Guest Blog from Cathy Magee, Chief Executive of Dyslexia Scotland
Dyslexia Scotland inspires and enables dyslexic people to reach their potential in education, employment and life. Cathy Magee has been Chief Executive at Dyslexia Scotland since 2007. In this article Cathy shares her hopes for a refreshed Literacy and English curriculum.
Why is Literacy and English important for dyslexic learners?
Literacy is a gateway to inclusion which is inevitably more difficult for dyslexic learners to access. We need to break down the barriers they face, to enable true access right across the curriculum. Dyslexia means that learning to read, write and spell is more challenging in the first place; beyond that, further obstacles could include comprehension, retention, fluency and working memory. Therefore, fostering a love for, and pleasure in, reading and writing is not without its challenges for dyslexic learners. It is quite common for dyslexic people to have a love-hate relationship with books.
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, reading for enjoyment is the single most important indicator of a child’s future success.
A flexible approach to different formats such as assistive technology, audio, video, verbal presentations or live performances can help enormously in encouraging that enjoyment and creative expression.
Research by the National Literacy Trust shows that “audiobooks can help develop reading skills, such as decoding and comprehension, but also build on the positive outcomes that reading fosters, such as wellbeing and emotional intelligence”.
This message is reinforced by a parent talking in our ‘Dyslexia Voice’ magazine about the benefits of audiobooks for her dyslexic child, “I decided to try audio books and downloaded the same book for us to listen along to. This was her ‘Eureka’ moment. Every night she would read along to the book while the audio book offered her a wee safety net if she got stuck. She flew through the series.”
Supporting practitioners around pedagogy in the new curriculum
In developing a curriculum that is accessible to dyslexia learners, Scotland can draw on existing professional learning resources such as:
The Addressing Dyslexia Toolkit, with practical strategies and tools such as the dyslexia identification pathway, Reading and writing circles, parental and pupil checklists; Dyslexia Scotland’s website.
In close collaboration with Education Scotland, Dyslexia Scotland offers free dyslexia and inclusive practice modules and delivers a year-long Professional Recognition programme for teachers accredited by GTCS.
Learning from models of good practice, such as the Sean Connery Foundation Dyslexia Initiative, which provides evidence-based intensive tailored programmes to enhance literacy and build learners’ confidence.
Simple tried and tested strategies can make a significant difference for dyslexic learners, such as:
– Short, clear instructions
– Avoid cognitive overload when designing learning
– Look beneath the behaviours – involve learners, parents/carers in understanding why
– Strategies that help some may not suit others. Flexibility is needed – tailor support so each learner can achieve the best possible outcomes.
– Encourage overlearning in a supportive environment
– Celebrate success
Barriers to learning for dyslexic children and young people
Teachers will be most familiar with the literacy difficulties faced by dyslexic learners; however, the associated difficulties of dyslexia can cause the most severe barriers to accessibility in the classroom, such as short-term or working memory, auditory and/or visual processing, following instructions, planning and organising work. Minor changes to day-to-day teaching practice can counter these difficulties. School communities should also be mindful of the genetic nature of dyslexia when considering how best to engage parents and carers in supporting their children.
Creating a supportive environment for dyslexic learners is essential within a future curriculum. The important role of school and public librarians should not be underestimated in inspiring a love for stories and making sure books are accessible in a range of different formats. Dyslexia Scotland’s changemakers illustrate this in the examples below:
“Wallyford Parent and Carers’ Council have been working alongside the school to set up their own school library. They have a dedicated corner to support and promote learning for young people with dyslexia and we are getting assistive technology, such as smart pens that read text out loud.”
“Falkirk Library aims to create a welcoming environment for readers with dyslexia. We highlight different reading options which are available, for example apps that can be used on tablets which can then be adjusted further to meet their needs….
We are also making use of posters to suggest books, pointing out publishers who are dyslexia friendly and what resources are available for readers with dyslexia, for example, overlays and apps for audiobooks and e-books.”
What should a future curriculum do?
The most common concerns we hear from dyslexic learners, their families and teachers relate to inconsistent practice in schools and local authorities, stemming from a lack of confidence, knowledge and understanding amongst educators of what dyslexia is and how it is identified and supported. Against the backdrop of continuing budget cuts, the negative impact on dyslexic learners is worsening.
This curriculum review offers the opportunity to deliver consistent support for dyslexic learners across Scotland. Specific training, in initial teacher education and career-long professional learning, should be incorporated to enable all teachers to do this. As outlined above, there is already a wealth of good quality resources and professional learning opportunities in dyslexia and inclusive practice.
The four key features of inclusion must be integrated into a future curriculum: are dyslexic learners present, participating, achieving and supported?
What do we want for our dyslexic learners from the future curriculum?
Early identification
“Dyslexia can make learning difficult which can damage a person’s confidence and affect their life choices…Scotland needs to identify dyslexia in children and young people earlier in life to help them understand themselves better from a young age.”
‘Towards a Dyslexia Scotland?’, a research study by Dyslexia Scotland in collaboration with the University of Glasgow (2024)
Encourage learners to self-advocate and become independent learners
Listen to individual learners – what helps their learning? What are their barriers?
Why are they unable to finish tasks? What do they need from the teacher to complete tasks? What will help them overcome obstacles? Can they understand their own notes? What is the role of AI for dyslexic learners – in the classroom and beyond?
Build learners’ confidence to participate and to be the expert in their own learning. Include activities within the curriculum that encourage, rather than have a detrimental effect on, the learners’ self-esteem, confidence and ability to learn.
Use creative approaches more, to help learners use their strengths to overcome barriers to learning e.g. talking about tasks, listening to videos, drawing or mapping out stories, visiting museums, taking photos of instructions, assistive technology, use of AI to summarise tasks, voice notes to self.
I truly hope that a refreshed Literacy/English curriculum will build on existing evidence-based practice, resources and expertise within the system to ensure that dyslexic learners are fully supported to be independent learners and advocate for their own learning.
References
https://dyslexiascotland.org.uk/educator
https://dyslexiascotland.org.uk/leaflets
https://education.gov.scot/resources/literacy-circles-reading-and-writing-circles
Dyslexia Scotland You Tube channel
If you are keen to hear and learn more about the Curriculum Improvement Cycle (CIC) you might be interested to listen to the Education Scotland Learning Conversations Podcast with Education Scotland Chief Executive, Gillian Hamilton, and Education Scotland Strategic Director, Ollie Bray, on the CIC or read this recent article from TESS Scotland – CfE review: ‘Evolving Curriculum for Excellence, not ripping it up.’ You can also visit the CIC Web Portal/ Glow Blog and from here sign up for the termly CIC News Bulletin and read the latest issue here.
