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Ignorance is BLIND not BLISS

Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Dyspraxia, ASD, APD, ADD, ADHD, Sensory Processing and on it goes. When we have limited knowledge, and understanding of the impact these learning differences have on the lives of our students and their families, our actions and responses tend to highlight our lack of vision without us realising.We default to a place of SURVIVAL and THREAT. “What can I do to get these people off my back? How dear they advise me how to support and or teach my students? This is ...

Believe they CAN and they WILL

I recently had the privilege of hanging with my boys and watching a movie. It was one of those magical movies set in a remote area in USA. The school is small. The students are disengaged. They lack motivation. No one appears to have their backs.ENTER….. young, smartly dressed, pretty faced young lady who just happens to be the exchange teacher for the year. Fresh faced and full of enthusiasm her desire to turn these students around is relentless.Where am I going with this you may ask? Wh...

Giving in to Groundhog Day

One week back into the school year and I am FREAKING out. Oh yes, Groundhog (not Waitangi) day has hit me hard this week. I am there where you are, you may be, or have been if you are a parent of a child with a learning difference. Sleepless nights, feeling anxious and worrying about so many aspects of my son’s school year. How did this creep up on me like this? How have I let myself feel like this? Ahhh. I thought I had all my ducks in a row and had not only prepared him but myself (just as i...

National Standards or NOT. HOUSTON we have a problem!

Irrespective of whether or not we have National Standards in place we have a huge problem in New Zealand with our literacy rates. The outlook is grim, to say the least.It is time to turn that finger around and get it working. Let’s stop pointing it at policy and the ministry and point it to research and the evidence base which clearly states we should be teaching both a code and meaning based approach.Schools in New Zealand are fortunate enough to be guided by a wonderful curriculum document. ...

From Awareness to Action

Help me to understand how we can expect classroom teachers to take action for students who are not achieving and possibly present with SLD’s if they don’t UNDERSTAND; 1. What they are faced with, 2. Have inappropriate resourcing, 3. No systems in place and, 4. Are accustomed to doing what they have always done.Don’t get me wrong, I speak from experience when I say it is certainly no easy task leading through change. When we venture onto the pathway of changing our systems in educ...

Why the “Wait to Fail Approach” in NZ?

It is a well-known fact (but not well received) that taking a ‘wait to fail’ approach in terms of Literacy is well practiced in New Zealand. Does this lead to Success or Failure? The writing is on the wall from day one and we need to consider what we are doing about this for the students who walk through your doors every day. A diagnosis of dyslexia in school is primarily based upon a “wait-to-fail-approach.” This approach requires a child to demonstrate a significant struggle to le...

Do you TEACH Spelling or Give Words?

Very few teachers/schools can honestly answer we teach spelling. Some may believe they teach spelling but I beg to differ? Why do I go here? Explicit teaching of the code is fundamental for a dyslexic learner. It impacts a students ability to both Decode and Encode and provides a platform with which they do not have to employ a Glance and GUESS method when reading and writing.All of us can reflect on aspects of our teaching careers with new knowledge in tow and shudder at what once was. Well, I ...

Glance and Guess — Really?

Let’s just STOP and take some time to consider how we truly teach reading in New Zealand. If a student is having difficulty with learning to read, you the teacher are obligated to reconsider your approach. A whole word approach which encourages students to glance and guess, memorising words from day 1 is not suitable for all. Taking students to print before they have phonological awareness intact will leave them with no other option but to glance and guess. Sending a reader home and saying thi...