The following letter was submitted to The Courier-Mail for possible inclusion in the edition of Saturday 30 April 2016 but it was not selected for publication.
Dyslexia not a clear cut thing
Fiona Brady (Letters, April 28) wrote that her Year 3 son cannot read and that he has dyslexia. She has my sympathy.
No doubt many readers believe that the term dyslexia has a precise scientific meaning backed by widely agreed research and that experts at least, if not all ordinary classroom teachers, know exactly how students with this condition should be supported. That is certainly what I used to think. Many readers might be interested to learn that a 2014 book entitled The Dyslexia Debate argues that this is not so. The authors are Professor Julian Elliott from Durham University in the UK and Professor Elena Grigorenko from Yale University in the US.
They acknowledge that "many believe that a diagnosis of dyslexia will shed light on a reader's struggles and help identify the best form of intervention". However, their comprehensive and critical review of the available research literature leads them to the conclusion that use of the term adds little value.
All students should be supported to learn to read effectively. It should not depend on parents paying to have their children officially diagnosed as dyslexic.
Garry Collins
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Early Career Conference 2022: Writing our future?Writing our future? - a conference presented by and for early career teachers on Saturday 22 October at Wynnum SHS (tbc) | ||||||||||||
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External Examination PreparationRegistration Scroll down to register - but please do read this information Schools should register each teacher who will be using the materials. Acting on feedback from last year, we will be making the materials available earlier this year. We will be running the External Examination Preparation as one package with more fl... | ||||||||||||||||||
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Writing our future in Essential English 2022Writing our future in Essential English - a community of practice especially for teachers of Essential English on Saturday 5 November. | ||||||||||||
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Indigenous Perspectives in the Junior CurriculumAfter a work program review Town High explored ways to better embed indigenous perspectives in the year 7 program through a novella study of Black Cockatoo. The unit became our first taste of analytical essay writing in year 7, in preparation for subsequent years. We found greater engagement from students across the board. ... | |||||||||||||||
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This is the first time I have been to an ETAQ conference and it was really sensational to get so much at all of the sessions.
ETAQ conferences always have sessions that make me excited to be a teacher.
I know that ETAQ conferences in the past have never disappointed - valuable, relevant, practical, inspiring so I came again.
Read AllConnect to a great range of people who are passionate about English and have their finger on the pulse.