I am very pleased to introduce guest writer Rachel Ingham to the readers of this blog.
Rachel is a
speaker, trainer and consultant in Specific Learning Disorders (SpLD) and
co-director of Understanding and Supporting Learning (USL). The training and advice she gives to educators, parents and
learners is founded on solid research and experience which informs manageable
strategies to enhance the learning of children and young people.
Her knowledge and
experience comes from a career in teaching in schools, lecturing at ManchesterMetropolitan University and working as an Inclusion Consultant for Calderdale
Local Authority. She also delivers training for the British DyslexiaAssociation in all areas of education and employment.
Importantly she has
dyslexia. Her desire and passion to make a positive contribution to improving
the teaching and learning experience of children and young people with a SpLD
is evident in every presentation she delivers.
First Steps to Writing Assignments in Further and Higher Education
I learnt a lot at college and university and
much of it was not about the subjects I studied. Like all students moving to
further and higher education it is not just about academia, you also learn
about yourself. Some of what I learnt was about how to achieve as a student
with dyslexia. Unfortunately, the lessons I am going to talk about I learnt
later in life when I did my PGCE and subsequently my MA in Specific Learning
Difficulties, many years after my BA in History and English. Yes! History and
English, these may not have been the softest option for someone who struggled
to read accurately and fluently and certainly to understand the material
alongside the difficulties of writing essays.
It is the writing element that I am going to
concentrate on in this blog. Not as you might suspect the mechanics of writing
but from the very moment you are assigned a piece or work. These are the tips I
still use when I am asked to write a presentation, speech or training. I have
applied my rules to writing this blog which I was asked to do last night. My
immediate reaction was thank you for asking, shortly followed by ‘please don’t
ask me to write’ as it is so taxing. I resorted to a defer strategy by asking,
‘What would you specifically like me to write about?’ buying time to think. An
hour’s swim the day after, a good breakfast and here I am writing this blog.
Deferring is not a strategy I am advocating but
giving yourself time to think is one key to success. Start as soon as you
receive your piece of work. There are so many wins to be had by taking this
approach. You have kick started the thinking process and can only profit from
our fabulous problem solving skills and creativity. Let the ideas flow and record them in any way
you prefer, mind maps, flow charts, linear notes, audio note taker etc. These
ideas can then be developed by adding researched data, thoughts generated by
discussions and information from lectures / lessons which enhance the potential
for a deeper critical debate.
Understanding and
Supporting Learning
Time is such an important factor for us as our
slow speed of processing inevitably means we are going to find it challenging
to complete a piece of work on time alongside the other demands of life and
college. Researching and writing will take longer than most other students so
it is important to ‘get ahead of the game.’
I am not an advocate of requesting deferred deadlines for work unless
they are completely unavoidable. Handing work in late means everything gets
pushed back further creating a negative spiral, and causing anxiety which takes
up brain space and detracts from the pleasure of learning. The work has to be
done and imagine the relief and pleasure of finishing well before the due date.
The time that remains can be used to read through your work with a tutor and make
any last minute changes on your final read before handing in your work. There
is something rather satisfying of returning to your writing and feeling
impressed with what you have accomplished. On the occasions, this feeling does
not happen, you have time to do something about it.
It is said that people with dyslexia experience
good and bad days. On the bad days when thoughts don’t flow, sequence well and
quite frankly the words in your head are not making their way to your pen or keyboard,
go and do something more productive. Tidy your desk and desk top. Ordered and uncluttered surfaces make your thoughts
clearer and put yourself in a much more positive place. Now, I am not sure
whether this is the mother in me speaking or the lecturer!
I have the advantage of having been the student
as well as the lecturer which leads me to my final point. Your lecturers want
you to get the best mark possible. During lectures I would explicitly say that
the next point I am about to make is relevant to your assignment and it is
important you include it. The sooner you start your assignment the sooner you
can see the relevance and make links to key material. Preparation and planning
are the key. I believe that taking these initial approaches to tackling a piece
of work sets you up to succeed enabling you to enjoy the ‘process’ of writing
and letting the ‘product’ take care of itself.
Rachel can be contacted through the Understanding and Supporting Learning Website by clicking the logo below.
