Teacher

Assessment

If as a teacher, you notice that any individual child is displaying any symptom of a learning disorder or attention deficit in the classroom, you may wish to take proactive action and refer the child to the Dyslexia Association of India.

Unlike standalone providers of testing services, the Association works on a complete Non Profit Basis and our attempt is to identify the main difference that the child is exhibiting and provide the same to you in a clear and written manner.

Using this information you can individualize your instructional practices towards the specific child and help him or her understand where and how they need to make the effort to self improve.

Please be proactive and call us. We are there to help the dyslexic child achieve.

(Click here for more information on Assessment)



With the demand on your time as a teacher, and with the need to address every child’s needs, you as a teacher may find yourself overwhelmed at times. To what extent you as an individual teacher are able to walk the extra mile, depends on your personality, ingenuity and ability to balance the demands of the school in current day India.

It can be worthwhile to remember that how you come across to the dyslexic child or how you present yourself to children with special needs and learning differences can mark them and sieve them for either success or failure.

How you speak, how you correct the mistake, your verbal and non-verbal cues are all being watched by the child and they have an impact on the child’s mind and way of thinking.

Even the child with the most aggravating behaviour, is affected and at times more so as he may be hiding behind a curtain or a mask of insecurity, which he or she is trying to cover up by presenting a aggressive and bold face.

While it can be a test of patience, if you as a teacher can provide a balanced and peaceful environment, not only will the dyslexic child benefit, but probably all children would stand to gain from your effort.

Do

Do be prepared to explain things a number of times and using a variety of methods.
Do use reading approaches such as shared reading, to help practice reading fluency skills without making the student feel embarrassed over lower reading skills.
Do understand that children with dyslexia may get tired; they often need to try harder than other students, taking a toll on their physical stamina.
Do provide written handouts of homework assignments or notes for students with dyslexia.
Do break instructions down into steps, providing written instructions when appropriate.
Do provide a structured environment and give plenty of notice for changes in the daily schedule.
Do provide multisensory activities and lessons to help students with dyslexia learn facts, such as the multiplication tables.
Do offer alternative projects, such as acting out a story, drawing a poster when assigning projects to the class.
Do provide systematic instruction for tasks. For example, a student with dyslexia may have problems with organization. Give detailed steps on how to organize their desk, how to put toys or books away or how to tie their shoes.
Do make a child with dyslexia sit at front of the class so you can help
Do make sure he has understood and remembered instructions, by asking him to repeat it.
If possible do let the child with dyslexia work with an open textbook
Try to put important words clearly on the blackboard
Do teach the importance of writing without spelling errors by focusing on one rule at a time. For example, you may want to mark off for any words with the short /a/ sound but not for any other spelling errors. Let the student know ahead what types of words you will be marking as incorrect on their papers.
Most importantly, do find out what he is good at and praise and encourage the child openly.

Do not

Don't ask a student with dyslexia to read in front of the class unless you have discussed it beforehand and the student is comfortable with reading aloud.
Don't make changes in the schedule or ask students with dyslexia to move suddenly from one activity to another without providing a transitional time or going over the new schedule
Don't expect the same quantity of written or reading work than the students without dyslexia turns in.
Don't expect a student with dyslexia to be able to copy large portions of work from the board.
Don't get frustrated when a student with dyslexia can't remember the steps to complete a task or completes the steps in a different order.
Don't expect student with dyslexia to be able to memorize large blocks of information or learn facts by heart.
Don't give only written papers as an assignment, leaving students with dyslexia at a disadvantage.
Don't assume children with dyslexia will quickly pick up and remember the steps to complete tasks as children without dyslexia might.
Don't mark a paper with every spelling error outlined in red or having given points off for each spelling error.
Don't become angry or agitated when a student with dyslexia mixes up instructions or has a difficult time understanding written assignments.

You may wish to refer to the social and emotional issues that have been discussed earlier to appreciate that what you do and how you do it has and makes and impact on this child.

A dyslexic child thinks and reacts differently and a teacher must appreciate this viewpoint.