HELLENIC OPEN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES

Masters in Education

The Teaching of English as a Foreign/International Language

AGG36 - Learning Difficulties

Table of Contents

Introduction....................................................................................................................1

1. LD student’s learning profile.....................................................................................2

1.1. Teaching situation...................................................................................................3

2. Teaching procedure....................................................................................................4

Justification of the lesson...............................................................................................5

Appendix- Stages of the lesson......................................................................................7

Introduction
Learning disabilities refer to a broad range of limitations that hinder people's ability to
read, write, and do math-related tasks. Learning disorders are lifelong conditions, they
will continue even if people get the best possible assistance or intervention.

More specifically, concerning our case, Dyslexia is a learning disability that can be
identified after the child’s entrance at school. Reading difficulties in dyslexics are
neurological in nature and linked to a deficiency in the phonological aspect of
language (Shultz, 2013). Regardless of IQ, people with a phonemic awareness deficit
have trouble understanding that words are made up of letters and that each letter has a
unique sound. This makes it more difficult for them to isolate and blend these sounds,
which affects their ability to learn to read and use reading for other purposes. Dyslexia

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is a cause people to struggle with reading and other specialized language abilities.
Students with dyslexia typically struggle with other language abilities including
spelling, writing, and word pronunciation (Moats, & Dakin, 2008).

Dyslexics make problems when reading because they can't tell between words with
similar sounds or words with similar beginning/ending sounds. Because of this,
learning the alphabet, the days of the week, months, and seasons can be extremely
difficult for young kids. (Moats, & Dakin, 2008).They also have trouble recalling
names of objects, people, and animals, as well as organizing sequences, as shown
when asked to sort. The effects of dyslexia vary from person to person and rely on the
condition's severity as well as the promptness and efficacy of education or
rehabilitation. Word recognition, reading fluency, spelling, and writing are the main
challenges. Some people with dyslexia are able to learn basic reading and spelling
skills, especially with excellent instruction, but they later encounter their most severe
difficulties when they must understand and use more complex language skills (Shultz,
2013).

Thus, the above assignment aims to provide an analysis of a specific dyslexic student
(mentioned in the previous assignment) and to develop a lesson plan in order to
enhance student’s reading and writing skills as well.

Part 1

1. LD student’s learning profile

In this assignment case, Jason, a dyslexic 11 year old boy is about to be examined.
More specifically, although he has difficulty reading, spelling, and writing, he has no
issue comprehending concepts. He has issues speaking both his first (L1) and second
language (L2). The first person to discover that he had trouble learning academic
abilities like encoding and decoding was his schoolteacher. He is an outgoing learner
and quite chatty. When he can't keep up with his classmates, he displays poor self-
esteem and lack of confidence, which causes him to occasionally feel unhappy and
uninspired. He needs to spend more time studying if he wants to pass. When reading
aloud, he does it slowly, laboriously, and with poor reading fluency.

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With the use of a miscue analysis, I found out that the learner utilized the incorrect
letters as a result of phonological errors and omitted certain letters. He doesn't know
whether to use commas or full stops when it comes to punctuation. He experiences the
same difficulties with reading. He seldom has the ability to understand texts that
contain punctuation. Moreover, in relation to the grammatical errors, the student, uses
wrong tenses and prespositions. He has trouble using possessive adjectives in place of
prepositions, tenses, and the verb "be." His writing is unintelligible to someone who is
not accustomed to educating students with learning problems and is devoid of
punctuation. On the other hand, his writing content is adequate and focused on topic.

1.1. Teaching situation

The specific teaching situation is based on the coursebook “Magic Book 2” and more
specifically in Unit 3 “The ant and the cricket” More specifically, the above
coursebook is designed for students attending the third grade of primary school.
According to the Common European Framework of Reference the learners are in the
A1 level of competence and they can be portrayed as ‘beginners’.

The class consists of 18 (10 boys and 8 girls) learners of English Language, all of
them native Greek students. It is the very first time that the students are acquainted
with the English language.

The above lesson, aims to develop students reading as well as writing skills. More
specifically, the lesson plan which is designed is relevant to the first Unit of the
specific coursebook, in which students are acquainted with the The Ant and the
Cricket”. The lesson is about to last 45 minutes.

In order to enhance the dyslexic’s learner’s reading and writing skills, the teacher is
about to use multisensory structured language teaching in order to enhance students
skills, rather than the traditional approaches on learning. The direct and clear teaching
of the FL's phonology/orthography (spelling-sound correlations), grammar (syntax),
and morphology (meaning units) systems is emphasized in an MSL approach to
teaching the language. The MSL method makes advantage of students' visual, aural,
and tactile-kinesthetic abilities all at once. When students pronounce sounds and
syllables and write on paper or a blackboard, their motor skills are stimulated.

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Thus, the aim of the above lesson is to enhance students reading and writing skills.
More specifically, the students after the specific lesson will be able to:

1. Understand a story and its gist

2. Get involved in drama with the use of the L2

3. Cooperate and interact with each other

4. Enhance dyslexic’s student’s skills

Part 2

2. Teaching procedure
As mentioned above, the specific lesson is designed in relation with the coursebook
“Magic Book 2” and more specifically it focuses on the third Unit. In the specific
Unit, the students are expected to be acquainted with vocabulary (words related to the
topic), vocabulary - phrases or language chunks and grammar - plurals

More specifically the above lesson is designed to last 45 minutes. The purpose of the
above lesson plan is to enhance students reading and writing skills, and more
specifically, the focus is to aid the dyslexic student. In the Activity 1 The teacher
gives students a tasksheet. Then, the teacher and the students try to identify pictures
with the words. The teacher, has the tasked on the interactive board and tells the
students to repeat the words. Then, all together try to indentify the sounds of the
words shown. Then. The teacher asks students to draw the initial letters of each of
these words to a piece of paper and then give it to their classmate to correct it.

The next activity, engages learners with the actual reading. The teacher plays video
with the recording of the text, twice. Then, the teacher asks students to read and repeat
the above chunks and sing them. Then, the teacher asks students questions about the
text and what they have understand from it. The teacher and the students proceed into
a dance in order students to learn the seasons. The teacher shows students different
realia such as a banana, a pear, an apple, and then gives them two and three of them
The students have to make them in plural. The teacher seperates the class into pairs
and gives, each of them wooden letters. Then, the teacher ask students to design
words.

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2.1.Justification of the lesson
For students who struggle with language acquisition, direct instruction on the
phonology and orthography of the new language is essential for FL success. The
instructor writes the letter(s) (grapheme) on the board or on an overhead projector
while demonstrating the sound (phoneme). The pupils mimic the sound after the
teacher demonstrates it while concentrating on the letter (s). The letter is then written
by the students as they concurrently pronounce the sound. Thus, in the very first
activity, the students are acquainted with new words, related to the while reading
activity and simultaneously the dyslexic student enhances his phonology and
orthography. In the Activity 1, as the students have matched the pictures to the words,
the teacher tells them to repeat the words and then asks them to identify the letters.
The symptoms of visual and spatial attention deficiencies in dyslexic children might
develop to include difficulties differentiating between distracting and target stimuli.
(Wright, Conlon & Dyck 2012)

Then, in the second activity, the teacher, asks students to draw on a single piece of
paper the initial letters of every picture and give it, to their peer to correct it. An
essential component technique is the direct teaching of the links between sounds and
symbols while concurrently employing the auditory, visual, and kinesthetic channels
(Gillingham and Stillman, 1960). A flash card deck that the instructor uses for a
pronunciation and dictation lesson is updated when new sounds and letters are
introduced. The pupils' previously acquired sound-symbol correspondences are
contained in the flash card deck. The student’s drawings (Activity 2) function as
flashcards in which the initial letters of every newly acquainted word are represented.
Moreover, as it is already mentioned the flascards (drawings) are going to be peer
corrected. Learning through peer mediation typically benefits both parties. The
multisensory technique may be used in this situation as one student verbalizes the
issue, which aids in understanding and memorization for the other student (Herold,
2003)

In the Activity 3, the while reading stage, the students are acquainted with the actual
reading. More specifically, the teacher plays the recording and the students read and
sing the above song. Then, the teacher asks students questions about the text and their
understanding. The teacher, uses the multisensory approach in order to enhance the
dyslexic student’s understanding. As Venezky (1993) has stated “visual

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considerations potentially motivated a change in manuscripts and printed pages
difficult to read” More specifically, the teacher shows to the students a dance related
to the four seasons. The goal of the multi-sensory approach is to provide the learner
with multiple methods for recalling and recognizing the material they study. In this
sense, it also serves as a tool for aiding in fact retention. According to Krzyzak (2005)
students who have been taught in this way have made “remarkable progress
particularly in decoding skills” This method of instruction might help kids feel less
anxious, which would make it simpler for them to study. (Herold, 2003)

To improve memory and the acquisition of written language, multisensory learning

employs the simultaneous use of visual, aural, and kinesthetic-tactile pathways.
Learning to read and spell consistently draws connections between the visual
(language we see), auditory (language we hear), and kinesthetic-tactile (linguistic
symbols we feel) pathways. Thus, the teacher employs both visual and kinesthetic
pathways in order to enhance the dyslexic student’s reading and writing skills.

In relation the post reading activity, according to Kormos & Smith, (2012) Applying
visuals, sounds, or touch is a strategy to make up for phonological processing issues
that plague many dyslexic pupils. For instance, introducing real items into the
classroom allows students to use other sensory avenues instead of verbally
memorizing the words and sentences. Hence, through the use of realia, the dyslexic
student will have the opportunity to learn the plurals. The teacher, asks students about
the items and the students raise their hands and answer to the teacher’s questions.

In relation to the last Activity, Children who have dyslexia find it difficult to learn
new words instinctively and prefer detailed explanation. Nevertheless, context is
beneficial and might make it easier to remember words. Multisensory techniques are
beneficial and can work with many learner types. The visual channels are often
stimulated by using flashcards, gestures, objects, and mind maps in addition to the
auditory presentation of the word. Mime, tracing the words in the air, and creating the
words from, for example, wooden letters can all promote the kinaesthetic/tactile
learning of vocabulary (or paper)/ Hence, the teacher, asks students to work in pairs
and design with the letters words. (Pokrivčáková, 2015).

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 In conclusion, the above lesson plan, aims to aid the dyslexic student’s reading and
writing skills. The multisensory structured language teaching as well as the pair
reading strategies, the realia and the picture will aid comprehension.

3.Appendix- Stages of the lesson

Stage Activity Procedure Time Purpose Collaboration
Pattern
The teacher welcomes 1 To welcome the students, Teacher-students
Opening/ the students and tell minute and start the lesson
them to open their book
on page 51
Students=teacher
Activity 1 The teacher gives students
Pre- reading a tasksheet. Then, the 7 minutes
teacher and the students try To enhance students
to identify pictures with the pholonological awareness, to
words. The teacher, has the brainstorm, to relate to the
tasked on the interactive actual reading activity.
board and tells the students
to repeat the words. Then,
all together try to indentify
the sounds of the words
shown.

Students=students
Activity 2 The teacher asks students 5 minutes To enhance their phonemic
to draw the initial letters of awareness
each of these words to a
piece of paper and then
give it to their classmate to
correct it

The teacher plays video Students=students

While- Reading Activity 3 with the recording of the 15 To enhance students reading
text, twice. Then, the minute skills.
teacher asks students to s
read and repeat the above
chunks and sing them.
Then, the teacher asks
students questions about
the text and what they
have understand from it.
Then, the teacher and the
students proceed into a
dance in order students to Students=students
learn the seasons.
The teacher shows students 7 minutes To learn plurals. Students=teacher
Post- Writing Activity 4
different realia such as a
banana, a pear, an apple, and
then gives them two and
three of them The students

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 have to make them in plural.

Activity 5
The teacher seperates the 5 minutes Correlate the letters to the Students=students
words
class into pairs and gives,
each of them wooden letters.
Then, the teacher ask
students to design words.

Tasksheet

Activity 1

Match the picture with the words:

Pear Umbrella Potato Ant Cricket

Activity 3

Watch the above video and sing: http://photodentro.edu.gr/v/item/video/8522/984

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Summer’s here!
Autumn’s near!
Summer’s hot!
But winter’s not!

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5. Bibliography

Gillingham, A. and Stillman, B. (1960) Remedial Training for Children with Specific
Disabilities in Reading, Writing, and Penmanship. Cambridge, MA: Educators
Publishing.

Krzyzak, A. (2005). Dyslexia in the Foreign Language Classroom - A practical guide

for teachers. TEFLNET.

Moats, L., & Dakin, K. (2008). Basic facts about dyslexia and other reading problems.
Baltimore, MD: International Dyslexia Association.

Pokrivčáková, S. et al. (2015). Teaching Foreign Languages to Learners with Special

Educational Needs: e-textbook for foreign language teachers. Nitra: Constantine the
Philosopher University. 128 p. ISBN 978-80-558-0941-0

Shultz, J. (2013). The dyslexia-stress-anxiety connection, 1-4. Retrieved October 1,

2013, from IDA website, www.interdys.org.

Venezky, R.L. (1993). History of interest in the visual component of reading. In D.

Willows, R.S. Kruk & E. Corcos (eds), Visual Processes in Reading and Reading
Disabilities. Hillsdale, NJ. : Erlbaum, 3-30.

Wright, C.M., E.G. Conlon & M. Dyck (2012). Visual search deficits are independent
of magnocellular deficits in dyslexia. Annals of Dyslexia, 62(1): 53-69

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