The world belongs to those who prepare for today! With time, education has become a passport to the future. It not only teaches us the know-how of the world but also helps in developing a perspective of looking at life. Although this digital world is flooding with information, it becomes even more of a crucial responsibility of the teachers in educating children. It is an essential part of their development, a focus on expanding horizons to give them more exposure.
They make every effort to establish a classroom environment that is conducive to learning. Some students are quick learners, while many have dyslexia. As a teacher, facilitating the growth of a dyslexic learner is an incredible opportunity. It might seem challenging initially, but soon you will realize dyslexic students are equally intelligent. Understand the learning differences among students to make everyone feel comfortable in the classroom.
Dyslexic students are relatively slow as their brains can’t hold enough information, making their language arduous to process. With the help of a competent teacher and some tricks, dyslexic students can become high achievers. Are you wondering how to teach them? Don’t worry, since we have done all the legwork for you. Here are the top five teaching strategies for dyslexic students.
1. Utilize Multi-Sensory Learning
Dyslexic students absorb and process information in a unique way, which means your blackboard lectures won’t help. Multi-sensory activities help these children retain information by using different senses. You can make them touch objects or encourage movement along with the sight and hearing. It gives students a break from traditional classroom learning, improving motivation, and engagement levels.
Multi-sensory learning is commonly used for dyslexia tutoring but is equally beneficial for other students as well. Do you know how to incorporate this learning style in classrooms? Have a look below.
- Conduct Physical Activities to Practice Spelling: You can try jump-rope. Students will have to jump each square over the rope when they spell out words.
- Scavenger Hunts: Split students into teams and give them a word to find. You can hide the letters in the classroom and ask students to glue the words together.
2. Play Educational Games
Teaching dyslexic students could be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be boring or dull. Bring some thrill and excitement in the classroom by making students play educational games. Surprisingly, there are a plethora of activities, particularly for dyslexic students. Feel free to incorporate these in your lessons to keep the morale of the students high. Likewise, you can also align the game with the topic you are tutoring.
For instance, when teaching how to pronounce words, go to nessy.com and make them play word games. It uses colorful, cartoony style themes to engage children. Similarly, you can also make them play puzzles and engage them in reading activities. Every game is tailor-made to dyslexic learner’s strength and visual thinking.
3. Bring in Assistive Technology & Tools
In this tech-savvy world, education seems incomplete without technology. Hence, you can also consider incorporating technology to foster learning in dyslexic students. The innovative tools and gadgets are making learning more accessible and fun. Here are some tech-friendly tools for these students.
- Colorful Keywords: Colors always attract students, and keyboards with colored overlays can make typing accessible. Dyslexic students can also use ‘text to write’ software while reading and writing.
- Smart Pen: It uses artificial intelligence and automatically writes what students hear. Thus, it helps them remember things taught in the class.
- Audio Textbooks: If a student is having difficulty reading without assistance, recommend an audio textbook. They can listen to the audio text and understand the concepts in the book. Fortunately, the audio is slow with a clear voice, helping students comprehend better.
4. Create Helpful Arrangements
Dyslexic children need special attention and care. So, why not create some helpful arrangements for them? Before starting your lecture, give every student a sheet containing all the information you would cover in class. Highlight the keywords to help them identify the topics. It helps them copy notes without the stress of noting everything before you clean the board.
Moreover, give them sufficient time to complete homework. If a worksheet would take a day to complete, offer more time to dyslexic students by handing it over for the weekend. Similarly, use positive reinforcements to appreciate their output.
5. Focus on Writing & Spellings
Dyslexic students face difficulties in identifying speech sounds and their relation to letters. Therefore, teachers have to focus on their writing and spelling. Mnemonics is a memory aid tool that increases retention in the human brain. It can help dyslexic students with difficult spelling words, reducing the struggle of remembering lengthy spellings.
As for the writing, assess individual needs. Some students prefer having a thicker pen, while others like using a pencil. Similarly, encourage students to use laptops to avoid the threat of losing notes and books. If they struggle with handwriting, make them switch to touch typing since it just flows through the fingers without any haste.
Final Thoughts
Believe it or not, dyslexic students are as smart as any other student. They only have a slower processing brain, which takes relatively more time to comprehend information. Teachers can assist these students with the help of tutoring strategies, ensuring they are not left behind. In a positive and encouraging environment, these students experience a feeling of success. They start valuing and believing in themselves, opening doors to a brighter future.
