Guest posts Archives - Page 2 of 3 -

Awareness Of Dyscalculia Through CPD Work

May 13, 2020June 15, 2022James

Written by Natalie Kerslake B.A (Hons), MA Ed SEND
KS2 Teaching Assistant

A bit about me

My name is Natalie Kerslake B.A (Hons), MA Ed SEND, and I am a primary school teaching assistant, currently teaching in Year 6, with a particular interest in supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities. In January 2016, I graduated with my MA in Education with a specialism in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) at the University of Derby.

In my first teaching assistant post, I became motivated to complete my MA Ed research on dyscalculia after supporting a child with this. I did not know anything about dyscalculia at the time, and not much was available to support teachers and children in this area. I wanted to investigate the current situation of supporting children with dyscalculia in one particular primary school and see whether this was the case in another school.

Popular Math Apps in the Resource Classroom: Why I Chose Not To Use Them

January 28, 2020June 6, 2022James

This is a guest article from Special Education Teacher Monise Seward; you can find out more about her work on her website – http://www.moniseseward.com/.

Calcularis – Estimation Game, Comparing different amounts.

For the last eight months, my IG and Twitter posts have focused on two main goals; to find (a) Dyscalculia and Dyslexia training and (b) Math Apps and curricula designed with my students’ needs in mind. Both proved to be challenging and time-consuming endeavours; eventually, I found one.

Dyscalculia is the Learning Difference you’ve probably never heard of, despite 5-10% of the population having it. Based on the challenges non-identified students experience, I believe there are more kids (and adults) with Dyscalculia. We characterise their struggles as ‘Math anxiety’ in this country. Based on conversations had with U.S. teachers, few are aware of the existence of Dyscalculia. They cannot identify the characteristics exhibited by students who may have it. Compounded by a lack of training on Dyscalculia, many teachers adhere to a pacing guide that does not allow time for remediation or accommodations.

Jobs and Job Hunting Tips for People with Disabilities

March 13, 2019May 5, 2022James

Looking for a new job is stressful. It can be even more stressful when you have a disability, especially one that can’t be seen. You may feel pressured to list your disability on your CV or be fearful of asking for accommodations after you’re hired if you don’t give them a heads up. But many of these fears are unfounded, and some laws make the job search less intimidating. There are also many ideal jobs for people with physical and neurological disabilities.

How EdTech Is Re-Shaping The Education Landscape

February 13, 2019April 27, 2022James

There’s no denying that the landscape of education is changing. With the advent of computers, the internet, and mobile phones, many of today’s technologies were not present in the 1950s or even five or ten years ago. A decade ago, the iPad didn’t exist. Now you’ll find them in millions of classrooms around the country.

These new technologies are completely altering the education landscape, from how students learn to where they are physically located when they consume educational material.

In this article, we will give you the what, why, and how regarding the ways education technology is reshaping the education world, including both the pros and cons.

What is Education Technology?

At a high level, education technology is any kind of technology specifically used to promote or enhance education. This could be software, hardware, devices, online programs, servers, cloud storage, etc.

Education technology often referred to as “EdTech”, can be used in many different schools and locations and has been a growing force in education.

A Guide To Preparing For Parenthood With A Disability

December 5, 2018April 22, 2022James

When you’re expecting a baby, it’s normal to spend hours on end thinking about how you will have to prepare your life and home for the arrival of a new family member. These anxieties are significantly amplified for expecting parents living with a disability. You may be keenly aware of adapting your life to your disability, but it’s not as noticeable when you consider how a brand new life fits in.

But don’t worry – every parent goes through this. Your disability offers a different challenge, but that doesn’t mean that preparing for parenthood has to be a logistical and emotional ordeal.

Dyscalculia & Financial Management

February 6, 2018December 9, 2021James

Dyscalculia is defined as difficulty acquiring basic arithmetic skills that are not explained by low intelligence or inadequate schooling and unsurprisingly, many people with dyscalculia struggle to manage their finances well enough to secure and build wealth. Dyscalculia does not improve without treatment, and the older you are the more likely you were educated without the awareness of neurodiversity that has begun to penetrate into the school system in the last few decades. Moreover, these days, financial management is more complex and often requires the use of technology, it can be hard to keep up with constantly new technological tools and know what you need to use – on top of this dyscalculia can make it difficult to learn new tricks. Here are some tips on financial management when living with dyscalculia.

The Complete Guide to Safe Internet Use for Seniors with Dyslexia and Dyscalculia

January 2, 2018March 28, 2022James

If you are not online, you can forget about keeping in touch with your grandchildren. That is just the reality we are living in. However, for seniors living with dyscalculia or dyslexia, using the internet can be incredibly stressful and even dangerous. To help you with this necessary form of communication, we have put together a comprehensive guide to make the experience less stressful and more fun.

How Dyscalculia and Dyslexia Affects People Later in Life

Most of the media attention on dyscalculia and dyslexia is focused on how these maladies affect youngsters. Yet, older adults also have trouble living a normal life and performing specific activities when they are afflicted by these disabilities. In turn, this can cause undue frustration and stress.

Seniors who acquire dyslexia and dyscalculia later in life often do so through trauma, dementia, stroke, or brain injury. For dementia and stroke, stress is typically a contributing factor. When stress is the source of dyslexia or dyscalculia, a dangerous cycle develops.

As dyscalculics and dyslexics put in extra effort to deal with numbers, math, and reading, they get frustrated and mentally-exhausted. This added stress can lead to other health issues or worsen the condition. Unfortunately, trying to use the internet is one of the more stressful experiences for seniors, especially with all of the scammers out there trying to prey on your inexperience. Thankfully, there are some steps you can take to stay safe on the internet and avoid the added stress.

Ruskin Mill Trust

December 5, 2017August 6, 2018James

Re-imagining Potential

This week we have a guest post from the Ruskin Mill Trust a brilliant organisation who provide specialised bespoke teaching with a focus on practical skills as a form of therapeutic education. This form of education can be beneficial for those with a learning difficulty and certainly will help any student gain the self-confidence to find their place in the world.

‘The measure of success for a student at one of our Ruskin Mill Trust colleges is as wide and diverse as the range of issues and conditions experienced by the young people themselves.’

This is how Aonghus Gordon, the Founder and Executive Chair of Ruskin Mill Trust (RMT), introduced a recent talk about the Vision and Method of RMT, Practical Skills Therapeutic Education.

Mr. Gordon described three short case studies to show something of the diverse range of outcomes achieved by students at RMT colleges. The first, a student who experiences elective mutism and who continues not to talk who has now learned to express herself confidently through various alternative means of communication. The second, related to a story of a young man who, before attending a RMT college, had been through a series of placement breakdowns and had been a serial non-attender. The student progressed to attending college daily and engaging well with his Study Programme despite always struggling to start the day on time. For the final case study, Mr. Gordon spoke about a student who began his course at a RMT college with no qualifications who has recently graduated from university.

Stress Management Tips for Dyslexia or Dyscalculia Later in Life.

July 25, 2017January 26, 2022James

Stress Management Tips for Seniors with Dyslexia or Dyscalculia

When people talk about dyslexia and dyscalculia, they are usually concerned about how they affect people who are in the developmental stages of life, such as children and adolescents. Dyslexia and dyscalculia can make it significantly more difficult for seniors to perform certain activities and live a normal life, resulting in considerable stress and frustration. Here is some useful information on stress management with dyslexia or dyscalculia.

Dyscalculia: The Secret Behind IKEA’s Product Names.

February 20, 2017January 13, 2022James

The Swedish brand IKEA is known all around the world for its affordable furniture and household items. The Quartz news outlet discussed the success story of the brand and its system behind the unconventional products titles. The founder of IKEA, Ingvar Kamprad, is known to have had dyscalculia. The traditional numeral product codes used in most businesses seemed like an unending nightmare to him. To avoid the challenging typing of numbers in the computer system, he decided to name his products using letters. This lead to the invention of a naming system referencing specific semantic groups dependently on the range of the product to be titled. For instance, bathroom articles are named after Swedish lakes and bodies of water, whereas bed textiles refer to flowers and plants. Today IKEA is famous around the world for its unusual product names such as Grönkulla (for bed sheets) or Knutstorp (for a chair lounge), which positively contribute to the marketing and fame of the company.