4. Effectiveness of support for speech-writing and presentation skills for students with learning differences: Teachers and students perspectives
Rosalyn Wee1, Premadevi d/o Perumal1 and Charis Chiong Zi Qi1
- Dyslexia Association of Singapore
Abstract
During the transition from upper secondary to tertiary education, developing effective study skills becomes a crucial skillset for efficient learning, especially so for dyslexic and struggling learners. Dyslexia, a formally diagnosed lifelong learning difference (Ramus et al., 2003), is a neurological condition that primarily impacts reading, writing, and spelling abilities. Struggling learners, on the other hand, have no formal diagnosis of learning difficulties and may face challenges in areas like foundational knowledge, attention, focus, emotional and behavioural regulation. Both groups need intervention when they transition to tertiary
education to cope with the increasing demands and maximise their learning capabilities.
This paper explores teachers’ perspectives on speech-writing and presentation skills within the Dyslexia Association of Singapore’s iStudySmart™ programme, which is an online and technology-aided programme that focuses on time management, prioritisation, planning, organisation, and tertiary-level writing and presentation skills for higher education learners. The programme employs the Universal Design for Learning framework, catering to diverse learning styles. Teachers apply the Orton-Gillingham principles for dyslexic learners, offering a diagnostic, prescriptive, cumulative, multi-sensory, and emotionally-sound learning environment. These versatile teaching methodologies allow students to select learning tools like relevant educational applications, videos, quizzes, and note-taking to attain their desired learning outcomes. Using these frameworks and principles, teachers assess students’ progress through personalised and informal assessments, which are then woven into the learning materials and learning experience during the course of the programme. This paper also shows educators how technology-aided online learning, combined with personalised teacher intervention, enables dyslexic and struggling learners to self-monitor and attain their learning goals.
Keywords: executive function, higher education, dyslexia, specific learning difficulty, study skills, perspectives, online learning, special educational needs