The Orton–Gillingham Method This popular method has long been used to teach children with dyslexia how to read. By focusing on the connection between letters and their sounds, children can assign more meaning to the language and develop better overall comprehension.
The unique learning experience of dyslexic children requires a unique approach to instruction. Direct Instruction (DI) is explicit, systematic, and deliberate. It's a finely calibrated, highly purposeful pedagogical method that gives struggling readers exactly what they need to develop fundamental literacy skills.
Unfortunately, popularly employed reading approaches, such as Guided Reading or Balanced Literacy, are not effective for struggling readers. These approaches are especially ineffective for students with dyslexia because they do not focus on the decoding skills these students need to succeed in reading.
Avoid forcing children to read in front of the whole class
Reading aloud well requires linking sounds with words, which can be particularly difficult for dyslexic students. Instead, encourage either silent reading or paired reading where there is less pressure and use a voluntary approach to public reading.
Phonics interventions can involve teaching a child to: recognise and identify sounds in spoken words (for example, helping them recognise that even short words such as "hat" are actually made up of 3 sounds: "h", "a" and "t") combine letters to create words, and over time, use the words to create more complex sentences.
Providing sound charts and other visual supports to assist with spelling. Playing games to support the development of phonological and phonemic awareness skills. Using manipulatives or hands-on resources, such as phonics tiles, to build and spell words. Accessing specialised tutoring to develop reading skills.
Direct Instruction allows students to progress at their own natural pace. As the year progresses the instructor begins to get a feel for each individual student's strengths and weaknesses and is able to help the students with their particular challenges.
In general usage, the term direct instruction refers to:
For example, presenting a video or film to students could be considered a form of direct instruction (even though the teacher is not actively instructing students, the content and presentation of material was determined by the teacher).
Direct instruction is frequently utilized for presentation of preparatory material to be incorporated when utilizing other forms of instruction. Indirect instruction is utilized for a higher level of student involvement incorporating activities such as observation and investigation.
Direct instruction is the cornerstone of effective instruction. It facilitates the process of learning. Teachers can plan projects, tasks, and classes so that students can work together to achieve a common goal. It also enables teachers to give clear directions, illustrations, explanations, and descriptions as needed.
Direct instruction works well with very unfamiliar topics as well as with students who might not be willing to speak up in class. The downside of this method is it may not be engaging to some students, and this can affect retention.
You can teach a dyslexic child to read by using a specific method called “systematic phonics-based instruction.” Phonics is the name for the process of matching letters to sounds. Kids with dyslexia have a hard time with phonics and need to learn it in a slow, structured way.
Pupils with dyslexia seem to learn more effectively if multisensory approaches are used for mastering and assimilating letter-sound correspondences and sight words. They need systematic multi-sensory teaching that combines encoding (spelling) and decoding (reading), as these processes are inter-linked.
Dyslexia occurs primarily at the level of the single word and involves the ability to decode and spell printed words in isolation. It leads to problems reading text, but is not a text level disability.
Help your child to spell each syllable at a time. Write words in different coloured pens to make a rainbow or in shaving foam, flour or sand over and over again to help your child remember them. Look with your child at the bits in the words which they find difficult - use colours to highlight just the tricky bit.
Provide pencil grips or different types of pens or pencils to see what works best for the student. Provide handouts so there's less to copy from the board. Provide typed copies of classroom notes or lesson outlines to help the student take notes. Provide extra time to take notes and copy material.
Direct instruction time - used to teach students new concepts. Guided practice - the time students spend practicing new material with teacher support. Independent practice - such as homework, is time students spend practicing without teacher support.
Direct instruction is only effective at teaching basic academic skills and not problem-solving, higher-order thinking, or reading comprehension. Direct instruction has a negative influence on students' attitudes toward learning.
It is a teacher-directed method, meaning that the teacher stands in front of a classroom and presents the information. It is most effective when used in combination with more hands-on methods of instruction, allowing the teacher to choose the most appropriate style for the topic or skill.
The basic lesson plan outline given below contains the direct instruction element: 1) objectives, 2) standards, 3) anticipatory set, 4) teaching [input, modeling, and check for understanding], 5) guided practice, 6) closure, and 7) independent practice.
Direct instruction is where teachers use explicit teaching techniques to teach a specific skill to their students. This type of instruction is teacher-directed, where a teacher typically stands at the front of a room and presents information.