Dyslexic language learners:

are we truly catering for their

needs?

How current ELT trends help or hinder their language

development

BY L IC . S I LV IA ROVEGNO MALHAR IN

EDUCAT IONAL CONSULTANT

URUGUAY

Aims To debunk some commonly-held beliefs about LD

To conceptualise dyslexia in the light of current research

To identify potentially problematic areas of difficulty when learning EFL

To propose an integrated approach to pedagogical inclusion

To identify how current ELT trends cater or not for SEN

To come to some conclusions towards ELT for all

To open up questions from the audience

Blog: silviarovegno.wordpress.com

Twitter: @RovegnoSilvia

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Means of communication:

or where I can get hold of this presentation?

The scope of the matter

Debunking myths

Learning disabilities are all the same

What are learning difficulties?

LDs affect one or more of the ways that a person takes in, stores, or uses information.

What types then?

Phonologicalprocessing

Memory and attention

Processingspeed

Languageprocessing

Perceptual-motor

procesing

Executivefunctions

Visual-spatialprocessing

More boys than girls are affected by

learning disabilities.

1 - 4

Learning difficulties and Attention

Deficit Disorder only affect children.

Adults grow out of the disorders.

Learning disabilities, specially

dyslexia, are only academic in nature.

They do not affect other areas of a

person’s life.

Children with learning disabilities are

identified in kindergarten and first

grade.

School accommodations give students

with learning disabilities an unfair

advantage over their peers.

Learning disabilities can be cured or

out-grown.

Dyslexic children are specially gifted.

Left-handedness is a sign ofdyslexia.

People with LDs shouldn’t learn a

foreign language.

What is dyslexia?

•Brain and neurological

functioningBIOLOGICAL LEVEL

•Mental processing and learning

mechanismsCOGNITIVE LEVEL

•Reading and spelling problemsBEHAVIOURAL

LEVEL

•Socio-economic and

instructional factor

ENVIRONMENTAL

LEVEL

What is dyslexia?

International Dyslexia Association

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that isneurobiological in origin.

BIOLOGICAL LEVEL

It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or

fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding

abilities

BEHAVIOURAL LEVEL

International Dyslexia Association

These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the

phonological component of language that is often

unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities

International Dyslexia Association

COGNITIVE LEVEL

and the provision of effective classroom instruction

ENVIRONMENTAL LEVEL

International Dyslexia Association

and what dyslexia is not?

Dyslexia is not a result of lack of motivation,

sensory impairment, inadequate instructional or

environmental opportunities, or other limiting conditions,

but may occur together with these conditions.

Dyslexia is

√A life-long condition

√A condition inherited from parents (typically

father) to children

√A continuum

√A complex and multilayered difficulty

Linguistic problems experienced by

dyslexic students

Adapted from Kormos & Smith, 2012

Non-linguistic problems experienced by

dyslexic students

Adapted from Kormos & Smith, 2012

Dyslexia and EFL: main areas

of difficulty

Maintaining the pace of the class

Unable to respond immediately when called upon spontaneously

Comprehending spoken language especially when spoken quickly or when sounds are too different from native language

Breaking down words of more than one syllable (prefixes, suffixes and compounds)

Understanding and applying grammatical rules

Hearing a word and recognizing it as the same word in writing

Integrated approach to

inclusive pedagogy

Diversity is the norm

Accommodations benefit all students, not just

those with SpLD

Accomodations affect all areas of teaching

and learning

Classroom

Management

Assessment

Lesson

Planning

Material

Design

Classroom management:

Key ideas

Classroom Management

Environment: Light, temperature, volume, Furniture

equipment

Timing

Communication

Routine and pace

Grouping Use of whiteboard

Material design: Key ideas

Students with LD need structured materials, with

guidance to stay in task and presenting the

different subtasks in sequence.

Material design principles

Less is more. Avoid overcrowded pages.

From: teachingenglish.org.uk

Use visual organisers

Use friendly Font: Dyslexie font

http://www.dyslexiefont.com/

Lesson planning and delivery:

key ideas

Students with LD do not handle well transitions

The key to success lies in preparing our students

to that transition.

If these preparations are carried out, students

with LD can adjust more effectively to the

classroom situation, focus and stay focused during

the lesson.

Explicit

Preview

SegmentSequence

Review

PPP (Presentation, Practice, Production

Feature Adaptation

EXPLICIT Aim and function

PREVIEW Pre-exisitng knowledge and lexis

SEGMENT Presentation: text-based

SEQUENCE Practice stage

REVIEW Add R & E stage

TBL (task-based learning)

Feature Adaptation

EXPLICIT Aim and linguistic aspects to be worked

with

PREVIEW Pre task phase

SEGMENT Task phase

SEQUENCE Language Analysis

REVIEW Bring it all together

CLIL

(Content and Language Integrated Learning)

Feature Adaptation

EXPLICIT Aim and content areas and linguistic

ones

PREVIEW Content and Language

SEGMENT Content: graphic organizers

SEQUENCE Content work and linguistic work

REVIEW Bring it all together

Skills- based lesson (pre, while, post)

Feature Adaptation

EXPLICIT Aim, skill, text type

PREVIEW Content and discourse schemata

SEGMENT Text and task

SEQUENCE From global to particular

REVIEW Strategies

Multisensory learning

Active learning combining multiple modes of sensory

input.

Multiple modes of sensory input (attention-

concentration)

Multiple methods of processing (comprehension)

Multiple storage sites (retention)

Multiple opportunities for access (memory)

Assessment: Key ideasoAssess what students can do, avoid tasks that

directly test what they cannot do

oDesign tests that resemble the activities

carried out in class.

AssessmentShould reflect the type of tasks done in class

Structured and sequenced

Provide study guide

Only TL corrected (writing tasks)

Feedback for written work should be given orally

Oral testing as far as possible

Concluding comments

√Pedagogical inclusion means not just working

with sts with LD but with all students alike

√Accommodations are fair and necessary to cater

for learning

√What works for some might not work for others

√All children have the right to learn and make

the most of the opportunities they have at hand

Blog: silviarovegno.wordpress.com

Twitter: @RovegnoSilvia

Slideshare: www.slideshare.net/srovegno