This paper presents the findings of a comparative study using data from questionnaire surveys carried out in England (n 5 57) and Ireland (n 5 72). The researchers examine how teachers and teaching assistants who are currently teaching pupils with dyslexia in primary schools describe dyslexia and what may have influenced their conceptualisation. The paper examines teachers' responses both in terms of how they view their pupils presenting difficulties in the classroom, and how far they link these to underlying differences in cognitive processing. The researchers suggest ways in which this might influence their teaching in terms of methodology. Findings have been mapped to the Morton and Frith causal modelling framework. The implications of these findings for the training and support of teachers are discussed in the light of recent national initiatives to improve the teaching of dyslexic pupils in both countries.In recent years there has been a growing international body of research and information on the identification and education of children with dyslexia, or specific learning difficulty (Miles, 2006;Reid & Fawcett, 2004). In the light of this, in both England and Ireland there has been concern over how to conceptualise this barrier to learning and what may be the most important and useful model to understand dyslexia. This debate sits within the wider context of inclusion for pupils with a wide variety of special educational needs.This paper describes a comparative study of identification and intervention for primary pupils with dyslexia in Ireland and England, linking teachers' responses to theoretical frameworks and discussing how this might influence their teaching in practice. The focus of this article is on teachers' understanding of dyslexia in both countries. Two separate surveys are described, reporting findings from samples of teachers in England and in Ireland. This is followed by a discussion of the overall findings relating to both countries.
This study examines and evaluates special provision for pupils with dyslexia in three different settings: reading schools, reading units and mainstream support. The research focused on the teaching and learning context for pupils with dyslexia, the support teacher, the mainstream teacher and the experience of the student. The main participants were teachers and tutors supporting pupils with dyslexia, and the parents of these children. Survey methods included questionnaires, focus group discussions, interviews and quantitative data on pupils' reading attainment. In addition, a total of six schools, two representing each model of support, were selected as case studies. This article reports part of a larger survey, which evaluated the effectiveness of three models of special provision for children with dyslexia in primary school. The study shows that there are academic and social benefits for the child with dyslexia who is enrolled in a special setting. However, placement in a reading school or reading unit per se does not guarantee that a child will ‘catch up’ with his or her peers. The findings reported a similarity in the methods and practices teachers use in both mainstream and special settings. The discussion suggests that if teachers are to ‘catch them before they fall’ there are serious questions that must be asked about how we are teaching basic literacy skills. The findings suggest an urgent need for a more balanced approach to teaching reading and writing.
The research described in this article aimed to explore and examine the dominant ‘assessment’ and ‘participation’ stories of upper‐primary pupils with long‐standing and marked literacy learning needs, their views on how their level of participation in the assessment and remediation of their additional needs might be increased and also how they perceive themselves as literacy learners. This qualitative small‐scale study adopted a case study approach and utilised creative methodologies in the context of focus groups to investigate sensitively the views and experiences of Key Stage 2 pupils with additional needs in literacy. The findings discussed here are based on the outcomes from the four Northern Irish schools that participated in the original cross‐border (Northern Ireland/Republic of Ireland) study. Findings are discussed in the context of strategies for promoting holistic and empowering pathways for learners with additional needs in literacy.
This article considers policy and practice in relation to dyslexia provision in Northern Ireland since the 2002 Task Group Report. Using interviews with original and current stakeholders, this research, funded by SCoTENS (Standing Conference on Teacher Education, North and South), examined the extent to which recommendations have been met in the intervening years. Perspectives of interviewees indicated that while pockets of good practice have existed, this has been inconsistent. Despite the Department of Education (Northern Ireland) promoting and funding a significant and replicable model of teacher education and making efforts to monitor its efficacy, concerns remain regarding the optional nature of training, the maintenance of the discrepancy model of dyslexia identification, the need for early multi-disciplinary identification, whole-school policy development and post-primary provision. In addition, stakeholders questioned the sustainability of funding and advocated enhanced transparency for parents, whose voices, it would appear, can still go unheard.'a continuum of specific learning difficulties related to the acquisition of basic skills in reading, spelling, writing and/or number, such as difficulties being unexpected in relation to an individual's other abilities' (emphasis added).It highlights difficulties at neurological and behavioural levels,
BackgroundThis project formed the final part of three, one-year studies that were carried out at specialist schools for pupils with dyslexia in Hilversum, the Netherlands; Monkstown, Dublin, Ireland; and Mark, Somerset, England. The projects were funded by COMENIUS, which is a programme designed to promote co-operation in the field of education in the European Union, and were undertaken in order to increase the participating teachers' knowledge of difficulties faced by pupils with dyslexia when learning mathematics.
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