Strategic Approaches for Students' Subgroups (Dyslexic Learners)

When I was still teaching, I have encountered problems on how to deal with learners who have difficulties in learning. As their teacher, it is my responsibility to make extra efforts of extending help to my students.

For this article, I have made my old writeup which I have found in my external hard drive while browsing for some.

Academic learning is one of the most crucial aspects to be taken by anyone. Without a doubt, it is a major element by which a person can function within the society in which he or she thrives. As such, having strategic approaches on how lessons should be taught among students should be a much-valued process.

This will be the main subject of this piece of writing. To be discussed in the later portions will be methods on identifying student sub-groups and what are the best methods that can help the assessment of such students as they go on learning how to get educated efficiently.

Profiling your students' subgroups (Dyslexic)

One of the best ways to impart lessons on students is to classify them accordingly, in the following subgroups where they should belong. For instance, if a group of students has dyslexia, there must be a specific mode of assessment for them. Here are some of the ways by which teachers can assess the student progress of such a subgroup:

Phonological awareness test – This is a method in which a person’s phonological structure, or structure of words is tested. In this process, the 3 main levels of sound structure which are syllables, onsets, and phonemes are detected and manipulated.

The National Reading Panel has researched and established that phonemic awareness can greatly improve children’s reading and can help them come up with better spelling proficiency (Russak, Saiegh-Haddad, 2017).

Dyslexia decoding test – One of the most obvious symptoms of dyslexia is having difficulty in spelling words. Thus, a decoding test must be conducted. If students cannot easily decode words, they will not be able to figure out the underlying meaning behind them which could result in problems with semantics.

Code-cracking is one of the most fundamental skills in language development and dyslexia is making this difficult for children with the condition. It is imperative that subgroup identification must include such a test (Ronelly, 2016).

Reading fluency and comprehension test – dyslexics are also proven to have difficulties in reading fluently since found it hard to comprehend what they read. In grouping students, especially children, a battery of reading comprehension tests must be thoroughly executed so that the appropriate set of lessons and specific instructional materials can be given to them.

Dyslexia is not only about writing words but also in understanding them and reading them aloud, and a method for addressing it must also be conducted (Weaver, 1978).

Rapid automatized naming – This is about testing a child in terms of reading speed, and if that child has difficulty in processing the meaning of words. By participating on a RAN, the child will be prompted to quickly name aloud a series of parallel terms that may include letters, numbers, shapes, objects, and colors.

RAN tests can greatly improve the reading skills of children as they can develop their coordination and association skills among words and inter-related objects (Snyder, Downey, 2015).

Though dyslexia testing is recommended only to take place once a year, the assessment for students at school should be done as often as possible, right after every lesson presentation.

This is to make sure that the lessons presented are still freshly engraved on their minds and will have the least possibility of getting dissolved or forgotten. The recommended frequency is at least once every six weeks.

One of the best ways to monitor the frequency and progress of each dyslexic student is by creating a tabular sheet in which data can be written. Fields within it could include Letter Knowledge, Phonological Awareness Continuum, Closed/Open Syllable Decoding, Reading Fluency, and Comprehension.

Because the tests and assessment methods mentioned above are backed up by a variety of authorized learning bodies and institutions, there is a high level of assurance that the teachers, as well as the parents of the kids, can instill into themselves.

In special cases in which learning impairments are present, learning processes must be aligned to the appropriate standards and the above-given methods are products of thorough research.

To monitor the alignment of dyslexic assessment to the standards, it must be regularly assessed as well based on the principle of consistency in education. Such a principle states that all test takers are allowed to answer the same questions and that all answers given must be graded in the predetermined way that they are structured.

Dyslexia is a serious learning condition and must be dealt with accordingly. Since research data about it could significantly change over time learning strategies to be implemented in schools that cater to the needs of dyslexic children must be updated whenever the need to do so arises.

In addition, the latest findings for the science that revolves around dyslexia must also be made clearly known to the teachers so that they can update their methods accordingly. This is the best way to address the specific needs of each dyslexic student and just about the needs of the entire subgroup as a whole.

References:

Russak, S., & Saiegh-Haddad, E. (2017). Phonological awareness errors mirror underlying phonological representations: Evidence from Hebrew L1 – English L2 adults. Second Language Research, 33(4), 459-482. Retrieved August 8, 2021, from https://www.jstor.org/stable/26375897

Ronelly, S. (2016). New Decoding Skills Test Developed for Dyslexics. (2016). Public Health Reports (1974-), 101(5), 556-556. Retrieved August 8, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/4627971

Weaver, P. (1978). Comprehension, Recall, and Dyslexia: A Proposal for the Application of Schema Theory. Bulletin of the Orton Society, 28, 92-113. Retrieved August 8, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/23770047

Snyder, L., & Downey, D. (2015). Serial Rapid Naming Skills in Children with Reading Disabilities. Annals of Dyslexia, 45, 31-49. Retrieved August 8, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/23768175

That's a long one. Thanks for reading!

Keep safe everyone. ❤