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Thursday stream W Session 11.35 - 12.50 Length 25 minutes
Maureen Brice
The City of Edinburgh Education Department Maureen.Brice@educ.edin.gov.uk
Abstract
This framework was developed over a period of two years by a working party consisting of managers, parents, teachers, psychologists and the authority's advisory staff. It is supported by an in-service training package aimed mainly at secondary subject teachers and a video made in local schools setting the context of the framework. The whole package will be launched in April 2000 and City schools will be expected to incorporate aspects of it into their development plans. The video has already been used very successfully in presentation to parents' groups.
The Good Practice Framework was developed in 1999 for the City of Edinburgh Education Edinburgh by a short life working party chaired by Martin Vallely, Professional Services Manager. The framework draws upon good practice within Edinburgh schools and includes a definition of dyslexia, good practice indicators and measures to be put in place to implement good practice.
The definition adopted is:
It is a condition affecting the ability of individuals to acquire literacy skills. It can range from mild to severe with the profile of difficulties varying from individual to individual and tending to cluster around such areas as organisation, memory, word finding or phonological awareness.
Good practice involves schools having systems in place to ensure that pupils with dyslexia are supported by
There should be a whole school policy for supporting pupils with dyslexia featured in the school's development plan, referring to pupil profiles, Individualised Educational Programmes, provision of appropriate resources and special arrangements in examinations. This is fully supported by Educational Psychological Services.
The underpinning principle of the Framework is that pupils with dyslexia benefit from following an appropriate mainstream curriculum. The secondary subject teacher has a key role to play in delivering this curriculum so support must be given to enable them to do this.
This is offered via the in-service training pack and handbook for teachers at the secondary stage. The aim of this package is to act as resource and in-service training package for groups of teachers, focusing on the teaching and learning of pupils with dyslexia in the context of the mainstream secondary classroom.
It is designed primarily for:
Learning Support staff can provide additional insights into individual cases and members of the senior management team need to be made aware of the resource and timetabling implications of providing appropriate support for dyslexic pupils.
The package gives due emphasis to the fact that, even in the most severe cases, pupils with dyslexia will spend the bulk of their time at secondary school working in subject classes with the subject teacher alone. Both pupils and teachers need support to develop strategies to help ensure effective learning and teaching.
The package contains four clearly identified sets of materials:
i) Guidance for particular groups: The materials cover national,
authority and school policies, curriculum issues such as matching the
curriculum to individual needs and examples of good practice.
ii) Workshop
materials for use with teachers, support staff, parents and pupils: Tutor notes
on delivery of workshops and a suggested delivery format are included.
iii)
Support materials: This section includes advice on audio taping classroom and
study materials, a series of support papers, OHP slide masters, additional
information on dyslexia, a glossary of specialist terminology and a short
reading list.
iv) A video of current practice in schools in the City of
Edinburgh: The video can be used alongside the materials in the package, or
could be used by itself as an introduction to a series of workshops on
dyslexia.
All of the materials are designed to allow schools to arrange appropriate in-service training about dyslexia for all staff.
In cases where it is not possible for an individual school to arrange for the delivery of such a course the authority may organise one centrally or a PT LSSN may lead on a school neighbourhood/cluster basis.
About the Video
This video was made to support the City of Edinburgh Staff Development Package: Dyslexia, A Framework for Support. It was filmed in Education Authority schools in Edinburgh over the winter months of 1998/9.
The video lasts for a total of 48 minutes. It is not intended to be viewed from start to finish in one sitting. Users are expected to use extracts to support or illustrate workshops and to stimulate discussion. Selected sections would be used in conjunction with workshop materials from the package, Dyslexia: A Framework of Support, according to the target audience. The package contains some materials for use with teachers and other materials for use with parents/pupils. These materials should be customised to suit the needs of a particular audience.
In Section 1, Martin Vallely, Professional Services Manager, Pupil Support Gives a brief introduction, setting the context of the video.
Section 2 shows Greg McMillan, Principal Educational Psychologist talking about dyslexia, looking at defining and identifying dyslexia and indicating how teachers can help learners with dyslexia.
Section 3 makes reference to research about the instance of dyslexia in bilingual pupils, acknowledging that the incidence of dyslexia in bilingual children is consistent with those for whom English is the only language.
Section 4 takes a look at some of the strategies used to support primary age children with dyslexia.
Section 5: The Secondary Sector looks in more detail at provision at the secondary stage for learners with dyslexia. Gordon Ford, Head teacher, Broughton High School highlights the structures in place in secondary schools to support learners with dyslexia. There is then a closer look at support strategies already in place in many secondary schools.
Section 6 covers Special Education, Provision for some dyslexic learners who have more complex learning needs.
In Section 7 Marie Dougan, Senior Development Officer, ITSU, outlines the range of technological support now available in Edinburgh to support learners with dyslexia.
In Section 8, Staff development, Shirley Young, parent of a child with dyslexia, discusses teacher training and support with Maureen Brice, LSSN Adviser, and Joe Sellar, a secondary school DHT and Staff Development Co-ordinator.
Section 9, Tertiary Education looks at support beyond school.
(i)
Celia Barron, senior lecturer, Student Support at Stevenson College, outlines
support for dyslexics in further education
(ii) Jane Kirk, dyslexia adviser
and Dr Gavin Reid, senior lecturer at the University of Edinburgh discuss
support for dyslexics in higher education, with particular reference to the
report: Dyslexia in Higher Education, Policy, Provision and Practice published
in February 1999.
The video is designed to be used flexibly:
1 Use with primary school teachers
When using the video with
primary school teachers, it should be explained to them that the section
referring to provision in primary schools has deliberately focused on support
offered by Learning Support and Reading Units rather than that in the primary
classroom. The Developmental Movement Programme - similar to Perceptual Motor
programmes - is included because such programmes are now being offered in an
increasing number of primary schools particularly to motivate pupils with
dyslexia and raise their self-esteem.
The secondary school section should be used to demonstrate to primary teachers of what their pupils might experience when they move to secondary school. But, it should be stressed that actual provision for individuals must be discussed with the appropriate secondary school.
Other sections may have less relevance to the primary school, and should be used only if specific questions are asked or relevant to a particular audience.
2. Use with secondary subject teachers
The video should be
used as part of a staff development programme using the full package. A whole
day programme might start with a brief presentation to introduce the package,
and then workshops from the package would be done followed by a plenary
session. After a short break, sections of the video presentation should be
shown, with a pause at the end of each section to allow for questions and
discussion. The afternoon session would use further workshops from the pack,
followed by a concluding session. Further sections of the video could be used
here to respond to questions that arose during the day. The Subject Teachers'
Guide should be included in the papers issued.
If it is not possible to offer a whole day session, this programme could be broken into three 2-hour sessions, offered over a three-week period. If it is not possible to do this, then it would be important for a summary of the previous sessions to be made as part of the introductions for the next session.
Appendices could be issued as part of the workshops, or as a further tasks designed to make subject teachers more aware of specific issues concerning pupils with dyslexia.
3. Use with learning support teachers
This would be specific
use as part of LS training. Teachers who have completed the Level 1 LSSN
training course will have had a brief introduction to dyslexia and may have
seen part of the video. Those who have completed the LSSN Level 2 course or the
five-week reading course will know more about dyslexia in general terms.
The video would be part of further training in supporting pupils with dyslexia. Each section of the video would be viewed and discussed with particular reference to what is implied for classroom practice. LS teacher use of the video for staff development or use with parents would be part of this training.
4. Use with parents/pupils
The video should be used as part
of a wider presentation to parents. The slides should be used to introduce the
presentation and copies of relevant school-specific policies issued and
explained. Great care should be taken when using the video with parents that
they are not led to expect that every strategy shown on the video
will be appropriate for every child.
It must be explained that the video shows the range of provision within the Authority and that each learner with dyslexia has a very specific profile of difficulties. Provision would be made on an individual basis based on this profile.
It is important that there is a reasonable break between the showing of each section so that parents/pupils have the opportunity to explore the implications for themselves or their own children and ask questions. Someone from the school(s) concerned should be present in order to answer specific questions about actual provision.
Many parents and pupils will be interested in how teachers are trained to deal with the difficulties experienced by learners with dyslexia.
Parents of primary age children may be interested in tertiary provision, as there are often anxieties and concerns about the long-term prospects of children with dyslexia.
Questions about specific provision should always be referred back to the school.
Further information re purchase of the pack can be obtained from Publications, Floor 2, City of Edinburgh Education Department, 10 Waterloo Place, Edinburgh EH1 3EG. Contact Wendy.Laird@educ.edin.gov.uk
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