Written by Sue Naylor, Study Skills Tutor at the Learning Support Centre
The last part of my conversation with Angela Sibley-White was to ask for advice she would give to students who have been referred for dyslexia study skills support. Here are Angie’s tips, in her own words:
- Engage with your support person – they are there to help you.
- Get your relationship started early – the sooner the better – even if you’ve not got an assignment – it’s about so much more than checking that first essay.
- It’s a very personal approach – they will help you with what you need.
- Talk through what you need – know yourself as a learner.
- Talk through the steps of what you are going to do.
- Go and see them regularly – they can help you read the handbook to work out what to do, to help you read better – the texts, the journals.
- Things get easier with practice – reading is like going to the gym, you need to build stamina.
- Find a system that works for you – I use a 3-colour system for highlighting when I read – but don’t highlight everything!
- In fact, everybody needs these skills to study at university level.
- Remote support can be helpful to keep the momentum going if other pressures make it hard to schedule a meeting.
Angie’s final comments:
Don’t let it hold you back! Dyslexia gives you a great way of looking at the world – it helps you connect those bigger pictures.
I’ve struggled but I’ve got someone who can help me and I’ve got all this way.
It’s about finding yourself again, regaining confidence that could have been lost.
Laura Cook, Managing Director of the Learning Support Centre, added her comment:
It’s extremely rewarding to see that the service we provide can have such a profound impact on our clients. Our ethos is to empower our clients to achieve their full potential. Dyslexia can be a strength once you have the strategies to navigate a world that is not designed to neurodiversity.
If you have been referred to the Learning Support Centre for study skills support, please contact your tutor to book a meeting – or phone the office team on 0116 254 8881