Claire M

How I teach students with dyslexia

Students with dyslexia are all different, so it is really crucial to assess each student thoroughly to know where their particular challenges and abilities lie. However, multi-sensory learning and over-learning (repetition) are two crucial strategies that I use with all dyslexic students as I haven’t found a dyslexic student yet who hasn’t been helped by these approaches!  Multi-sensory teaching involves using visual, auditory, tactile (touch) and kinaesthetic (movement) which activate different parts of the brain to reinforce learning. 

Fun, engaging and hands-on activities such as word games, models, songs, DARTS (Directed Activities Related to Texts) and texts geared to a student’s individual interests are all elements in my lessons that I use to make learning to read, spell and write and enjoyable as possible for dyslexic learners.

How I teach students with ADHD

Students with ADHD are not naughty or badly behaved, their brains are just wired differently, which gives them their creative energy! So to bring out the best in them, I teach in a way that best suits their learning style- breaking down activities into small steps, using pictures and colour coding, quizzes and getting them to show what they know by talking  things through. I also make sure I give short breaks and include movement into my lessons which releases any pent-up energy in the student as well as helps to improve their attention and focus. I also use planners, mind maps and other visual materials to help with time management and building organisational skills. 

How I teach English

Once I have thoroughly assessed a student and gained as much information as possible about their background, their strengths and areas for development, I know where the gaps are in their knowledge. This could be because they have learnt English as an additional language or struggle with phonics/decoding/ particular spelling patterns/ understanding texts or structuring essays. I then use this knowledge to focus my teaching. Every student is different and has different challenges and strengths, so it’s really important that an assessment accurately captures this. From there, I draw on my years of experience as an English and literacy teacher to devise interesting and enjoyable lessons based on real texts-always real texts! I also include speaking and listening activities as these are absolutely crucial for developing ideas and supporting the writing process.

How I support children and young people’s confidence and self-esteem

So many young people become disengaged and disheartened at school because they  lack confidence in their own ability. This is often deep-rooted, so it takes time, patience and encouragement to change this. I build each student’s confidence in  small, achievable steps while at the same time using techniques such as positive self-talk and reframing to get  them to the point where they start to see their themselves differently and more positively as a learner.

How I create fun lessons that impart knowledge

Students learn best when they are enjoying themselves. For many students, especially for older children, much of what they learn at school can seem irrelevant and/or boring. Therefore I try to find out what genuinely interests them in or outside of school and build my lessons around this.. So for example, if I know a student likes art, I would encourage them to learn to read and spell through making model, pictures or collages of letters and words or illustrating their written work. If they like playing football, I would get them to design a training programme -perhaps including videos of their own skills- to practise the features of an explanatory text. There are so many ways to engage young people in their learning, it’s a question of  finding out what they will get out of bed for !

How I teach children and young people to develop their independence skills

Students can become dependent on support if they don’t feel confident enough in their ability to work things out on their own. Therefore, I scaffold my teaching carefully so that I introduce the student to the task, model it, practise it together with them and then get them to do it independently; by repeating this structure on a regular basis,  I guide students   towards independence and a sense of achievement which they can take away with them, knowing they can do it on their own next time.