Round up of our Good Practice in Dyslexia and Literacy conference
Thursday 13 February 2020
The stellar line up of speakers at this conference did not disappoint and delegates were treated to insights and practical ideas throughout the day.
Kicking off with Neil MacKay. His 26 years of experience provided a fantastic start to the day for delegates and set the scene. The fabulous feedback from his session make him a hard act to follow.
Fortunately, we were honoured to have Kathleen Kelly and Sylvia Phillips then present a masterclass on multisensory literacy teaching who were well up to the task of following Neil. For many of us their book Teaching Literacy to Learners with Dyslexia has been a mainstay of our studies to becoming a specialist teacher and a resource that is regularly referred to in our daily practice. This session was filled with videos and insights into their years of practical experience. Using case studies delegates were able to explore how sessions can be individualised to meet learner needs whilst staying true to the principles of the approach that we know works for dyslexic individuals. A whole host of resources were demonstrated, and it provided an inspirational insight into teaching.
Dr Susie Nyman’s session took delegates on a journey into the endless possibilities of creativity in teaching. Her multisensory approach received high praise from delegates, "Thank you so much for your talk on how to get an A* in English, I found it very interesting and went home with a head full of ideas."
Dr Paula Clark shared her work on the importance of training and supporting TAs that was both interesting and relevant to anyone working in education. We will be waiting for the final report from her research with great interest.
And finally, Dr Holly Jones had the last speaking slot of the day. This is never an easy slot, however, Holly captured the audience’s attention from the outset with her no-nonsense approach to reviewing what works for dyslexia. Pulling no punches Holly reviewed the evidence base of numerous items. It was refreshing to cut through the hype and explore the research base in order that practitioners and parents can make informed choices. This was particularly pertinent where seemingly new things come through to the BDA pretty much on a daily basis making a variety of claims to support dyslexic individuals which is why we launched our BDA Assured scheme.
It was a hugely insightful day and there was a real buzz from delegates that had attended as they made their way home. The BDA would like to thank all of our speakers, those who joined us for such a great day and also the team at the BDA who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make these event happen.
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