To understand Dyslexia you need to understand how those with poor literacy are processing words and compare that with how those who find literacy easy.
Luckily there is much neuroscience research that answers both of these questions. To spot the difference in everyday life, Dyslexics are often recognised as creative, imaginative and “big picture” thinkers. At Empowering Learning we celebrate these strengths and use their strengths to “undo” the literacy challenges of Dyslexia, whilst keeping the best bits.
Olive Hickmott and Sara Haboubi are both well-known international experts on the use of mental imagery for academic skills, especially literacy and numeracy. Metacognition is the understanding of how we learn and the steps we need to take to become proficient at using mental images to accelerate all aspects of learning.
Do listen to the recording of a short FREE teleseminar to start your journey into this unseen world of metacognition and Dyslexia
Register here to get free access:
To “Metacognition and un-doing Dyslexia ”
https://eo108.infusionsoft.com/app/form/f0dfbb6426df1377a984a311e706fe92
After registering, you will be sent the information to listen to the recording.
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Olivehickmott 
Sara’s Press Release in Ireland: ‘Undoing’ Dyslexia
Dyslexia affects roughly 10% of the Irish population, ranging from mild to severe.
According to the most recent study by the Dyslexia Association of Ireland (DAI) entitled ‘Small Change – Big Impact’, teachers are unprepared for dealing with Dyslexia in the classroom. The research found that 97% of teachers agree that they need and would benefit from training on dyslexia. Learning Diversity expert Sara Haboubi has just returned from Australia where she was invited to speak at the annual Learning Differences Conventions in Melbourne and Sydney. UK born Sara now lives in Ireland and has worked in the field of learning diversity for 14 years. It is her contention that for many Dyslexic Children, the way they are taught does not match the way that they learn.
Sara Haboubi has developed a pioneering new course for teachers and has successfully trained staff in 15 primary schools in Ireland. The course was approved earlier this year by the Department of Education as a continuous professional development course for teachers in conjunction with Maynooth University Froebel Department of Primary and Early Years Education. The results have been outstanding particularly for children diagnosed with dyslexia.
Some key points:
Over the last 15 years, educators have increasingly focussed on using phonics (e.g. b-oa-t) as the main approach for teaching reading and spelling. However, this system of breaking down, segmenting and blending words is not always effective for students with dyslexic symptoms, who may have highly effective visual/spacial skills but struggle with processing sounds.
When students fail to learn to read and write along with their peers, many begin to feel they are ‘stupid’ or that there is something wrong with them, impacting self-confidence and self-esteem which can lead to lack of motivation, problems with concentration and focus as well as other behavioural issues.
Whilst many parents and children get a sense of relief when an official diagnosis of dyslexia is given, this does not necessarily mean that the school can provide an effective solution other than offering additional phonics instruction, a system that has already failed the student and can mean exclusion from main stream classes on a regular basis.
Despite many people with dyslexia having highly effective visual skills we now know that they rarely, if ever, use these skills to visualise letters and words in a stable and consistent manner. People who are proficient at spelling and reading will have automatically developed what is known as a ‘visual word bank’ that allows them to quickly recognise words, which is the basis of the new process.
Stress has been proven to impact negatively on memory and learning in general and also make symptoms of dyslexia more acute. The new process offers methods for helping students access a more effective learning state giving them tools for controlling stress levels, both in and out of the classroom.
St Joseph’s National School, Rathwire, Killucen, Westmeath was one of the first to pilot the process in 2013 and has been using it ever since. ‘Empowering Learning is here to stay!’
How can teachers apply for this? Courses are run throughout the year, face to face and online, and details can be found on http://www.empoweringlearning.ie. In Feb 2017 Sara is inviting key educators from primary, post primary and teacher training colleges to attend a meeting ‘A Conversation About Mental Imagery and Learning Diversity in Schools’.
ENDS
To speak to Sara Haboubi directly, please call 086 0775452