Growing Up with Dyslexia with Vikki Ray and Jordan Convertino – Universal Learning with Saj Mohammad #10

Growing Up with #Dyslexia with Vikki Ray and Jordan Convertino – #UniversalLearning with Saj Mohammad #10 

This is the final episode of the first season of Universal learning. It’s also the most personal episode for me, as I am talking to Vikki Ray and Jordan Convertino, a mother and son who I first met when Vikki was looking for a tutor to help Jordan.

He faced a number of challenges growing up due to the fact that Jordan is dyslexic and Vikki was getting to the point where she felt he needed extra help with his GCSEs.

Although Jordan was predicted low grades of 4 and 3 in English Language and Literature respectively, with his hard work and some help from me and his family, he achieved high grades of 6 and 8 in English.

We discuss a range of topics including the difficulties of getting a dyslexia diagnosis and support, what motivates families to persevere in the face of these challenges, and how pre-teaching helped Jordan to defy low expectations and succeed.

What lessons can we take from inclusive practice to open up learning to all?

For example, making things easy to read and using clear language helps dyslexic and autistic learners. But shouldn’t it be part of our normal routine when planning teaching, learning, and assessment?

In this podcast series “Universal Learning with Saj Mohammad“, I speak to professionals inside and outside education, as well as parents, carers, and learners themselves about their experiences of inclusion and what lessons we can all learn to make learning as universal as possible.

Music: Sinara by Blear Moon, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC). Sound FX: Soft Blip E Major by New Age Soup via Freesounds, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY).