Dyslexic teachers 'best at helping pupils who struggle with words'

DOZENS of student teachers suffer from disabilities which impair their ability to learn, such as dyslexia, a study has found.

Experts warned primary teachers, in particular, needed strong literacy skills amid concerns about dyslexia among pupils.

However, campaigners said teachers who had overcome the learning difficulty themselves were best-placed to help youngsters with the condition.

With increasing diagnosis of learning conditions such as dyslexia, dyspraxia and autism among pupils, teachers are under pressure on how to teach such youngsters effectively.

A recent review of initial teacher training noted literacy and numeracy were key issues among staff. Graham Donaldson, the former head of HMIe, the schools inspectorate, in his report called for increased entry standards in literacy and numeracy for student teachers.

The latest survey by Strathclyde University found 6 per cent of entrants say they are disabled. The survey of newly-enrolled students on teacher training degrees also found the profession is still overwhelmingly dominated by females.

It found 92 per cent are women, that 75 per cent of entrants on to the BEd degree are school-leavers, and 8 per cent came from wider access programmes.

Sue Ellis, a reader in literacy and language education at Strathclyde University, said primary teachers needed a "flexible and fluent" grasp of literacy and language and had to be quick to spot "odd" spelling errors by children. She said teachers of P1-3 particularly needed to be able to analyse errors and act on them.

However, Margaret Crombie, education advisor for Dyslexia Scotland, said: "Dyslexic teachers ... know all the strategies and approaches to put in place to enable their children to succeed in their learning."

She admitted, however, that the pressure to have exemplary spelling and writing was high for teachers with dyslexia.

And she pointed out not all those who declare a disability are severely affected by it.

The research quizzed a sample of 256 first year students on the teaching degree at Strathclyde and Glasgow universities.

Dr Geri Smyth, who led the research, said the questionnaire did not specifically mention dyslexia so it would be difficult to ascertain how many had the condition. Dr Smyth, stressed that the findings should be treated as a "snap shot" of student teachers only.

The findings were presented at Teaching Scotland's Future, a conference organised by Strathclyde and Glasgow universities.