Dyslexia and Māori education shortlisted for awards

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Dyslexia and Māori education shortlisted for awards

The Massey University author of a book on dyslexia says being shortlisted for an award adds weight to his submission to a Parliamentary Select Committee arguing that more help is needed for struggling readers.

Books by Professor Tom Nicholson and Associate Professor Jill Bevan-Brown, both from Massey’s Institute of Education, are the only books shortlisted in the finals of the Copyright Licensing New Zealand (CLNZ) Education Awards’ ‘Best Resource in Higher Education’ category.

The New Zealand Dyslexia Handbook (NZCER Press), which Professor Nicholson co-authored with Dr Susan Dymock, is the first New Zealand book dedicated to the issue of dyslexia. It comes with an accompanying DVD of interviews with parents of children with dyslexia, with the students themselves – and with their teachers.

Professor Nicholson says his shortlist nomination is “good timing for the book in that there’s a Parliamentary Select Committee on the issue of dyslexia at the moment, looking into why there’s not enough specialist help for these kids.”

He has made a submission to the committee arguing that there is “not enough help for disadvantaged readers full stop – whether in the dyslexia category or not. It’s very sad to watch them slip through the cracks of the system when a little bit of money could save them.”

The book’s blurb says it sets out to “de-mystify dyslexia and shows that there are many practical things classroom teachers can do about it.”

“It’s an honour to be a finalist,” he says. “We are really grateful for this acknowledgement of our work, and grateful that our book on dyslexia is getting publicity, which will bring media attention to this huge area of need.”

Dr Bevan-Brown’s book¬, Working with Māori Children with Special Education Needs: He mahi whakahirahira (NZCER Press) – co-authored with Mere Berryman, Huhana Hickey, Sonja Macfarlane, Kirsten Smiler and Tai Walker ¬– explores physical disability, intellectual disability, vision and hearing impairment, autism spectrum disorder, and giftedness from a Māori perspective.

It emphasises the importance of learning from the past and listening to Māori children, their parents and wider whānau, and explores the key components of culturally responsive, evidence-based, special education practice. Dr Bevan-Brown says being a finalist is “a pleasant surprise” to the authors, who are from five different universities and who all have both personal and professional experience of disability.

Winners will be announced on Thursday, 19 November in Auckland. For more information on other categories and nominees, click here.

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