4. RESULTADOS Y DISCUSIÓN
4.2.3. Ingeniería del proyecto
4.2.3.8. Estándares de aprendizaje
Dyslexia at Transition is a resource on DVD ROM, which was sent to all Scottish schools by the Scottish Government during the 2007-8 session. This resource, produced by Moray House School of Education, was launched at a showcase event which also included exemplars of good practice currently being gathered by Dyslexia Scotland on behalf of the Government.
The purpose of this high profile approach to Dyslexia support of which the DVD Rom forms a part is:
To ensure that effective support for dyslexia is inclusive and at whole school level
To share good practice on Secondary transition for pupil with dyslexic difficulties
To ensure a “pupil voice” in developing effective practice
To provide CPD materials for Secondary teachers largely based on pupil experience
To provide an interactive consultative transition kit for relevant pupils at P7 transfer
To encourage proactive rather than reactive support strategies
To involve parents in the transition process e.g. though a special session at parents‟ evenings for new S1 pupils
Other pointers from the launch conference were:
The need to continue to teach literacy skills within the Secondary curriculum to those pupils who would benefit
The need to evidence good practice
The need for transparent practice which is clear to pupils and parents
The need to acknowledge that “institutional change will not occur within small specialist pockets of knowledge”
The assumption that the kind of approach outlined will be consistent with expectations from HMIE
The general approach and ethos outlined above fitted well with the model already adopted by South Ayrshire. However there were implications for the authority for the development of explicit good practice at transition, effective consultation with pupils, and procedures which are both transparent and reassuring to parents.
More recently, HMIE‟s report “Education for Learners with Dyslexia” (November 2008) also identified the following practice as effective:
Effective planning at transition
Transition groups Primary – Secondary
Consistency of awareness of all staff
Engagement with pupil views and choices of support
Monitoring and tracking/ literacy profiles
Collaboration and engagement with parents
Increasingly, the research focus on Dyslexia and literacy difficulties is swinging towards the affective elements of learning - how pupils feel about themselves, their perspectives, their learning styles, their motivation, and their relationships with peers and teaching staff
Early failure on a socially, highly valued skill such as reading would cause an almost traumatic frustration leading to aggression, acting out behaviour and eventually, in severe cases, to conduct disorders.
Svensson et al (2001, p.63).
No matter how good the resources, technology and differentiation, it is probably the positive engagement of young people that matters most in determining outcomes.
Pilot Transition Workshops
In May and June 2008, two workshops were held for a group of Primary 7 pupils within a
Secondary Cluster in South Ayrshire. All these pupils were clear that they had additional support needs which were helpfully described as dyslexic in nature. The pupils were from five different Primary schools, and were identified by pupil support teachers as candidates for the pilot. They had not worked together previously.
The Cluster Head Teachers were highly supportive of the venture and donated a small sum of money for costs of resources, goody bags, refreshments etc
The pupils were invited to attend personally, and the purpose of the workshops explained to them. Parents were sent a letter asking for their consent. Eight pupils attended both workshops and one was unable to attend the second one. There were 7 girls and two boys.
A sub group of South Ayrshire‟s Dyslexia Strategy group consisting of two educational
psychologists and three pupil support teachers planned the workshop content and supported the schools with the logistics of transporting pupils to a central location. The first workshop was held in a Primary School, and the second was held in the Secondary school which by this time all the pupils have attended on induction days.
The aim of the workshops was not to improve literacy skills directly, but to support the pupils‟ confidence, motivation and self esteem, and to encourage them to network with each other. Activities included in the workshops were:
Introductions : e.g. positive name 2 stars and a wish
Power point presentation
Poster making “ Great Dyslexics” Time out : refreshments
DVD Rom children‟s comments Open forum
Complete “My profile” Award ceremony
Presentation of goody bags
Evaluation
An evaluation exercise was carried out through pupil interview in December of their S1 year.
Positive outcomes
Increase in confidence
Enjoyed meeting other dyslexic pupils Better understanding of dyslexia Enjoyed activities
Group empowerment
From the pupils‟ point of view, the open acknowledgement of dyslexia as something
commonplace, associated with cool film stars, sporting stars, chefs and musicians (and Einstein too…), their acceptance of each other as having a similar range of difficulties but to very different degrees, were all impressive.
Their suggestions for improvements included: Leaflet for parents
Workshop for parents at same time as pupil workshops
Include more awareness for non dyslexics – possibly including them in group activities More boys!
Higher profile with Secondary subject teachers
The Coats Box ( the brilliant idea of a Dyslexia box in every classroom with basic cheap support equipment )
For the adults involved, the main area of concern was to get the logistics smarter - transport, venues, technology, refreshments -all needed more planning than we had allowed for. The content worked well.
When the group met again in December, their confidence had increased markedly and they were making very astute (if unsolicited) points about curriculum delivery and attitudes of some subject teaching staff towards dyslexic pupils. The genie was indeed out of the bottle!