TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching and Learning



Teaching and Learning

Module one

Introduction

A central tenet of the Curriculum is that we should enable children to reach their full potential. With this in mind, this essay will look at the challenge presented to teachers by dyslexia, in terms of the educational needs arising from this condition and the strategies that can be employed to answer these needs. There is a huge amount of literature on dyslexia, its causes, effects and remediation techniques which may be employed. As such, this essay cannot give a complete overview of the area, but it is hoped that it will give an insight into some of the challenges and remediation techniques of dyslexia in the classroom. Dyslexia does not only impact on the student's access to the English Curriculum, but all areas of learning.

First a brief definition and summary of the characteristics of dyslexia will be outlined. This will lead into the effect dyslexia can have on a child and the importance of early identification and support. Next, the major educational needs of children with dyslexia will be discussed, and the strategies and approaches that can be employed to address these needs. It will be noted that many of these are also very beneficial to all children, not just those with special educational needs.

Though the term “specific learning difficulties” has been recommended by the Report of the Special Education Review Committee (1993), the term “dyslexia” will be used for the purposes of this essay, due both to its brevity and its common usage.

Discussion

Inclusion is often used as an umbrella term by many schools to describe programs for meeting the needs of students with disabilities. There are multiple definitions and interpretations of inclusion (see below), but at the heart of them all is the belief that every student with disabilities has the right to be educated in the general education classroom with his or her non-disabled peers. Students with disabilities who participate in inclusion programs may and often do, continue to receive special assistance or therapy outside of the general education classroom, but most of the instruction still occurs in the general education classroom (Ofsted 2004).

In the USA the federal 'Individuals with Disabilities Education Act', IDEA (1990) and its 1997 amendments make it clear that schools have a duty to educate children with disabilities in general education classrooms. While in the UK the revisions to the National Curriculum (DfEE & QCA, 1997, 1999a; 1999b) include the statutory entitlement to learning and education for all pupils. Additionally, the Special Education Needs and Disability Act (2001) provides a legislative framework for inclusion. It strengthens the right of pupils with Special Education Needs (SEN) to attend mainstream schools. Alongside this legislation the Disability Discrimination Act (2001) places new duties on schools not to treat disabled children less favourably than others and to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that they are not disadvantaged.

Many definitions of inclusive education have evolved throughout the world. They range from 'extending the scope of ordinary schools so that ...