John Everatt
University of Canterbury, New Zealand
John Everatt is a Professor of Education in the Faculty of Education, University of Canterbury, New Zealand. His research focuses on learning difficulties, particularly dyslexia, and literacy development, with much of this work looking at related issues in language processes, multilingualism and differences between orthographies.
Supporting reading and spelling development in primary school children with or at risk of literacy learning difficulties
Knowing how to support the learning of reading and writing among those who are struggling is a major objective of those of us working with students with literacy learning difficulties and dyslexia. This talk will cover some of the research that colleagues and I have been conducting related to this objective. The Better Start Literacy Approach, developed primarily by colleagues at the University of Canterbury, focuses on children in the first years of primary school. It involves a tiered approach to support those with language/literacy weaknesses, based on whole class teaching and phased small group intervention methods, along with progress monitoring. Supporting decoding processes to link sounds and letters, along with the development of vocabulary, forms the framework for the approach; with foundational word-level skills progressing to text comprehension. This approach is now being implemented in schools across New Zealand. In addition to this early learning programme, we have been developing ways to support learners who may have struggled with reading and spelling over several years. This looks at further ways to develop word decoding but with an increased emphasis on text comprehension and the use of orthographic and/or morphological features in additional to phonological processing. As part of the work, we have also looked at ways to reengage students in learning to read and methods aimed at reducing some of the consequences of struggling with literacy. This has involved strategies to build self-concept and positive emotional experiences/regulation, as well as reducing negative behaviours. The research has focused on struggling readers in New Zealand, but we have also looked at those with dyslexia the UK and a range of English second/foreign language learners. The talk will cover key features of the methods used and the evidence for their usefulness, though areas where further development is needed will also be highlighted.
