Self Esteem of Students with Specific Learning Difficulties within a Secondary School - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages The examination explores theoretical and practical ideas about self esteem among dyslexic learners and makes conclusions based on data gathered through students self-assessment and standardized beginning and end assessment tests. The investigation demonstrates that there is a correlation between the Wave 3 Literacy Intervention Programme and the increase in self-esteem of special learners with dyslexia. After a 10-week programme, majority of the students obtained an average ratio of 3.1 which is the desired outcome for the project. The value of Wave 3 Literacy Intervention is thereby established, while looking forward to revisions by way of enriching the intervention programme, especially for special learners who have undergone the programme several times. Introduction “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou. This quote, for me, sums up the important position teachers have and the potential influence they have on their students. I may not be a Socrates, Confucius or Jesus, but I do feel I am a great teacher when I can touch hearts and will, in addition to imparting knowledge and skills to prepare a generation of learners for constructive contemporary living. In this present research activity, I become privileged to teach special learners suffering dyslexia. Soon enough, I face the reality that dyslexics find the school an unpredictable battleground in which they are unskilled to exist ( Scott 2004, p. 55). More particularly, Scott notes that ‘for the vast majority of dyslexic children and adults, school has been a place of psychological and often physical torture. Dyslexia is described as a learning disability in children which hinders their ability to read, write, spell and sometimes speak. Manifested to be either mild or severe in children, neurologists perceive that it is “never too late to improve their language skills” (Medicine Net 2012, p.1). Many, although not all, of my specific learning difficulty students come to me burdened with self esteem issues, feeling that they have already failed too many times and fearful that they are about to fail again. While empathy fills me with their suffering, I do not see this condition to be insurmountable, given my awareness of modern approaches to student learning and maturation. At school, failure in literacy has huge knock-on effects for the whole academic curriculum and with all subjects. Failing to read and write is a very public failure (Scott, 2004). Any student with limited proficiency in English including specific disabilities related to literacy runs the risk of being left behind by his or her peers. This brief investigation into the effectiveness of Wave 3 interventions and their potential in raising the self esteem of students is borne not only out of my university studies but a genuine interest in dyslexic students, their need to be heard and how I can best serve them through my practice. It is obvious to me that a student’s self esteem has a direct impact on their learning. Educators define learning as “a long term change in mental representations or associations as a result of experience” (Omrod 2000, p. 10). As a school teacher I can provide that learning ...Download file to see next pages Read More