Literacytastic- Specialised Tuition - Dyslexia & Learning Differences

It’s always a bit sad saying goodbye to students especially after working with them for a few years. These lovely sisters have worked so hard on their maths & literacy skills & it has been so rewarding seeing them grow. Today at their last lesson, I recieved this beautiful surprise. Love my job!

Learning to tell the time is always tricky. There is so much to understand about the layers of a clock-face, such as seconds, minutes, hours, skip counting by 5 & representing digital and analogue time. This week some students have been learning to tell the time in a fun, multisensory way by creating a ‘block clock.’ Understanding is gained and working memory is supported by building with the manipulative blocks, drawing a representation then writing and saying the time.

This! 🎯🎯

The science of reading is a vast, multidisciplinary body of evidence that provides conclusive, empirically supported research that identifies how we learn to read. We read and hear alot about the science of reading and many people think this just means phonics instruction.
The Science of Reading is much more than just phonics, in fact phonics is only one component.
In 2000, the U.S National Reading Panel released a report that identified 5 essential components or ‘pillars’ that every child needs to be taught to become literate.
These include:
1. Phonemic Awareness
2. Phonics
3. Vocabulary
4. Fluency
5. Comprehension
The definitions in the image I’ve posted are very basic explanations used by Dr Kymyona Burk in the movie “The Right to Read”, to help explain simply what each component means.
For another easy to follow explanation, you can check out “The Science of Reading” by Nessy here: 👇👇
https://www.nessy.com/en-gb/dyslexia-explained/how-to-help-dyslexia/what-is-the-science-of-reading
Or for a more detailed explanation, check out Reading Rockets here: 👇👇
https://www.readingrockets.org/article/english-language-learners-and-five-essential-components-reading-instruction
You can even download a free bookmark of the 5 components at Texthelp here: 👇
https://www.texthelp.com/resources/blog/5-pillars-of-reading-instruction/
And if you get the chance, do NOT miss the The Right to Read Film – you can check out screening locations here: 👇👇
https://www.therighttoreadfilm.org/

Welcome to the Literacytastic Specialised Tuition page!

I provide support for struggling learners in literacy and basic numeracy through explicit multisensory teaching. Helping students with learning differences is my passion and is very close to my heart, as I continue to navigate my own neuro-diverse children’s education journey.

My experience and qualifications include
-MSL trained educator (Australian Dyslexia Association)
-Math U See trained (Maths Australia)
-SPELD QLD registered Specialist Teacher
-Bachelor of Education
-Australian Tutoring Association member
-QLD Blue Card
-10 years classroom-based education support.

What is multisensory teaching?

A multisensory approach uses all learning pathways in the brain –sight, sound and hands-on to enhance long-term memory and learning. It is systematic, beginning with the basics and progressing at the student’s pace to gradually becoming more complex. Multisensory instruction is the direct and explicit teaching of literacy or numeracy concepts. It is diagnostic in nature and this allows for flexible and individualised lessons, with continuous focus on the individual student’s needs.

Literacy Support
My method for literacy support is MSL (Multisensory Structured Language). MSL is an evidence based approach, not a ‘program’, based on extensive research known as The Science of Reading.
MSL is endorsed by the Institute for Multisensory Structured Language Education (IMSLE) and the Australian Dyslexia Association.

Not many of us realise that reading is actually speech written down in code! Speech comes naturally to humans, but reading does not. MSL teaches students to learn and understand this code through sound-to-letter connections, blending sounds into words (reading) and segmenting words into sounds (spelling). Handwriting is also a focus.

Numeracy Support
Have you ever considered maths being a language? For a child learning maths, numbers and symbols can be abstract with no meaning. For example, what does the symbol ‘+’ or ‘=’ mean? or what does ‘19’ actually represent, when our spoken language says ‘nineteen’?

I use the multisensory Math U See program, endorsed by Maths Australia. Students use specialised ‘manipulatives’ to create meaning in the concrete form and then a specially developed four-step method as the foundation to understanding, retaining knowledge and building confidence with maths.

I am excited to offer my services and support students, in their education, who have learning differences, in literacy or basic numeracy.

Please reach out if you’d like to discuss further.

Warm regards,
Natasha

We’ve recently had some frequent visits from this special guest ‘Gentle Cindy’! She is a fun way for students to understand & remember when ‘g’ and ‘c’ make their soft sounds of /j/ and /s/.

It was an honour to be asked by Maths Australia CEO, Esther White to speak at a webinar this evening about my experiences training in and using their multi-sensory maths program. It was also inspiring hearing from other intervention specialists on their successes using Math U See.