DysTEFL

Dyslexia for Teachers of English as a Foreign Language

Background

Foreign language capacity is not at all a luxury but a basic skill everybody needs in order to a successfully function in a fast-developing, multilingual European society.

In general, there is enormous social demand and pressure on foreign language teachers to efficiently take care of students with dyslexia and integrate them into mainstream education. However, they often do not seem to possess necessary competencies to manage this task because of their poor understanding of the issue. For this reason, explaining the nature of dyslexic difficulties and suggesting respective teaching methods to pre-service and in-service foreign language teachers is considered to be of striking importance.

Aims and target group

The project aims at developing a special training course and materials for initial and in-service teachers of English as a foreign language in order to raise their awareness of special educational needs of students with dyslexia with regard to foreign language study. In addition, teachers will be equipped with appropriate teaching methods, techniques and tools so that the quality and effectiveness of their performance in mainstream classrooms is increased.

In that way, indirectly, the project aims to reinforce support for dyslexic students. It improves their chances for gaining key competences of communicating in a foreign language and thus for increased social cohesion, equity and active citizenship in globalised European society.

Outcomes

Project outcomes include, among others, a course design, which means a general framework, internet-based learning modules (moodle/VLE) for teachers as well as a European website with a platform providing a source and forum for information exchange and reflection.

Well-qualified foreign language teachers, disposing of these relevant resources (skills, materials, techniques, methods and pedagogical strategies) are better prepared to meet the needs of students with dyslexia and prepare grounds for a more successful inclusion into mainstream foreign language classrooms.

EU-Program:	Comenius Multilateral Projects
Coordination:	Uniwersytet Łódzki (ULO) (Lodz, PL)
Contact:	Karin Kronika
Duration:	November 2011 – October 2013
Website:	www.dystefl.eu
	This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.