Thursday, December 18, 2008
ABRACADABRA: A Literacy Resource
ABRACADABRA is an interactive computer tool designed for use in Canadian primary schools. This web-based software was designed by CSLP (The Center for The Study of learning and Performance ).It is meant to aid beginning readers of English.
It covers all literacy skills :
- Sound,letter and words ( alphabetics)
- Reading fluency
Research studies have indicated that ABRACADBRA could be a useful tool to help second language learners as well as struggling readers
Most Turkish children study English at school, so ABRACADBRA might be a useful programme to try out with your child to help with their language learning at home.Remember that generally if your child has dyslexia they will often experience difficulty in learning foreign languages.They often encounter problems with English because the syllable structure is complex and correspondence between letters and sounds is inconsistent.As a result they will generally find it very hard to read in English.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
The Number Race software is designed for remediation of dyscalculia in children aged 4-8. The Cognitive Neuroimaging Research Unit which produced the software say that it may be useful for the prevention of dyscalculia, or to teach number sense in kindergarten children without specific learning disabilities. The software was developed in France by Anna Wilson and Stanislas Dehaene.
Go to the following page to download free in English or French,German,Dutch and Spanish.
If you understand limited English it is still possible to use this.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Maths Online Games
Many dyslexic children have problems in maths. They could find difficulty with topics such as multiplication, telling the time, fractions, place value, and decimals .
A dyslexic child will usually need to work extra at home in order to grasp certain concepts.
Games work particularly well with dyslexic children as they provide a welcome change from maths worksheets, which they do mainly at school. Games can help children to practice their maths skills and reinforce topics learnt . There are a lot of good educational sites on the web which have maths games.Unfortunately most of the sites are in English.However if you understand just a little English you can generally help your child to play these games.
Below I have listed some good sites to start to look at :
Woodlands Junior school site , UK – this has won very many web awards ,it’s a great site –
These games were devised by a former teacher – James Barrett.
Coxhoe School ,UK – They have a whole list of useful links for maths.
Maths Cats :
Ambleside Primary School,UK :
Count us in – games to help children understand basic number concepts from ABC – Australia.
Here are some links to particular games I have tried with my child.
Football subtraction game :
Variety of multiplication practice games ( Flash cards and magnetic fun )
Woodlands Junior school site – interactive multiplication games:
The Table Trees
Multiplication Grid – Maths Cats
Spitfire game – ICT games
Division bingo from bgfl.org
GREATER OR LESSER
Pizza party -
Missing numbers - subtraction
Looking at Dyslexic Brains
Researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle are beginning to understand how dyslexic brains work. Dr.Virginia Berninger and Dr. Todd Richards lead a team of researchers whose studies have shown that the brains of children with dyslexia work about five times harder than other children's brains when performing the same language task.
As a result parents of dyslexic children must bear this in mind when doing homework with their children - and give frequent breaks. In addition teachers should reduce homework to a reasonable amount.
Dr Berninger said :
‘People often don't see how hard it is for dyslexic children to do a task that others do so effortlessly. We can't blame the schools or hold teachers accountable for teaching dyslexic children unless both teachers and the schools are given specialized training to deal with these children’ '"
Monday, December 15, 2008
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that parents to eliminate all TV viewing for children under age 2 and to limit screen time (including computer use) for older kids to no more than an hour or two a day.It is known that too much TV can negatively affect brain development in children.
Researchers have found some evidence to connect TV viewing to general attention problems in children.
I think that too much tv/ computers can certainly have a negative effect, especially on children with dyslexia or other learning disabilities. As a parent,I feel that you need to set reasonable limits.You need also to try to reduce your own tv viewing in order to be a good role model to your kid !! If they see you doing something else other than watching the tv – maybe they will pick up on your example. !!
Other points to note concerning tv :
Never let your child do homework while the television is on …..
It is advisable not let your child have a tv or computer in their bedroom since you can’t monitor how much and what they are watching.
Make an agreement with your child over tv/ computer viewing and make sure you stick to it !!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
They are asking for parents and individuals to send in their real life stories or profiles of dyslexics.These can be sent anonymously .
PLEASE SEND YOUR STORIES in English or Turkish.
Write World Dyslexia Forum – Personal story -Turkey at top of letter
OTHERWISE TURKEY WILL NOT BE COUNTED !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mr Ali Tinaz Tuygan (Ambassador )
Permanent Delegation of Turkey to UNESCO
Maison de l'UNESCO
1, rue Miollis
75732 PARIS Cedex 15
Chairperson of Turkish National Commission for UNESCO
Göreme Sokak, 7/9
It is a simple technique which is widely used to help slow or struggling readers.Many dyslexic associations recommend this as a technique for parents to try with their dyslexic child in order to improve their reading skills.
Who is it for ?
2nd grade students and above, who are slow readers .Volunteers could be the child’s mother or father, a university student – in fact even an older pupil could help.The student would need to be two years older or in 2 classes above the child.
Why do we use Paired Reading ?
to increase fluency and accuracy.
Research has shown an marked improvement in reading age.After 6 weeks, if done regularly fluency increases by 3 times and comprehension by 5 times.
Increases childrens confidence and self-esteem.
There are social benefits as well to both students and volunteers. There is sometimes less bullying of the younger children as a result of carrying out paired reading.
How to do Paired Reading ?
Together with the child you read outloud.
Decide on a quiet signal to be used by the child when he or she feels she is ready to read alone – like a tap on the hand.
If the child makes a mistake give the child 5 seconds to self-correct , if they don’t
Point to the word.
Say the word and get the child to repeat the word.
Then you will join back in reading together again- until again the child feels confident to read again by him or herself.
Give plenty of praise – for example if the child self- corrects – uses words like bravo, well done etc
When and how often should paired reading be done ?·
It can be done at home or school 3 times in a week for about 20 minutes.It must be carried out for at least 8-10 weeks .
Which type of books should be read ?
Books or magazines can be used as long as they are at the childs reading level.The child should be allowed to choose their own book or magazine to read as long as it isnt too hard for them.Preferably choose a book with a large font – small print will be more diffcult to read. With the child read the first page of the book together, if he or she makes more than 5 mistakes then this book is too hard for them , so ask the child to select another book
(Takvim newsparer -Pervin METİN)
We know that in every school all over Turkey there will be other pupils like Beyhan.There are many children, just like her, who are of normal or above intelligence with learning difficulties.Due to Turkey’s general education problems, many teachers and parents know nothing about dyslexia. For this reason, many children suffer in their school life.