Memory, organization, and concentration

  • 15 minutes

Organizing assignments

Learners with dyslexia have brilliant ideas but can have difficulty with time management, organizing themselves, and creating routines and systems.

  • Use clear, consistent, and structured systems in the classroom to inform students how to record, store, and turn in assignments like homework.
  • Have students talk about the planning process, and how it isn't just the assignment itself but also materials and people involved. This assignment taps into the dyslexic strength of problem-solving strategies.
  • Encourage accountability and study habits. These skills lead to greater success in the areas of memory, organization, and concentration throughout life.

Reflection

  • Do you have bright, capable students who struggle to reach their full academic potential due to struggles with organization?
  • What are the routines and expectations in your classroom that can be explicitly taught and practiced with students?
  • How can you teach problem-solving skills while also reinforcing organizational strategies?

Other resources

Executive functioning

Executive functions are a set of skills that help us with initiation of tasks, organization, monitoring behaviors, attention, and concentration.

  • A learner with dyslexia may struggle with executive functions (staying attentive, organized, and on task) because they're thinking or excited by something new or with a creative idea.
  • Providing outward structure for executive function skills in the school-aged years is important so they develop and can be used independently throughout life.

Reflection

  • How does a picture help a student stay organized?
  • Why is it helpful for classroom items to have a specific place and there be a place for everything?
  • How could a picture of an organized desk benefit a leaner with dyslexia?

Other resources

Student centered classrooms

A student centered classroom encourages student engagement.

  • Standing desks, flexible seating options, and a thoughtful arrangement of the classroom can invigorate learning and lessen distractions.
  • A classroom setup centered on the student’s needs includes organized materials so that students can quickly find what they need and start the task.
  • Taking a class outside of the classroom or into a different space can re-engage a student by recognizing a student’s difficulty and then addressing it.

Reflection

  • Why does setting up desks in a U-shape promote classroom discussion?
  • Why does visual clutter distract a student with dyslexia?

Other resources

Movement and concentration

Learners with dyslexia expend a lot of energy throughout the day, so incorporating movement breaks into the day allows the brain a moment to recharge.

  • Movement resets the brain’s ability to concentrate and therefore, better attend to learning.
  • Motor memory is the strongest memory pathway in the brain. Multisensory activities, such as songs with movements, can help commit information to memory.
  • When learners with dyslexia have opportunities to engage with learning through movement, chances increase to remember and retrieve the information as the learning becomes meaningful.

Reflection

  • Name three ways to incorporate movement into your reading instruction.
  • Why do multisensory activities activate learning?
  • How are meaningful movement breaks and unstructured movement different? Which one leads to better classroom behaviors?

Other resources