Teachers get training to deal w/dyslexia
Most schools are out for the holidays, but a few teachers are still in the classroom. This morning, teachers from all over the country met in Belize City to discuss a problem facing many of their students…dyslexia. Jacqueline Woods reports.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
School may be closed for the Christmas holiday but some teachers have taken the break to receive valuable training in one area that is affecting many students’ ability to learn. These children have difficulty with words which affect their reading, spelling and writing skills. The problem is called dyslexia and while there is no cure, it can be treated. The workshop will equip the teachers with the skills needed to help these special students. Presently, Margaret Enriquez is the only teacher in the country trained to deal with dyslexic children. Enriquez says it is very important for teachers to learn how to assess any student who they see having problems understanding and getting the work done.
Jacqueline Woods
“At what age should a child be assessed for dyslexia?”
Margaret Enriquez, Teacher
“Preferably at about eight years old. The reason for that is that before that, a lot of children, even bright ones, show at lot of these problems because they’re just starting to learn to read. Some of them are just starting school for the first time and everything is new for them. So usually you find in Infant I and II, sometimes up to Standard I, the children have a lot of these problems. But usually by the age of eight or nine, and these problems continuing then we start to look at the possibility that it might be dyslexia.”
The Ministry of Education is encouraging schools to also establish resource rooms. Enriquez is a teacher of such a facility at the Belmopan Junior School. The school is the only institution that’s actively involved in the programme.
Margaret Enriquez
“Other schools had opened resource rooms, but somehow or the other it didn’t really work out and so it didn’t become functional. So it’s things like this we need and we’re tying to get more schools to have their resource rooms to help deal with these children. Because it’s an easier way to deal with them than just having a class teacher who might not be trained.”
The resource room looks like any other classroom, but the children who are sent there for approximately one hour, receive lessons to specifically develop their language skills.
Margaret Enriquez
“During the regular time that the class will be having language, the children come to the resource room and they do only the language, the reading, spelling and the writing. Resource rooms can also deal with children who are weak in math, but we don’t have that luxury of having another teacher to deal with the math. I am the only one there right now, so it’s only the language I can deal with. If we get another teacher, then we can add in the math also. But we deal with the children there who are slow or lagging behind in the language areas.”
Parents as well who may suspect their child might have Dyslexia are encouraged to monitor his/her performance, get involved in their school work and get help from the Special Education Unit. Or you can call Enriquez at the Belmopan Junior School. Reporting for News 5, Jacqueline Woods.
For more information regarding dyslexia, please contact Margaret Enriquez at the Belmopan Junior School.
