How to create a dyslexia friendly classroom in school
<b>By Deborah MbugaM</b><br>With the Ministry of Education advocating for inclusive schooling in Uganda’s education system, there is a high call for flexibility and creativity on the part of the teacher.
With the Ministry of Education advocating for inclusive schooling in Uganda’s education system, there is a high call for flexibility and creativity on the part of the teacher.
Inclusive schooling requires that schools develop cultures, policies and practices to include as many diverse children and actively seek to remove barriers to learning and participation.
An innovative teacher will normally devise different methods and ideas on how best to meet the diverse needs of his or her class.
Resources are always meagre. Use low-cost or no-cost materials. For instance, instead of providing photocopied notes for a learner, write on a cardboard or manila paper for the child and move on to monitor the progress of the rest of the class.
Schools that can afford extra photocopied work for children with learning difficulties are encouraged to do so.
Building confidence and self esteem is of great importance to dyslexic children. As such, teachers should always be careful how they respond to the answers these children give. Avoid rubbishing their efforts or ignoring their daring attempts to participate in class discussions. Focus on what is done well by the child and then give praise and encouragement. Let the child know that they have the potential to learn doing things well.
Displaying key words or subject vocabulary on the walls of the class as well as providing word banks and pictures or real objects would be a good visual reminder for the children.
This is not only good for dyslexic, but even the normal brilliant child in the classroom.
Research reveals that dyslexic love to learn in redoing things as their memory span may some times be shorter than their normal colleagues. The more they look at this displayed work the more easily they grasp the concept.
Clear explanations and instructions are very beneficial in creating a dyslectic friendly classroom. Often time’s children will switch off their concentration if they find the teacher ambiguous. Always make sure written instructions for homework are clear and legible.
When marking, avoid horrifying children by overly highlighting their mistakes in an intimidating way. Dyslexic children need to develop a think tank pattern therefore always encourage them to think of what they have to do before starting on it. You can even ask them to verbalise.
Deborah Mbuga
AgaKhan Primary School
mutumbad@yahoo.com
0712467567
Inclusive schooling requires that schools develop cultures, policies and practices to include as many diverse children and actively seek to remove barriers to learning and participation.
An innovative teacher will normally devise different methods and ideas on how best to meet the diverse needs of his or her class.
Resources are always meagre. Use low-cost or no-cost materials. For instance, instead of providing photocopied notes for a learner, write on a cardboard or manila paper for the child and move on to monitor the progress of the rest of the class.
Schools that can afford extra photocopied work for children with learning difficulties are encouraged to do so.
Building confidence and self esteem is of great importance to dyslexic children. As such, teachers should always be careful how they respond to the answers these children give. Avoid rubbishing their efforts or ignoring their daring attempts to participate in class discussions. Focus on what is done well by the child and then give praise and encouragement. Let the child know that they have the potential to learn doing things well.
Displaying key words or subject vocabulary on the walls of the class as well as providing word banks and pictures or real objects would be a good visual reminder for the children.
This is not only good for dyslexic, but even the normal brilliant child in the classroom.
Research reveals that dyslexic love to learn in redoing things as their memory span may some times be shorter than their normal colleagues. The more they look at this displayed work the more easily they grasp the concept.
Clear explanations and instructions are very beneficial in creating a dyslectic friendly classroom. Often time’s children will switch off their concentration if they find the teacher ambiguous. Always make sure written instructions for homework are clear and legible.
When marking, avoid horrifying children by overly highlighting their mistakes in an intimidating way. Dyslexic children need to develop a think tank pattern therefore always encourage them to think of what they have to do before starting on it. You can even ask them to verbalise.
Deborah Mbuga
AgaKhan Primary School
mutumbad@yahoo.com
0712467567