect anyone.
• Other learning difficulties may
be masked by the dyslexia.
• A dyslexic learner may appear
confident in some situations but
quite fragile in others.
• No two people are exactly the
same and the impact of dyslexia
on each individual is different.
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Common behaviours
of a dyslexic learner
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1. May appear to be not even trying
But remember…
They may only be able to give a
complex answer orally.
The less they write, the less
trouble they get into for
writing ‘a load of rubbish’.
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2. May appear to be not concentrating
But remember…
They will have enormous
difficulty in copying from a board
as they cannot remember chunks
of information and will need to
look closely, letter by letter, copy,
write, look up, find place, copy...
No wonder they may find any
distraction a welcome relief.
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3. Work may appear careless
But remember…
Scruffy handwriting can
be an issue with a
dyslexic pupil. But not
always. If asked to copy
and the copy book is very
close, the handwriting,
although usually very
slow, may be beautiful.
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4. Work not checked or proof read
But remember
The pupil may spell the same
word several different ways
because they don’t have the
visual memory to know what it
should look like or the
kinesthetic memory to know if
it feels right when they write it.
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5. “But you could do this yesterday!”
But remember…
They may appear as just plain
awkward or impossible. On
purpose. But dyslexics will have
“off days” with erratic performance
because they have to concentrate
so hard to keep up and on these
days they will require more
patience, more encouragement
and more kindness.
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Pupils learn best when…
• They are given the “big picture”
• The learning is personal and meaningful
• They are asked to remember patterns as
well as sequences
• They are asked to remember landmarks
rather than directions
• They are able to learn by experience rather
than being told.
Listen to this
pupil’s ideas
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But .. “always look on the
bright side of life ..”
Dyslexia is a difference in cognition and learning and
most dyslexic pupils possess many other positive
talents:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Creativity.
Thinking laterally and making connections.
Problem-solving skills.
Seeing the 'big picture’.
Good visual skills, thinking easily in 3-D.
Good verbal skills.
Good social skills.
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Part 3:
Overcoming Barriers
Strategies for dyslexia-friendly
learning.
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We will look at…
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Multisensory learning
Assessment for Learning
Chunking
Overlearning
Sequencing
Adapting materials
Adapting the environment
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BUT FIRST…
How to identity learners with
dyslexia or dyslexic tendencies
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Identification of Dyslexia
SEN departments rely upon classroom teachers to recognise
the indicators of dyslexia. This helps ensure that no student
goes undiagnosed and unsupported.
Identification comes through:
• Analysing regular assessment data
• Anecdotal concerns from staff
• Using Dyslexia Identification pro forma
• Emotional/behavioural changes (e.g. an
increase in disruptive acts or declining
participation in lessons)
• An increase in school absence
• Difficulties with homework
• Slower pace in tackling class tasks
• Cross-curricula staff discussions
• Talking to and listening to the student.
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Overcoming the barriers…
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Multisensory learning is…
pictures, flow charts, card sorts , sticky notes, concept maps
charts, diagrams, pictures, posters, labels, videos, DVDs
…making learning
tactile, kinaesthetic,
visual and auditory.
Talking, listening, debating, questioning, audio tapes
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Multisensory learning…
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Make learning visual
• Use coloured highlighters.
• Spidergrams and 'key visuals’.
• Pictures, diagrams and charts
in various colours.
• Use symbols to support
reading for example labels on
resources.
• Prepare visual timetables.
• Provide visual support for
short, clear instructions.
• Display posters on the wall –
mathematical signs, months
of the year.
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Make learning auditory
• Use a range of speaking and
listening strategies to support
learning.
• Make use of tapes to listen to
and record ideas.
• Record sound using a computer.
Attach the recordings to files so
that pupils can hear instructions
or information.
• Have pupils teach others things
they have learned, as this
embeds understanding and
memory.
• Sing information to a rhythm as
a whole class group.
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Making learning tactile
and kinaesthetic
• Trace over words, letters and
numbers.
• Demonstrate number bonds, place
value, sequences, etc. through
whole-body movements, use of
cards, etc.
• Cut up pieces of information, then
re-sequence them.
• Use concrete objects to support
learning, for example use letters to
help with blending/segmenting, use
3-D shapes and number blocks.
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knowledge check
What kind of learning style do the
following resources or activities appeal to?
[ tactile & kinaesthetic / visual / auditory ]
1. Recording information as a spider diagram?
visual
2. Pupils teaching each other things they have learned?
auditory
3. Cards to sort or connect ?
tactile
Remember that appealing to multiple senses will help
students to embed knowledge and experiences.
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Assessment for Learning
…a way of ensuring that students are in the
driving seat of their own progress by:
- sharing learning objectives.
- sharing the standards aimed for.
- involving pupils in self- and peer- assessment.
- providing constructive feedback.
- allowing reflection on assessment information.
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Sharing learning objectives…
Students with dyslexia tend to learn best when small pieces of information
are placed within the larger context. To give the big picture teachers should:
• Activate prior knowledge by reviewing
previous learning at the beginning of the
lesson
• Establish the purpose: state the outcome
and strategy for the lesson – what, why
and how
• Ensure that homework is understood and
noted at the start of the lesson by all pupils
• Summarise and ensure that pupils have
understood key points at the end of the
lesson
• Provide alternative strategies and media to
promote reading for a range of purposes
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knowledge check
True or False..?
1. Assessment feedback is disheartening for
dyslexics and should be avoided
False.
Constructive feedback is really useful.
2. Sharing outcomes will encourage engagement
Dyslexic students work better when
the ‘mystery’ of learning is removed.
True
3. It’s best to focus on the small picture of learning
Small chunks of information are more
likely to be embedded in memory
when linked to the big picture.
False
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Chunking,
Overlearning
and Sequencing
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The barriers to learning that confront dyslexic
students can make engagement with
learning difficult.
Keeps students switched on.
Helps the retention of knowledge.
Makes lesson objectives achievable.
Makes multi-step tasks seem manageable.
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Overlearning improves the capacity of
dyslexic learners to retain skills and
knowledge.
Revisiting learning in different contexts.
Recording information in difficult ways.
Practicing and applying learning.
Overlearning using multisensory strategies.
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“Six-point picture hats” to help plan writing.
Practicing and applying learning.
Writing Scaffolds to record ideas and structure ideas
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knowledge check
Which strategy is which..?
[ chunking / overlearning / sequencing ]
1. Revisiting ideas in different contexts
overlearning
2. Making the steps of learning and tasks logical
sequencing
3. Breaking down activities into smaller tasks
chunking
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Adapting the materials
Adapting the environment
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Buff or cream
backgrounds
on handouts.
Resources
selected for
appropriate
readability.
Adapting the
materials…
Provide
specialist
vocabulary in
advance of
learning.
Instead of
textbooks, try
alternative
media such as
audio/video
clips.
Resources
designed so
that all
instructions are
distinct from
body of text.
Providing
copies of
lesson notes to
avoid the
demands of
note-taking.
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Buff or cream
backgrounds on
PowerPoints.
Providing visual
timetables or using
visual cues for
lesson tasks.
Adapting the
Environment…
Using a Support
Assistant to
promote
engagement.
Symbols or colourcoding used to
support written
information.
Multi-sensory
resources: word
banks, mini
whiteboards, key
words.
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knowledge check
True or False..?
1. Removing the literacy content from schemes
of work will help dyslexics make progress
False.
Making literacy content manageable rather
than removing it will be of most benefit.
2. Specialist vocabulary should be supplied in advance
This extra preparation step will
encourage confidence and participation
True
3. Providing teacher’s notes to students is unhelpful
It will mean students are not
overburdened with note taking.
False
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• Make instructions concise, backed
visually.
• Consider alternative ways of recording
info.
• Make the learning objective explicit.
• Make the learning environment multisensory.
• Give support for the different aspects
of writing.
• Avoid unnecessary writing.
• Select accessible texts, including visual
cues where possible.
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These training materials focus upon what
classroom teachers can do to improve
inclusion practices for dyslexic students.
Advice for subject leaders, SENCo’s, and Senior
Leadership Teams can be found in the original
Inclusion Develop Programme package,
accessible on disc or via the website.
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Reference Materials
• Inclusion Development Programme:
http://89.151.115.131/ps/index.html
• Dyslexia Observation pro forma:
http://89.151.115.131/ps/assets/library/sen_idp_ps_identpupsec_sec.doc
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