Guidance for mentors

Placement Pointers

1. Create a positive and open environment where students feel confident and supported in the disclosure of any additional need.
2. Students may not have a formal diagnosis of dyslexia or may not know what sorts of reasonable adjustments can be made so may need support in identification.
3. Take time to explore what works best for each individual student.

Orientation

Orientating new places and systems can sometimes be challenging for students with dyslexia. They need time to map out and explore new working environments.

1. Provide a guided tour of the school, allowing students to ask questions and orientate the working environment.
2. Encourage students to make notes about how the physical environment and different teaching spaces are used.
3. Show students where to find all key teaching resources, e.g., any printed schemes or physical teaching materials/apparatus.
4. Demonstrate the software used by the school, e.g., databases and Interactive Whiteboard tools, and plan time for the students to practice using the software.

Organisation and time management

Organisation and effective time management can pose significant challenges for some students with dyslexia. Supporting the development of organisational skills, both physically and cognitively can help with everyday working memory challenges and particularly with information processing.

Before each placement

1. Provide access to all available planning and schemes prior to the placement so students have time to look through material and feel prepared
2. Provide a calendar overview of events taking place in school during the course of the placement
3. Provide weekly timetables in as much advance and detail as possible
4. Check students are aware of upcoming deadlines or important events
5. Communicate calendar and timetable changes in as much advance as possible

During each placement

1. Spend time familiarising students with processes and systems used by the school, asking them to physically ‘have a go’ where possible – it can take some students a little longer for things to become embedded
2. Allow additional time for tasks which involve a lot of reading or writing, e.g., reading school policies and writing reports
3. Encourage students to prioritise tasks and use checklists
4. Break tasks into smaller chucks for students – this will contribute to more effective time management
5. Signpost resources and websites to support students with lesson planning
6. Collaborate with students as much as possible e.g., if a resource already exists, share it with the student rather than expecting them to create it themselves
7. Allow for greater flexibility in the build-up of teaching time, e.g., if teaching a new subject area, teaching time may need to be reduced initially to allow time for building subject knowledge

Reading

The difficulties a student with dyslexia may have when being presented with written material need to be taken into consideration. Review the sequence of the material, its format, accessibility of the font, line/word spacing and the contrast between text and background. Always use clear and concise language avoiding jargon, technical terms, figures of speech, idioms, and abbreviations.

Read the British Dyslexia Association’s Dyslexia friendly style guide for a set of principles to follow.

1. Provide documentation on an appropriate background if required, e.g., if Irlen Syndrome is co-occurring, to aid reading and processing
2. Plan additional time for students to read school documentation
3. Signpost essential reading associated with policies and planning
4. Highlight (both physical and verbally) important parts of policies and other documentation
5. Allow time for students to discuss what they have read and to ask questions
6. Break any written feedback down into numbered points to aid the student’s reading and tracking
7. Discuss potential questions to ask the class when there is a written stimulus which must be read by the student alongside the pupils in addition to any vocabulary in the text which should be noted and defined for pupils

Spelling, writing and handwriting

Phonological awareness is the ability to hear and discriminate between phonemes in spoken words and code information for temporary storage. This type of phonological processing and visual recall can sometimes present a challenge for students when modelling spelling and writing in the classroom. A multisensory approach is often most supportive for students when meeting associated challenges of ‘live’ spelling and writing. The physical and mental effort of handwriting and sequencing letters correctly can be very tiring.

1. Guide support staff to scribe for the student when gathering ideas from pupils during shared writing time
2. Provide resource banks of subject specific terminology
3. Develop a bank of key words and phrases in connection with the topic/subject, which can be drawn on by the student when marking work
4. Provide a bank of statements for report writing if appropriate
5. Suggest verbal and written sentence starters for initiating professional conversations with families and colleagues
6. Share preprepared templates for written communication with families and other stakeholders where appropriate

Working memory

Some students with dyslexia experience greater challenges with embedding language knowledge into their long-term memory for permanent storage. They often have difficulty in holding speech sounds in their working memory long enough to make use of them, practise them and retain for future use. Learning how to discard redundant or irrelevant information is a way in which students can avoid cognitive overload.

1. Display staff and pupil photo name boards in the classroom if appropriate
2. Talk through all core documentation with students to aid the retention of important information
3. Revisit school routines and procedures on a regular basis, providing opportunities for student observation of practices
4. Use clear and simple language and avoid giving too many instructions at once
5. Avoid giving instructions when a student is already concentrating on another task
6. Write numbered lists for students recording core tasks you would like them to complete rather than telling them verbally
7. Give feedback both verbally and in written form – check student preferences – email a numbered summary of the main points where needed
8. Team-teach lessons with students which demand a high level of recall of specific terminology initially
9. Support students in creating resources as memory aids such as visual prompts or flash cards – these can also be displayed in the classroom to support pupils also
10. Provide a glossary of educational and school abbreviations/acronyms used

Information processing and sequencing

Sequencing and processing large amounts of verbal and written information can prove difficult for some students. The documentation associated with Initial Teacher Training and education in general is immense. In addition, planning appropriate sequences of teaching to impact learning on a daily basis can be extremely challenging at first.

1. Provide policies, documentation and planning ahead of the placement to allow additional time for processing and for the ‘big picture’ to be seen
2. Allow time for students to process instructions or information and leave time for repetition and clarification
3. Be prepared to repeat or rephrase things the student does not understand
4. Give clear concise instructions to students, breaking your information-giving into smaller chunks
5. Share all CPD/INSET training materials beforehand in an accessible format
6. Give clear instructions in an active voice which does not leave room for misinterpretation or any ambiguity
7. Repeat instructions and ask students to repeat instructions back to you to ensure understanding
8. Go through the planning process and talk through where ideas have come from and how they have been put together
9. Provide prompts to support students to evaluate their lessons
10. Support students to identify the ways in which they are meeting the Teachers’ Standards, giving your examples verbally and in written form
11. Share exemplars for all forms of documentation so students understand expectations

Managing fatigue and supporting concentration for students

It is important to recognise it may take longer to complete tasks which may lead to greater levels of fatigue. Consider the following points to reduce fatigue and increase levels of concentration:

• Whenever possible, schedule regular breaks in between episodes of teaching to combat fatigue throughout the day
• Plan short breaks when transitioning between tasks giving you time to reflect and refocus
• Identify a quiet working space where you can eliminate distraction during the school day
• When involved in planning and preparation time, use an adult fidget toy to aid concentration
• If possible, take a short break at the end of the school day to rest and refocus
• Tackle important and time-sensitive tasks first such as the adaptation of lesson plans for the following day
• Plan plenty of screen breaks when working on a computer or device

Feedback

If you have any feedback regarding this guide, please contact Alison Silby: a.silby@reading.ac.uk or Stephanie Sharp: s.sharp@reading.ac.uk

Dyslexia guidance Guidance for students