Reading is a far more complex process than one might initially think. It requires the human brain to connect letters to sounds, put those sounds in the correct order, and pull words together into the sentences and paragraphs we read every day.
Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability affecting 15 percent of the U.S. population, according to the International Dyslexia Association. Individuals with dyslexia have difficulties with language skills, particularly reading; however, symptoms can include challenges when spelling, writing and even pronouncing words.
Dyslexia affects individuals throughout their lives. However, its impact can change at different stages in a person’s life. As a learning disability, dyslexia can make it very difficult for a student to succeed academically in the typical instructional environment, thus calling for educators to provide dyslexic students with the environment and tools they need to learn with their peers.
In this blog, we'll explore the top 3 strategies for supporting students with dyslexia in your CTE classroom:
- Create an Inclusive Classroom
- Implement Accommodations
- Set High Expectations
After reading, you should understand how to better serve students in this special populations group so you can empower them to unlock their learning potential.
1. Create an Inclusive Classroom
An inclusive classroom is a critical component of ensuring a healthy and safe learning environment for all students, regardless of their special population status. By creating a dyslexia-friendly classroom, you help reduce the barriers to learning, providing students with dyslexia the opportunity to learn at the same rate as their peers.
To get started, consider visual aids and how you might incorporate them into everyday learning. Both dyslexic and non-dyslexic students benefit from visual aids, leading to improved retention and engagement in your classroom.
Teaching Tip: When creating graphics or signs for your classroom, use fonts that support dyslexic students. Sans serif fonts, such as Arial and Open Sans, work particularly well.
Another important factor in creating a healthier learning environment for your dyslexic students is how you communicate with them in the classroom.
When giving directions to students, keep instructions simple and concise and speak slowly as you explain procedures to follow. In addition, avoid forcing dyslexic students to read aloud as it can be daunting and anxiety-producing, particularly when these students haven’t had time to prepare.
By implementing these simple strategies, educators not only make learning more accessible but also unlock potential for studen
By applying these strategies, educators not only enhance learning accessibility but also help students with dyslexia realize their potential beyond their learning challenges.
2. Implement Accommodations
Providing accommodations for both testing and instruction changes the way students access information and demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and abilities. This type of differentiated instruction allows students to demonstrate knowledge and skills without lowering learning or performance expectations and without changing what is being measured.
For students with dyslexia, accommodations might include extended exam time, receiving the audio version of text instead of a traditional book, or even using a larger font size and having fewer items per page. Accommodations can even extend into students’ study practices, including the use of highlighters or technology to better focus on and consume information more easily.
Dr. Samuel T. Orton and Anna Gillingham developed an approach to teaching dyslexic students that has since benefited all learning styles.
The Orton-Gillingham Approach stresses instructional methods including:
Multisensory — Since dyslexia affects the way the brain processes visual information, engaging the other senses like touch and sound works around this deficit.
Direct — For best learning results, students benefit from knowing ahead of time what they are to learn, why they need to understand it, and how it will be taught.
Systematic and sequential — Instruction should be systematic, building upon mastered skills.
Positive and reinforcing — Teachers should focus on successes, work that was done well, and individual skill strength, rather than students' overall performance.
Emotionally sound — Focusing on positive results and on each student’s success concerning their prior skillsets creates a learning environment that fosters positive mental attitudes and self-esteem.
There are many ways to incorporate these strategies into your teaching methods, no matter what subject or age you teach. Whether it’s a lesson on how to spell three-letter words or an explanation of Einstein’s theory of relativity — implementing the Orton-Gillingham Approach offers immense value to today’s CTE classrooms and students.
3. Set High Expectations
As a CTE educator, you know your expectations of students are often self-fulfilling. When imagining what they are capable of accomplishing, students commonly take their cues from teachers and parents.
Teachers have the power to inspire confidence in their students. Handled well, your expectations can positively influence students as they develop an internalized sense of possibility. However, if this power is mismanaged, educators can unintentionally reinforce student fears about their intellectual potential, keeping them from achieving the best of their abilities.
All teachers need to understand that dyslexia is a mechanical disability, not an intellectual one. Many dyslexics are gifted when it comes to processing information, formulating ideas, and making connections. Without that understanding, teachers can’t engage in clarifying and hopeful conversations with their students regarding their ability to learn and achieve in school.
By simply increasing their awareness of the condition and the accommodations that can help dyslexics access information and express themselves, many students will be able to better understand, contain, and work around their challenges.
In order to do the extra work necessary to overcome their academic hurdles, dyslexics need to believe in their potential. Setting high expectations as a teacher can make a pivotal difference in students' confidence in their learning and ability to reach long-term academic and career goals.
Help Every Learner Achieve Lifelong Success
Dyslexia can be a significant challenge for students in your classroom, particularly for when these special populations students lack the resources to overcome obstacles to learning.
But when you implement these support strategies to assist and engage students with dyslexia, you play a critical role in ensuring their ability to succeed as students and in their future careers.
However, you shouldn't stop with helping students in just one special populations group. As a teacher, you have students of every ability in your classroom. Discover how to support all of them when you download iCEV's free special populations guide.
When you read your updated guide to Teaching Strategies for Special Populations, you'll receive strategies, activities, and resources you can use to help every student in your classroom succeed!
