Dyslexia: Breaking Down the Definition The International Dyslexia Association created the following definition of dyslexia: “Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component […]
What is interleaving? You may have heard of interleaving, and wondered what it is, especially within the literacy world. Interleaving is already a well-documented learning technique for studying, and today we will explore what this means when working with a structured approach to literacy. Let’s begin by breaking down the word: The word “interleaving” contains […]
Cursive Handwriting: Benefits and Drawbacks from the Perspective of Dyslexic & Dysgraphic Students Heather Down 14 April 2025 Over the last term, I’ve introduced some of my learners to cursive handwriting. The students I’ve chosen to trial this with have already mastered print, and their handwriting is generally tidy. One of my students, in particular, […]
Reading Data Snapshot, Term 1 2025 by Heather Down 07 April 2025 It’s the end of Term 1 (2025) in New Zealand, and while I don’t complete a full formal assessment for every student, I do monitor reading progress and provide anecdotal feedback on writing. This term, something exciting stood out—students in my tutoring sessions […]
When Is It Time to Stop Tutoring? As a literacy tutor, especially as the end of term approaches (like now!) and I’m planning the next term’s timetable, I often get asked a big question: “How will I know when it’s time to stop tutoring?” It’s a great question—especially for parents of neurodiverse learners who may […]
I thought I might offer something new for 2025. Let’s look at some learning profiles each month to gain an understanding of students. The first learning profile I looked at in January 2025 is a Year 6 male. After the assessment, what did I know? What was I concerned about, and where did I begin? […]
Many older struggling readers have missed key patterns in how English words work—and phonics alone isn’t enough to catch them up. This blog explores how teaching morphology—the study of word parts like prefixes, suffixes, and base words—can be a game changer. Morphology builds spelling, vocabulary, and confidence by helping students unlock the logic behind the words they read and write.
Categorised Resources By Heather Down 18 February 2025 Sometimes it can be a bit of a struggle to find the resources you need, so I thought I might categorise all the resources I have available into a spelling/reading/writing and morphology page. This way you can scroll through and find the one you need. This will […]
By Heather Down 17 February 2025 Learning Video Tutorials Over the past year, I have been uploading short tutorials about various letter/sound correspondences, along with a few writing tips. These videos are quick, engaging, and have learning content that can be easily accessed. These are all uploaded onto TikTok. You might be surprised to learn […]
Currently, I am working with a lovely family over Zoom in a home-school option for tutoring services for their son. This week, we had a great discussion about sentence writing and how Mum and Dad can support at home with this. Spelling and writing are challenging for this student, and he tends to use the same sentence ending with all of his writing: “It was fun.” The main reason he will be using this is because he knows how to spell all the words, and he knows that at the end of most sentences, this will (hopefully) make sense. If he is asked to expand his sentence, this is the go-to as it’s safe.
From time to time people ask me what podcasts I listen to. I’m a sucker for multitasking, and often when I go for a walk I pop in my earbuds and have a listen. There are loads and loads of podcasts out there, but to ease the load I try and keep it to under 10 per week. Otherwise I’d have that never ending feeling of wishing I could listen to something, but never getting there. I find it’s best to choose something and stick with it. The other point I might add, is that often literacy podcasts have the same guests on, and so the messages can be very similar even though you are listening to another podcast. So I’ve curated a current list of my favorite shows that offer insightful discussions on literacy, personal development, and professional growth. I love how I get a bit of everything out of these!
Why Every Classroom in Aotearoa Needs Picture Books About How We Learn to Read and Dyslexia – Written by Heather Down The wonderful Nicky Collins has been working hard yet again for neurodiverse students, approaching bookstore chains within New Zealand to carry books that explain dyslexia in a friendly way. It got me thinking that […]
