Although dyslexia is known for being a reading disability, the condition goes hand in hand with writing and, as you’ve probably already noticed, your students may be finding it difficult to grasp some of the main writing concepts.
This is a common obstacle that students, and teachers, come up against and it can be difficult to find solutions, especially when every student is different. However, there are several things you can do. To get you started, here are seven tips you’ll need to know.
1. Use the Same Terminology
When teaching dyslexic students, it’s so important that you remain consistent with what you say and teach. To many of us, a notebook and a notepad could mean similar things, but to a dyslexic student, things can get confusing quickly.
2. Give Students Freedom
Many students will feel pressured if you’re constantly watching over what they’re doing and will almost certainly start making mistakes. Give your student a bit of time and space to get on with their work, giving them the ability to really test themselves.
3. Use Visual Aids
As dyslexia is primarily a reading disability, it can be difficult to explain certain writing concepts. However, you can make this a lot easier by using pictures, such as flashcards. This can help to explain certain words and phrases and can be used to remind students of certain details when it comes to recalling an object or scene.
Jessie Williams, an educator for Paper Fellows, continues:
"Sometimes, whether dyslexic or not, visual media is the best way to teach a student something new. A lot of words on paper can get confusing quickly so try to use a variety of media. This also helps to keep things interesting.
4. Get Organized
Imagine you’ve sat down with your student to start writing and you can’t find the right pen, the right book or any of the materials you need. This is going to create instant stress which is a bad start for any kind of writing lesson.
Instead, get yourself organized and create a system, so you know that everything will be in its place when you need to use it.
5. Use Tools to Streamline Writing
Thanks to modern-day technology, there is a ton of tools out there that can make a whole range of writing processes easier. Here’s a few to get you started.
Then vs. Than: A handy online blog is full of everything you’ll ever need to know about using grammar.
Essayroo: An online writing agency that can help with all editing and proofreading tasks.
State of Writing: An online blog full of writing guides for you and your students to work through.
College Paper: A writing agency that can help guide you through any kind of writing process. A popular service featured by the Huffington Post in Write My Essay.
Academadvisor: An online writing agency that can provide advice when it comes to correcting work.
OxEssays: An online writing community to help answer any writing-related questions.
Citation Generator: An online tool for adding citations and quotes to any piece of written work.
6. Provide Constructive Feedback
It’s important when you teach writing to go through a student’s mistakes with them, rather than simply saying it’s wrong. That means instead of just putting an ‘x’ through something, you need to go through and say what’s wrong and why it’s wrong so they can learn next time.
Fiona Coll, a teacher and a tutor for Elite Assignment Help, states:
“When going through work with a student, ask them why they wrote down the mistake they made and why they think that it’s right. This will give you a much better understanding of how to tell them what’s right.”
7. Think Outside the Box
There’s a ton of resources available in book-form or online that you can use to help you in your lessons so don’t just think you’re restricted to what you’ve already got. Use videos, audiobooks, group work and anything else you can think of that can help you to explain concepts and writing techniques.
Thank you to Mary Walton for contributing this piece to DyslexiaHelp. Mary Walton is a cover letter editor at Resume Service. Also, she has a blog - Simple Grad where Mary writes about education, reviews online services for students and suggests useful tips. Mary also is a proofreader at Assignment Help service.