Teacher Education on Dyslexia: An Analysis of Policy and Practice in Australia and England

Increasing moves towards inclusive education have meant that children
with learning difficulties are almost exclusively educated in mainstream
schools. Based on prevalence estimates from a variety of sources, it is
likely that up to 20% of the population of Australia lives with dyslexia of
some severity. Thus, every teacher is highly likely to have more than one
student with dyslexia in her or his class. Teachers are at the forefront of
supporting students with dyslexia: they are expected to identify students
who are struggling with literacy, differentiate their teaching approaches to
cater for each child’s needs and ensure that the emotional wellbeing of
students is attended to. It is therefore imperative that teachers are
adequately trained, particularly during initial teacher education, in
understanding dyslexia and in how best to support students’ needs.
Australia has always been guided by education approaches in England. It
is worth considering whether Australia could learn from teacher education
on dyslexia there. This paper, which addresses the matter above, is in three
parts. Firstly, it outlines the definitions and prevalence of dyslexia.
Secondly, it details current policies and practices in teacher education on
dyslexia in Australia and England. Thirdly, it considers those features of
teacher education on dyslexia in England which could be emulated
usefully by Australia.