Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre in Norway
Tutors from the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre, Julia Rowlandson and Beverley Wrigglesworth, travelled to Gomobu, Vaset, Norway in August to deliver a literacy course, Introduction to English – Speaking and Listening, Reading and Writing, to Norwegian students.
Lessons began at 10am on Monday morning with a group of 24 students aged 11yrs to 18yrs. The course covered: how the brain works, study skills, phonic work, writing [lots on vocabulary], spelling and reading. Each day began with a circle time in which the group worked on working memory and receptive and expressive language skills through fun activities. All the students were assessed for spelling [HADC test], free writing [winning the lottery] and reading [TOWRE]. Daily practice in phonics was essential as the Norwegians find the short vowel sounds and the sounds ‘v,w,j,y’ very hard. The day was divided up so that we had short sessions and vital learning breaks. No student was allowed to leave at the end of the day without completing an oral phonic or syllable task.
The tutors were delighted. “They were a great group, and their helpers could not have been more supportive. We laughed and learnt a lot and ate too much and, no, we couldn’t find anywhere to spend our kroner – the sheep on our evening walks had nothing to sell!”