What an amazing Dyslexia Awareness week it has been at RHS! We had an awareness assembly on Monday celebrating difference. One in ten people have dyslexia and 20% of the UK's business self-starters have the condition. The girls enjoyed seeing things differently and learned about famous celebrities and how they used their difference to their advantage. Rather timely, as only this week Dr John Goodenough, a dyslexic scientist, won the Nobel prize in Chemistry! That afternoon, Caroline Bateman, who runs her own dyslexia information website – achievenow.org.uk showed teachers how to further enable students in their lessons. That evening, parents learned about resources and tips to help their students revise at home. Please visit the website as there are great ideas to support your child.
On Tuesday, Caroline ran a workshop for some of our students which was very well received and even I struggled with the logo quiz! I certainly know how to use a mark scheme and prepare well for the next time!
On Wednesday, there was a real buzz in school as we had a ‘No Pens Day’. Students were able to put down their pens to take part in speaking and listening activities such as online quizzes, card sorting, debates, role-play, group work, hot seating, interviews and presentations.
On Thursday, there were ‘Magic Memory tricks’ to try out during lunchtime such as memory quizzes, mind mapping, using pictures and colour, story linking and number shape and rhyming strategies.
On Friday, everyone was able to enjoy poetry and writing from dyslexic writers such as Benjamin Zephaniah and William Butler Yeats.
My favourite moment was listening to a teacher explain how she enjoyed hearing how proud some of the students were about their differences and how they were so unique too – one student explained how she disliked writing and preferred touch typing and drawing to convert her notes into pictures and listen to them whereas another student explained muscle memory was her strength and so writing was a real help with her learning!
We have enjoyed celebrating this week so much and have been inspired by our learners and how they use their dyslexic advantage. The learning support teachers may even put these tips in a newsletter now and then. Watch this space!
No Pens Day
Year 11 tried to form a neutral solution from an acid and an alkali in Chemistry, Year 10 consolidated their knowledge of the League of Nations by making their own quizlet, and the boomwhackers came out in Music.
In English, 10B played the Radio 4 game 'Just A Minute', in which they tried to speak for a minute about the novel they're studying, 'To Kill A Mockingbird', without committing repetition, hesitation or deviation. A stopwatch was projected so they could see the time remaining and Lola used the buzzer on her laptop when people interrupted to take control of the game. Now, the class can use 'Just a Minute' in starters about any English topic and can also test the breadth of their vocabulary. Being a walking Thesaurus ensures one can win the game!
Year 12 IB students used beads and play-doh to model protein folding, and Year 9 discovered how many girls can be held up by the Earth's atmospheric pressure using a glass carrier in Physics - at least two apparently!
In French, Year 10 used their laptops to practise their vocabulary learning in a fun and competitive way. This has been in preparation for the upcoming online championship next week - 'Vocab Express'.