[senco-forum] dyslexia friendly schools

Hi chris
  This seems a pretty comprehensie lit to me - and I agree with Mary's post too.

  What I'd add would be to put the learning objectives and a task list on display (on the board) so that pupils can refer to it.

  Personally, I thin k I'd just miss out the word 'dyslexic' afer you have given out a few tips.  What is good for dsylexic children is good for all children.

  Would you like a copy of my 'Top tips for Terrific Teachers from the Talented TA Team'?  The TAs put it together in an INSET as advice on how to get kids working towards independence.  

  Amanda
  Secondary SENCO
  Cornwall

chris white <chris19251 at blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

Hi all,
As part of the dyslexia friendly school initiative I'm putting a 'Tip of the
Week' in the daily briefing sheet to all staff. (We are a secondary school)
I've listed the ones we've thought of so far below.
Any other suggestions please?: Or any comments on any of these which you
think are not correct!

1. Some dyslexic pupils, (and almost everyone when they are tired!)
find it more difficult to read black text on a white background. Try
printing worksheets on a pale coloured paper and using a pale coloured
background for PowerPoint or word presentations to the class.
2. The most appropriate text for dyslexic pupils is Comic Sans MS in
font size: 14. Times New Roman is often regarded as the most difficult font
to read.
3. When producing pictorial handouts for dyslexic pupils try to use a
large picture and bold key words. 
4. Do not giving large amounts of dictation or work to copy off the
board to dyslexic pupils in your group. If you need to give them
information to put in their books print out handouts on cream/buff paper.
Ask them to highlight the key words or facts.
5. When having class discussions reinforce the answers given by pupils
by repeating them back to the class in order to give the dyslexic pupil time
to process the information.
6. Use colour and pictures wherever possible to help visual learners.
7. Encourage pupils to write their own mnemonics to remember key facts.
8. Never ask a dyslexic child to read unprepared text out loud in
lesson without supporting them.
9. When possible put key words on the wall and teach them!
10. Either print homework tasks for students to put in their organiser,
or write it in for them.
11. When explaining new concepts to dyslexic pupils use visual prompts
and practical demonstrations and examples.
12. When working with dyslexic pupils use highlighters as a means of
pointing out key facts within text
13. Encourage dyslexic pupils to highlight a difficult part of a word as
it allows them to remember the shape and colour of the word
14. Inform a dyslexic pupil they are going to be asked a question in
advance so that they can prepare their answer.
15. When teaching try and pre-teach new words or set them as homework,
prior to that lesson.
16. Praise the dyslexic pupil and make them feel a valued member of the
class. 
17. Mark the work of a dyslexic pupil separately for content and
appearance, preferably using different coloured highlighters.
18. When marking work for spelling give the number of words spelled
incorrectly as a percentage of the whole.
19. When teaching dyslexic pupils try and use Mind mappingC for revision
and summarising new concepts
20. Make sure hand-writing on the white board is clear and large enough
to see from the back of the classroom. Use a black or dark blue pen and put
a different colour dot at the end of each line.
21. Try and seat a dyslexic pupil with a more confident pupil.
22. To stop a child losing place in text begin each sentence with a
different coloured dot, to making tracking easier
23. Try and mark a dyslexic pupil's work in green pen as it is a more
powerful colour.

Amanda
Secondary SENCO
Cornwall