Course Materials

The course materials are:

THE COURSE BOOK

. . . informative and well illustrated . . .

The course book is 180 pages in length and has been designed to give parents a full and thorough knowledge of the nature of dyslexia and practical teachniques for teaching a dyslexic child. Written in straightforward language, and avoiding particularly technical words when a simpler word conveys the same meaning, the course book explains the essential facts about dyslexia, based on the latest research evidence.

All dyslexic children experience some degree of failure in school. The course describes exactly how to help a dyslexic child or teenager overcome the problems they have, which stem from their difficulties with sequencing, laterality, and their visual and auditory memory.

The pages of the course are arranged so that large blocks of text are for the most part avoided. The pages are full of illustrations, practical exercises and diagrams.

The combined expertise of Direct Learning and the Dyslexia Teacher team have been used to the full in designing the content and layout of the course.

THE CD-ROM

. . . a treasure chest of materials . . .

The 86 documents in the CD-Rom provide a wealth of material which parents need. There are worksheets which can be used immediately, as well as examples of 'positive worksheets' which students can use as models to create their own personalized worksheets to use with their dyslexic child. Every worksheet has been used successfully with dyslexic children by parents, and developed over a period of many years.

In addition to worksheets, the CD-Rom contains:

• 25 handouts to stimulate discussion at parents' group meeetings,
  
  
• information about study skills and pupils rights,
  
  
• pictures of famous dyslexic people to print out and display.

The CD-Rom is simple to use: it can be slipped into a computer and all the files can be opened from Microsoft 'WORD', the most common word processor.

THE WEBSITE

. . . it keeps you in touch . . .

The course website gives you access to the Students' Discussion group. It provides you with news of any students' work that has been published on our websites, details of any developments or improvements to the course, etc. It is your main point of contact with us and with other students once you have registered as a student.

The documents on the course website provide a wide choice of material which teachers need. You will find prepared handouts to give to parents, information about Study Skills, Pupils Rights, and pictures of Famous Dyslexic People to print out and display.

THE STUDENTS' DISCUSSION GROUP

. . . I feel in touch with all the other students . . .

The weakness of any distance learning course is the lack of contact with other students. To address this, students are put in touch through the online Students' Discussion Group. This allows students to raise any points they find confusing, and to ask questions. Like any good discussion, everyone is free to join in, staff and students alike, and a lively debate will no doubt follow! This is what adult education is all about!

We hope that students will still continue to join in the Discussion Group when they have completed the course and are qualified. This will give the rest of us the benefit of their growing experience.

THE COURSE TEXT BOOK

. . . an invaluable source of information . . .

Students need to purchase the course text book, which is an essential part of the course, and there is required reading in each Module. The book is not expensive ($20 or £14) and has been written by an author with extensive experience of teaching dyslexic children and teenagers. It is already the most popular book purchased through the Dyslexia Teacher website. Details about how to purchase the book are provided on the course website.

What is the difference between the Certificate and the Parents' courses?