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A few years ago, I sat down to try and identify the things I consider when teaching dyslexic learners. It can be hard to do this, as teaching becomes natural and unconscious through practice and refinement. It is a combination of creativity, knowledge, experience and an ability to reflect, adapt and change. A teacher who […]

(Or, why I’m a ‘Trog’) A recent twitter post got me thinking again about the Learning Style debate and how this has become a highly political issue. A guaranteed way to garner approval, ensuring your tweet is buoyant with likes, is of course to criticise and renounce learning style (VAK) theory. I even read a

The skills required to read polysyllabic words are typically not taught but acquired naturally by the more proficient readers in class. Readers for whom reading is effortless are of course likely to read more and therefore to improve reading fluency and accuracy. They typically have a good memory for spelling patterns/good word recognition and apply

I’ve always loved words and never ‘dumb down’ my language for children. I had an early spat with one of the edu Queens of Twitter, who blocked me and called me ‘nasty’ because I said challenging vocabulary should be used and she… er disagreed: https://twitter.com/thinkpix_suze/status/955524326693965824?s=20 The author of Wonder understands that children respond well to

I’ve never liked the word ‘intervention’. I first heard it with regard to my son; it seemed so clinical and impersonal. There is the sense is it is being ‘done to’ the child, not with them. It is any wonder learners become passive? In schools, the word is used to describe 1-1 or small group

1. CONSIDER WHOLE CLASS DIRECTED DRAWING for younger children: https://twitter.com/thinkpix_suze/status/1164090400044474371?s=20 2 ACT EARLY: https://twitter.com/thinkpix_suze/status/1038320063525400576?s=20 3 INTEGRATE handwriting with vocabulary learning: reading and spelling, link this with a word’s meaning: https://twitter.com/thinkpix_suze/status/998471922475298816?s=20 https://twitter.com/thinkpix_suze/status/1009179473571442688?s=20 4 PRACTICE: develop a regular handwriting practice. Students need to know that practising can be enjoyable and leads to success! https://twitter.com/thinkpix_suze/status/1002114245859926017?s=20 5 SETTING: ensure

Taking full and purposeful breaths is a wonderful way to calm the parasympathetic nervous system. Beneficial for student and teacher! The techniques can be practised anywhere, but if seated, feet should connect with the ground, back straight so that the lungs are not compressed. The science of slow breathing Take time each day to practise

Teach sound awareness: https://twitter.com/thinkpix_suze/status/1276552556999839744?s=20 Try linking patterns together with visuals: https://twitter.com/thinkpix_suze/status/937447388108779520?s=20 https://twitter.com/thinkpix_suze/status/1197585874566950912?s=20 A thread on digraphs and trigraphs: https://twitter.com/thinkpix_suze/status/1100118048382558215?s=20 Link the pattern eg from hair to chair, use colour: https://twitter.com/thinkpix_suze/status/990163533710221312?s=20 Use mind maps: https://twitter.com/thinkpix_suze/status/1248651915447205888?s=20 https://twitter.com/thinkpix_suze/status/1024230689846292483?s=20 Reinforce with picture books: Use phonic frames: https://twitter.com/thinkpix_suze/status/1100318217220833280?s=20 https://twitter.com/thinkpix_suze/status/1197590441283203073?s=20 Teach phonics in High Frequency Words, rather than ‘look say’. https://twitter.com/thinkpix_suze/status/971444818000957441?s=20

The schwa is the most common (non) sound in our language. It is a flat unstressed vowel sound and for learners with poor orthographic memories (memory for how words look) it makes it impossible to choose the correct vowel sound in spelling. I posted a 3 part video back in 2018 modelling ‘pure’ sounds: https://twitter.com/thinkpix_suze/status/1053280461743644673?s=20

Dyslexia has been ringfenced by the scientific community as requiring specialist support. This approach can make teachers feel powerless, however, teachers are experts and the classroom teacher has the most powerful influence on a student’s learning journey and outcomes. Graduated Approach What is dyslexia anyway? Think beneath the behaviours and consider how dyslexia looks across