Armorel Manasseh Literacy Support: tailored to the learner

I am an independent specialist teacher and assessor working with children with literacy difficulties. I have a post graduate diploma in Specific Learning Difficulties (dyslexia), I am an Associate Member of the British Dyslexia Association (AMBDA) and have full Patoss membership.  I support children in primary schools, and privately, on a 1:1 basis mostly across the West London area. My experience as a dyslexia specialist equips me to apply my skills to support children who have a broad range of literacy difficulties and delays, and not just those with specific learning difficulties.

My interventions are tailored to suit the individual needs of each child and are regularly reviewed and frequently adapted to ensure efficacy. I support an approach to learning which entails integrating reading and writing in each session. Sessions involve desk-based work and multi-sensory learning, with one used to consolidate the other. Literacy based games and assistive technology are also a key part of my teaching.  

How do we work together?

I was first introduced to AllChild when our paths crossed in a local school.  I have worked as a delivery partner since 2019 and have had placements in eight schools to date. During lockdown, AllChild enabled me to continue with my current students and meet new children by subscribing to a highly interactive online platform for delivering the sessions.

My collaboration with AllChild has been incredibly rewarding. As a delivery partner, I am integrated into the AllChild network, allowing me to reach more children who benefit from literacy support. AllChild identifies students in need and connects them with partners like me, ensuring a seamless and effective intervention process.

What is so important about my work?

In the time I spend with a child I am able to gain an accurate understanding of the barriers which have impeded the acquisition of age-related literacy skills. Following initial assessments, I design highly individualised programmes of intervention with the child’s needs at their centre.

I have worked with a number of children who have attention difficulties so I find breaking up the sessions into several short, related activities help to sustain concentration. I devise activities which involve movement from one work area to another, or movement during the actual task. Revisiting and reinforcing newly acquired knowledge in different ways helps to embed learning and does much maintain attention. 

There is now a greater demand for my specialism due to the impact of the covid epidemic on children’s development; more and more children are entering, and progressing through, primary schools with noticeable delays and gaps in their learning. For many, the intensive focus of a term’s 1:1 intervention will be enough to get them back on track when whole class and small group teaching has been unsuccessful. For others, longer term involvement is required, and in some cases additional needs such as speech and language therapy are identified. 

I think it is important to create an environment where children feel comfortable enough to attempt tasks they find challenging and one where mistakes are seen as a necessary part of the learning process, and not failure.

A key aim is to equip the children I teach with an understanding of their unique skills and help them to identify the ways of learning that work best for them. Therefore, it is not just teaching what to learn, but how to learn – these metacognitive skills they can take with them through life.  

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