Due to the difficulties dyslexic students face when having to learn vocabulary and grammar (reduced phonemic awareness, problems with short term memory and sequencing) emphasis should be placed on explicit instruction, there should be opportunities for repetition and recycling and multisensory activities should be used for both presentation and practice.
I’ve been using such strategies in mainstream classes because I believe that they can be very effective for all students. Explicit teaching is fundamental because it ensures understanding of lexis and grammar and in my opinion it is an essential part of any language program. Of course it is not enough in itself. It should be combined with communicative procedures and new items should be applied in familiar context and used in a meaningful way. Furthermore if teaching is done using several learning pathways in the brain, memory and learning can be enhanced. Therefore I prefer using several learning channels simultaneously (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) when teaching a language concept. To this end I believe that using visual aids like for example picture clues for words, color coding for grammar can reinforce language concepts in students’ memory . In addition using mnemonic devices, such as songs with specified grammatical sentence structures can be very effective. I also believe that students can learn more easily if language concepts are organized in such a way that they can build and construct on what they already know . Undoubtedly students should have a lot of opportunities for constant review and recycling so that they can consolidate and retain language concepts. As for practice activities I am in favor of moving from oral work to controlled practice with minimal writing and then to freer writing. Consequently in my opinion most of the recommended teaching strategies for dyslexic students are applicable in mainstream classes and help regular students as well.
A recommendation that could not be followed in a mainstream class is to limit the amount of items to be taught, since the level of the majority of students and the syllabus requirements would not allow it. Therefore in order to accommodate dyslexic students perhaps the material to be taught should be adapted and differentiated, the vocabulary demand should be reduced and a personal dictionary for commonly needed words should be developed.
As for the use of linear lists and mind maps , although both of them can be useful, I prefer mind maps as they can be great tools for teaching both vocabulary and grammar. They can be more useful for organizing vocabulary groups or associating various nouns, adjectives and verbs with a central theme. When teaching grammar using mind maps with color, images, and key words can help students visualize concepts more clearly and understand associations more efficiently in a simple way. Mind maps allow associations and links to be reinforced and recalled effectively.