Dyslexia and learning

If is every one's dyslexia is unique to them how do we start to enable dyslexic learners to develop as learners and succeed at school or college etc.

What you can get from a dyslexia assessment is a starting point to start and explore and develop yourself or your child as a dyslexic learner and to understand how to work with your dyslexia and not against it.

In schools most of us get taught in an off the peg set of learning strategies and in a quite passive way. This does not work well for many dyslexics. When what dyslexics need is a made to measure set of strategies that work for them and with their dyslexia.

These strategies need to be monitored and developed or changed. Strategies that worked in school for example may not work in college. In order to do this we have to engage in self reflective learning but we must also encourage dyslexic learners to move away from being a passive learner to an active one.

The one thing we are not taught in school is learn how to learn. What we are taught to do now is learn how to pass tests for league tables. Which is not what teaching and learning should be about at all. The ultimate irony is that what is good practice for dyslexic learners is good practice for all learners and better for inclusion.

In my view at least I do not blame teachers for the issues many dyslexics face in school. It is teacher training and government policy that dictates how teachers are trained. As a result trainee teachers are not given the tools be able to teach all the kids in their classes in a positive and inclusive way..