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 students a full and thorough knowledge of the nature of dyslexia and practical strategies 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 book 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 book 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 64 documents in the CD-Rom provide a wealth of material which teachers 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 a dyslexic child. Every worksheet has been used successfully with dyslexic children by experienced practitioners, and developed over a period of many years.

In addition to worksheets, the CD-Rom contains pages of information about Study Skills, Pupils Rights, and 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. If a student does not have easy access to a computer, then a printout of the pages can be provided (to registered students only) for a small charge.

THE AUDIO TAPE

. . . a valuable recording of the sounds of the letters . . .

The audio tape which comes with the course materials contains a clear recording, with an explanatory dialogue, of each of the sounds made by the letters, both singly and in pairs. Some children are taught versions of the letter sounds that make it hard for them to sound out new words. The sounds on the audio tape clarify the exact sounds that dyslexic children should learn.

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 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 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?