Indicators of dyslexia across different languages December 10, 2009

Once more I have been dipping into Maryanne Wolf’s magnificent book, Proust and the Squid, for enlightenment on the differences inherent in identifying dyslexia in speakers of different languages.
The specific phonological skills used in reading depend on the reader’s expertise, the word to be read, and the writing system, involved. A highly regular, highly frequent [...]

Dyslexia and modern foreign languages December 9, 2009

In a previous post I wrote about the difficulties inherent in learning a foreign language for some people with dyslexia.
It seems that children who learning more regular alphabets, such as Greek and Spanish, gain fluency and efficiency faster than children who have to tackle less regular languages such as English. No surprises there.
This does not [...]

Spelling in the Stone Age December 3, 2009

Aye, it takes me back.
Enjoy.

You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. Plato October 16, 2009

It comes as no surprise to many of us working in schools to see reports that children are struggling in school with undeveloped basic language skills.
The Times reported that in England (and why should it be any different in Scotland?) children are starting primary school with a speaking age of just 18 months and the number [...]

Audiobooks + Dyslexia October 7, 2009

Further to a recent post, I have located the full research paper on The Effects of Audiobooks on the Psychosocial Adjustment of Pre-adolescents and Adolescents with Dyslexia and give a fuller summary here.
One of the most recommended compensatory strategies consists of using audiobooks in order to access scanned texts. Schools are encouraged to set up [...]

Socrates for 6 year olds August 25, 2009

Catherine McCall, featured in this clip, has been a pioneer of practical philosophy for children in the UK , having worked extensively with Matthew Lipman in the US.
I was excited about visiting the Dean Gallery ’s Enlightenment exhibition, not least because it promised film of children philosophising. 7 to 10 year [...]

Visual Literacy, Learning and the Graphic Novel and Manga August 20, 2009

I’ve just been to an interesting talk at the Book Festival with Dr Mel Gibson (no, not that one) talking about using Graphic Novels and Manga when teaching children and young people literacy skills.
She gave us a whirlwind tour of such books, few of which I had heard of.
I am aware of Colin McNaughton and [...]

Scottish Book Trust August 18, 2009

Autumn Term event programme
Scottish Book Trust’s 2009-10 programme is quickly taking shape and they have information about FREE events for pupils. Upcoming events include authors Darren Shan (pictured), Betty Birney, the return of the brilliant Oisin McGann and of course, The Royal Mail Awards Ceremony in November.
Online Teachers in Residence Programme Scottish Book Trust [...]

Some more equal than others June 22, 2009

The Outreach Team had an interesting day recently looking at the new Curriculum for Excellence outcomes and experiences for Literacy and English and Health and Well Being.
One of the outcomes under the Responsible Citizens heading started a lively debate which raised the whole issue of inclusion and equality:
 I can evaluate environmental, scientific and technological issues.
We [...]

Anthony Browne for Children’s Laureate June 10, 2009

What good news! I actually don’t like ‘Gorilla’ very much but love some of Brown’s other books, notably ‘The Tunnel’ and ‘Changes’. Browne’s near-photographic realism is always sprinkled with touches of the surreal, and a plethora of visual puns. And I, along with millions of others, find them very touching too.
The Guardian reports: Browne said [...]