Teaching and Supporting Students with Dyslexia
Emma Scott (Birmingham International Academy (BIA)) discusses effective adjustments which can make teaching more accessible for students with dyslexia.
When it comes to supporting students with dyslexia in a Higher Education context, there are a number of simple considerations that will make a significant difference to the accessibility of your teaching, regardless of students’ learning style and abilities.
An important area to consider is your lecturing or teaching style. Since cognitive processing is a challenge for many, it is key that information is communicated clearly and in a logical order. Instructions for tasks should ideally be given one by one, chronologically and reinforced visually on the PowerPoint. Students often find it helpful to access materials in advance, both to reinforce the content as well as for notetaking. It is, of course, also important to ensure that these materials are compliant with the University’s accessibility policy.
Secondly, allowing students time to process their responses to questions and problems is essential. Try to avoid putting them on the spot, moving onto other students before they have had the chance to contribute or filling the silence for them. Instead, consider allowing silent reflection time for all students before nominating or simply being comfortable with unfilled pauses.
Having a shorter attention span is often a common feature of those with dyslexia and so ensuring that 10-minute breaks are given for every hour of teaching is vital. It is also beneficial to vary the method of delivery and type of activity, which could be as simple as utilising polls and quizzes at the end of a section of teaching. Since many with dyslexia benefit from a more ‘conversational’ style to learning, allocating small group discussion time will also increase engagement.
Tutorials can offer a very positive space for students with dyslexia to reflect on and identify their strengths. Often, they are keenly aware of their weaknesses but may not be so attuned to their strengths. Examples of common traits include (but are, of course, not limited to): creativity, ability to ‘see the bigger picture’ and strong interpersonal skills. In your discussion, you could steer them to thinking about how to take advantage of these, perhaps in group work, projects or presentations.
Tutorials are also an opportunity for students to consider their current study skills as well as strategies which may need some development. For example, effective note-taking strategies, how to skim dense texts and creating timelines for deadlines are all skills which cannot be taken for granted. Providing suggestions and advice on these areas does not involve any specific expertise in Dyslexia or learning difficulties, and will make a significant difference to their ability to stay on top of the workload. You can also direct them to the Academic Skills Centre at the Library for further support.
Overall, a willingness to listen to students with dyslexia and understand the challenges they face, coupled with some minor adjustments to your teaching style and delivery will be a crucial contributor to their success at university.
FURTHER RESOURCES
- British Dyslexia Association (2017) Teaching for Neurodiversity. (Accessed: 7 April 2022)
- Hargreaves, S., & Crabb, J. (Eds.). (2016). Study Skills for Students with Dyslexia: Support for Specific Learning Differences (SpLDs). Sage.
- Mortimore, T., & Crozier, W. R. (2006). Dyslexia and difficulties with study skills in higher education. Studies in higher education, 31(2), 235-251.
- Pino, M., & Mortari, L. (2014). The inclusion of students with dyslexia in higher education: A systematic review using narrative synthesis. Dyslexia, 20(4), 346-369.
HEFi are running showcase sessions demonstrating how to check your documents for accessibility, providing meaningful alternative text for images and checking your content for accessibility in Canvas. See the Showcase Series page for more details.
Further Reading on Accessibility
- Advance HE (2020). Promoting inclusion: exploring intersections of minority-racialised identity and neurodiversity. Retrieved April 27, 2022
- Alexander-Passe, N. (2006). "How dyslexic teenagers cope: an investigation of self-esteem, coping and depression." Dyslexia 12(4): 256-275.
- CAST (2019). CAST: About Universal Design for Learning. Retrieved April 6, 2020
- Jacklin, A. (2011). "To be or not to be 'a disabled student' in higher education: the case of a postgraduate 'non-declaring' (disabled) student." Journal of research in special educational needs 11(2): 99-106.
- Kulkarni, M. (2019) Digital accessibility: Challenges and opportunities, IIMB Management Review Volume 31, Issue 1, Pages 91-98
- Madriaga, M. (2007). "Enduring disablism: students with dyslexia and their pathways into UK higher education and beyond." Disability & Society 22(4): 399-412.
- Murphy, R. (2021) Higher education students with disabilities’ perceptions of emergency remote learning – exploring the benefits and barriers of e-learning, THE AHEAD JOURNAL Issue 13 Winter 2021
- Pino, M. "The inclusion of students with dyslexia in higher education: a systematic review using narrative synthesis." Dyslexia (10769242) 20(4): 346-370
- Riddick, B., et al. (1999). "Self-esteem and anxiety in the educational histories of adult dyslexic students." Dyslexia 5(4): 227-248
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Thompson, T. (2014) ‘Video for all: Accessibility of Video Content and Universal Design of a Media Player’, in Burgstahler, S.E. (ed) Universal Design in Higher Education: From Principles to Practice. Cambridge MA, pp. 259- 273
- W3C WAI (2022) Accessibility Fundamentals Overview. Retrieved April 27, 2022
Practical Resources
The following are useful guides, handbooks, frameworks etc. about accessible and inclusive teaching, developed at other universities:
Student Help at UoB
https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/as/libraryservices/library/libraries-and-opening-hours/libraries/mainlibrary/disability-support.aspx
Vendor Specific Guides for Creating Accessible Documents