Learn how to support learners with dyslexia, and those with other reading difficulties, in their reading and writing development.

Course outline

This course is a follow-up from our course: An introduction to Dyslexia | Supporting learners to achieve their potential.

This course includes two online workshops, and an optional four-week online module. The self-paced module is in the form of a community of professional learning and takes a minimum of one to two hours of engagement per week.

Topics covered

The course focuses on the literacy strategies you can teach learners with dyslexia or a different type of reading difficulty.

Reading seems effortless to most of us, yet many learners have great difficulty deciphering the words on the page. This can leave them feeling insecure and frustrated. Learn how you can support these learners and guide them on the road to reading excellence.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course you will be able to:

• identify the different types of reading difficulty
• explain what dyslexia is, how it affects people and how the roots of dyslexia lie in the brain
• assess your learners' phonologic awareness and decoding skills
• develop your learners' phonological awareness
• teach decoding strategies to your learners
• implement a multi-sensory teaching approach
• provide appropriate accommodations
• apply culturally responsive pedagogy principles in your teaching.

Who is this course for?

This course is recommended for more experienced teaching and learning support practitioners seeking to extend their understanding and practice.

About the facilitators

Annette van Lamoen

Annette van Lamoen has a background in working with high-needs learners. She was a Teaching Fellow at the University of Waikato, where she lectured and tutored in adult literacy education and dyslexia. She was the Manager of the National Centre of Literacy and Numeracy for Adults and now works for Ako Aotearoa as a Professional Learning and Development Consultant. She is passionate about supporting educators and, by extension, their learners.

Dr Sue Dymock

Dr Sue Dymock is a senior lecturer at the School of Education, University of Waikato. Sue’s research and teaching interests are in reading comprehension, reading difficulties including dyslexia, writing, and spelling. She is an active researcher in the field of literacy and has published articles, book chapters and books both nationally and internationally. Sue is a regular presenter at national and international conferences and is a Fellow of the International Academy for Research in Learning Disabilities.

Ako Aotearoa badges

Participants can earn Ako Aotearoa digital badges as evidence of participation and completion of course requirements.

Please read these Terms and Conditions before you register.