Why We’re Going Beyond Phonics for Our Students with Dyslexia

When we were settling on a focus for season 5 of our Together In Literacy podcast, we started to talk about how to organize the needs of our students with dyslexia. Sure, we have a lot of ideas of what helps them, but implementation is going to be spotty unless we can organize those into active planning.

So we decided that would be our overarching discussion for S5—what do students with dyslexia need? We’re starting today by constructing a broad list that we can drill down into during each episode.

Students with dyslexia can often get lost or overshadowed in a classroom setting, and we don’t want to lose sight of them or their individual journeys. What we need is a comprehensive approach that sees the whole learner, not just progress within English language arts. How do we get there? 

Here are the considerations that need to be addressed.

A comprehensive approach that goes beyond just phonics

We know that dyslexia is going to impact student learning beyond the science of reading. Let’s look at the science of learning. Let’s help them develop conceptual understanding of other subjects. Because our goal isn’t to just complete specific tasks with students – it’s to develop a deep understanding so their skills become proficient and transferable.

Highly trained teachers

To use Casey’s analogy, think of teacher training as a sheet cake—broad and shallow, so that we’re able to meet a variety of needs every day. What we should be looking for when it comes to dyslexia instruction is a wedding cake—strong, thick layers that all work together. Let’s go beyond the broad, superficial knowledge. Let’s work to understand the application and research, and to also refine implementation. And let’s also remember that the students in front of us need individualized approaches that come from our own ability to turn research into practice. 

Social-emotionally-sound instruction

It’s important to connect the human side of resilience with academic instruction. Giving students reflective practices helps set them up for success and motivate them to learn. This goes back to Orton-Gillingham basics, the idea that everything is interwoven.

An understanding that dyslexia exists in a continuum

It’s important to remember that we’re all in different stages of our own journeys. Look at your instruction plans and your research-based approaches and tailor that to the students in front of you.

Lessons that are diagnostic and prescriptive

Teachers should be looking at previous errors and assessment data to plan our instruction. That’s going to vary by student and help give them each exactly what they need to build their skills and confidence.

Student confidence in their teachers 

Key to building productive partnerships in the classroom is the ability for students to trust in their teachers—to know they understand dyslexia and what its impact on learning can be.

Accommodations matter!

Students do need accommodations, and they should be unique to each student based on their learning profile. It’s not good enough to implement what have become universal dyslexia accommodations, and they need to be expanded beyond English language arts. And, importantly, this also means that accommodations should not take the place of intervention if a student is still in need of it.

Do you think we’re missing anything on our list? Email us at [email protected]! We’re excited for these discussions and hope you’ll join us.

For the full discussion, check out our latest episode of the Together in Literacy podcast. If you like what you hear, don’t forget to rate, leave a positive review, and subscribe.