Supporting Teachers as well as Students with Dyslexia

A Dyslexic, teaching in a virtual world

When I first came to Interhigh I was concerned about how vulnerable I might feel as a Dyslexic teacher.  How immediate it would be that any of my common mistakes are going to be observed by my students. I am relieved to say that the understanding and support that I have got from this learning institute is astonishing.

My students have learnt not to be concerned about letting me know when I say one thing and write another. I am never ashamed when I make errors and I welcome corrections. I think many students as well as myself have realised that sometimes we learn better from the mistakes we make. It is a wonderful experience to interact so candidly with students in this exceptional environment.

I had got into good routines as a classroom teacher and relied on these practises to get me through the main stream school environment; most of these have also been used or modified here in my newest teaching experience here at Interhigh.

I quickly realised I was not the only dyslexic in the Interhigh community and we have now established a support group for those that have dyslexia and similar concerns.  I have pieced together my past learning and teaching experiences to create a sequential course that I hope will help prepare, support and encourage confidence in our students whatever their background.

As the majority of the population are not dyslexic the way most students are taught especially at a young age is not all too well suited for the particular strengths and weaknesses we have with learning preferences such as dyslexia and dyspraxia. Adapting the way we do some things, can really help us overcome many issues and adapt good strategies, so that we don’t allow issues like dyslexia to stand in the way of achieving our goals.

 

I hope that anyone with concerns will join us in this group and embrace the wondrous world of dyslexia and similar conditions. Together we can discover the benefits and how to get beyond some of our barriers.

Roxanne Pearce

Science Teacher InterHigh

Customising Learning Through Data

Lies, Damn lies and Statistics - I have never really understood that statement. Numbers never lie, they can be misinterpreted, manipulated, ignored but they never lie.

The Interhigh platform generates a lot of information on a day to day basis. Information that can be critical in helping students to understand what they are doing right, wrong and  help forecast where they are going, and if it’s not where they want to be, help them change it! All of this without anyone appearing to “have-a-go-at” or “stressing” the student. The Interhigh platform is the student’s peer so the student listens to it.

The idea came from an Interhigh student, asking “Could I see some goals, and my progress to meet those goals”. We thought we have all the information - so let’s make that happen.

 

So why does it work? Good question, but it does. You should see the reaction when a red section of a graph appears on a student’s attendance breakdown.  I am sure there will be people who will try and quantify and give reasons why but I think it’s very simple. Young people love to learn, improve and impress us they just don’t always like showing it!

So with all the information at hand to the student in a sterile non-invasive manor it alerts the student to the changes needed in order to meet their goals.

What for the future?  As we gather more and more information about how students react to education we can more and more tailor schooling for the individual! Even within a classroom environment.

 

This may not yet be the “bigdata” revolution for Healthcare and Education that is currently being talked about, but it certainly is mediumdata, that is customising learning through data analytics fedback to the learning environment.

Nik Mobey

Trefforest Media