Book reviews
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Book reviews Exploring Science with Dyslexic Children and Teens:
Creative, multi-sensory ideas, games and activities to support learning
D Hudson
Diana Hudson has taught science in secondary school for over 35 years. She has training and experience in working with neurodiverse students and has held posts both as Head of Biology and SENCO at different times in her career. In this book she sets out to make science accessible, enjoyable and memorable through the use of multi-sensory approaches that include making models, games and composing songs and poems. Hudson outlines some of the possible reasons that students with dyslexia might struggle in science and provides some examples of specific areas of the school
science curriculum that can be particularly challenging. She then matches these to tried and tested classroom activities that are creative and interactive to support engagement and secure learning. The chapters include symbols that guide the reader’s understanding and indicate which pages can be photocopied and downloaded from the publisher’s website and in the appendix there is a guide to useful websites and sample templates. This is a useful and practical resource for teachers and parents of children over the age of nine and its multisensory approach helps make learning memorable and engaging.
Jessica Kingsey Publishers ISBN: 978-1-78775-386-0 Price: £13.99
How Can I Remember All That? Simple Stuff to Improve Your Working Memory Dr T Packiam Alloway Illustrator: D O’Connell Dr Pakiam Alloway PhD is an awardwinning psychologist, professor, author and TEDx speaker. She specialises in working memory and its role in learning. In this book, she shares her knowledge about working memory from a child’s viewpoint and in a way children could understand. The book has been devised for adults to read with a child and it tells the story of ‘Tommy’ who has working memory problems. It details what it is like for him in the classroom and on the playground. Working memory is described as ‘the brain’s Post-it Note’, storing information. The author explains the difference between short-term, long-term and working memory and why some people have more difficulty with their working memory than others.
SEN117
This book explains complex concepts in a very childfriendly way and the tips to improve working memory are interesting and include specific foods, essential oils and running barefoot. The book also includes a section providing information for parents, additional resources and further recommended reading, websites and organisations. An excellent book that will support children and students in understanding why some aspects of learning are problematic, illustrating the classroom situations in which working memory failures frequently arise and the profile of difficulties typically faced by students with working memory issues.
Jessica Kingsley Publishers ISBN: 978-1-78592-633-4 Price: £10.99
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