Annual Report 2014 - Dyslexia International

Transcription

Advocating and offering free
teacher training around the world
Annual Report 2014
Dyslexia International Annual Report 2014
Contents
Letter from the CEO
3
Our five main targets
5
Operational review
11
Accounts18
Auditor’s report
20
2
Letter from the CEO
Since I started in my role as CEO at Dyslexia International (DI) in
October 2014, I have taken every measure and opportunity to
publicize its outstanding work and to ensure that its significant
contribution to raising literacy levels and reducing social
exclusion is more widely known.
I have come to know DI’s colleagues and
supporters and in doing so I have been
hugely impressed by the commitment,
professionalism, creativity and energy
of its team.
My primary task now is to ensure
that humanitarian donors are attracted to
support its work and programmes which
are being developed in association with
Literacy International CIO, its sister UK
charity - opening up new life opportunities
for children and adults with dyslexia across
the world.
Dyslexia International’s innovative
mission and actions focus on opening up
channels for sharing the latest research
into literacy teaching and dyslexia between
leading researchers and education providers
at all levels. It is indebted to members of
its Scientific Advisory Panel and Open
Educational Resources Advisory
Panel for their invaluable contributions
and commitment.
I have welcomed the opportunity
to work with all those at DI who give so
generously of their time and professional
skills to empower DI to reach its goals.
Here, special mention should be made of
our Auditor, Ralph Palim and of our legal
adviser Joe Sepulchre of Liedekerke.
We are further indebted to the Oak
Foundation, North Carolina, USA, for their
loyal, generous and vital support, to HRH
Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein as
Patron of Dyslexia International for her
unfailing concern and encouragement and
again to HRH The Grand Duchess Maria
Teresa of Luxembourg who, in her capacity
as UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, so
graciously gave her patronage to the Second
Dyslexia International’s innovative mission
and actions focus on opening up channels for
sharing the latest research into literacy teaching and
dyslexia between leading researchers and education
providers at all levels.
3
Letter from the CEO
World Dyslexia Forum focusing on Latin
America and the Caribbean which took place
in Brazil in August.
Leading researchers in reading
acquisition and dyslexia shared their
expertise with education authorities,
reinforcing our message that better training
leads to better teaching which in turn leads
to better learning.
Making use of latest technologies and
the Coursera ‘MOOC’s in particular, DI is
progressing towards achieving its mission
of ensuring that lack of appropriate and
effective teacher training is removed
as a barrier to children and adults
achieving literacy.
Leading researchers in reading acquisition and
dyslexia shared their expertise with
education authorities, reinforcing
our message that better training
leads to better teaching which in
turn leads to better learning.
4
As we continue on our journey all
of us at Dyslexia International are thankful
for your ongoing confidence. We focus
sharply on enabling the physical and hidden
disabilities that affect performance in
reading and writing to be fully understood
and addressed within education systems
worldwide and will continue to work
tirelessly in pursuit of this goal.
We are indebted to members of
our Scientific Advisory Panel whose
involvement is critical to our work. Their
profiles and specific support for our work
can be found on our web site under ‘About’.
We hope that in reading this report
you will be aware of the ways you can join
us, become involved with DI and support
our work.
Thank you for sharing our vision of
a better world where each one is granted the
right to read, to develop their abilities and
their capacity to integrate into society. We
warmly welcome your continuing support
and interest in Dyslexia International. With
you on board, we can make a real difference.
Stephen Lawrence
5
1
Online teacher training
2
‘In situ’ teacher training
3
e-Campus
4
World Dyslexia Forums
5
UNITWIN
1
On-line teacher training
• to invite government officials interested in raising literacy
levels to implement DI’s Open Courseware and Open
Educational Resources (OER), free of charge and based
on latest scientific research into reading acquisition and
teaching students with dyslexia in the inclusive classroom
• working with universities recognized by Coursera, to create
MOOC versions of our original online training in all six
official languages of UNESCO: Arabic, Chinese, English,
French, Russian and Spanish
Our approach
To offer our OER under Creative Commons license which
allows the user to adapt them to local linguistic and cultural
requirements, with the proviso that they are not used
for commercial purposes and that DI is acknowledged
as source:
i) the Manual ‘Basics for teachers: Dyslexia, How to identify
it and What to do’ that contains the content of the online
course, presented at UNESCO in 2010
ii)an online version (with films, quizzes) offering a DI
Certificate of attainment for administration by a
DI approved local authority
iii)an expanded MOOC version of this online course on the
Coursera platform for extensive uptake across education
systems, as in francophone Belgium initially and now, as
endorsed by President Obama, for teacher professional
development across the US
6
2
‘In situ’ teacher training
• to respond to on-going requests for teacher training ‘in situ’
often in countries where Broadband is limited
Our approach
DI invites members of its Scientific Advisory Panel and
Teacher training Consultant as DI Special Envoys, to respond
to requests for training in situ – wherever possible co-funded
by the UNESCO Participation Programme: to date Barbados,
Belgium, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Morocco, South Africa
(Cameroon and Nepal to follow)
Ghana
Burkina Faso
7
3
e-Campus
• to continue to build our e-Campus as a focal point for
teachers, trainers and education authorities
• to hire an e-Campus Coordinator
Our approach
To continue to build and refine the Dyslexia International
e-Campus in French and English with our colleagues and
develop new facilities including a music department and
other sections relating to DI’s work in the six UNESCO
official languages
8
4
World Dyslexia Forums
• to coordinate World Dyslexia Forums in each of UNESCO’s
five world regions in order to bring together ministerial
officials and researchers to share expertise in best
practice in training teachers; to open up channels of
communication to ensure that latest research findings
are known and incorporated in all teacher professional
development programmes so that teachers are
equipped to meet the needs of students with specific
learning differences
Our approach
Our planning so far:
– Arab States (UAE, end 2016/early 2017)
– Africa (Mauritius, 2018)
– Asia and the Pacific (Japan, 2020)
(WDF-I, Europe and North America, took place at UNESCO,
Paris in 2010; WDF-II, Latin America and the Caribbean,
took place in Brazil, 2014. See page 12)
To appoint a DI World Dyslexia Forum Panel, chaired
by former senior UNESCO official and founder of the
Global Rainbow Foundation, Mauritius, Professor Armoogum
Parsuramen
9
5
UNITWIN
• to facilitate UNITWIN, a UNESCO university twinning
North-South 4-year research programme on the theme
of ‘Inclusive literacy learning for all’, with Dyslexia
International’s Scientific Advisers in six languages invited
to collaborate with the Chair, Professor Heikki Lyytinen of
the University Jyväskylä, Finland, to create a protocol to
evaluate, with the collaboration of schools and education
authorities, the efficacy of online teacher training, teaching
and learning
• ‘Graphogame’ is proposed as a measure of
students’ acquisition of reading skills and measure
of reading fluency
Our approach
An opening meeting is proposed, to take place June 2015
at UNESCO HQ, Paris, followed by a mid-term meeting,
then a final meeting to take place in California 2019 when
the Report will be published to include follow up initiatives
and recommendations for future developments.
10
Operational review
Advocacy
As an officially recognized NGO at
UNESCO, Dyslexia International is keenly
aware if its responsibilities in representing
the interests of over 700 million people
with dyslexia worldwide, and others
with learning needs that are still not fully
understood or addressed in our education
systems. Seed changes are needed in
our systems to see ongoing professional
development and support for teachers in
place and continually revised.
Dyslexia International colleagues
seen here, also DI colleague, Dr James
Hynes, regularly attended meetings at
UNESCO, both workshops on Education
for All, and larger public events and
exhibitions on the theme of literacy,
inclusion and teacher training, in addition
to meetings chaired by the president of the
Consultative Board of the International
NGOs officially recognized at UNESCO.
11
Bénédicte Beaugeois coDirector of the Festival du
Film Merveilleux
Diane and Dominique
de Mas Latrie, Honorary
Board Members
Judith Sanson, Chair,
Board of Directors
Operational review
The Second World Dyslexia
Forum, Brazil
Thanks to the energy and dedication of
Professor Angela Pinheiro of the University
of Minas Gerais, Brazil and her enthusiastic
team, this event was a great success. It
was attended by over 500 people including
researchers, educational authorities,
professionals, teachers, and students.
It achieved its objectives of
presenting and discussing the best that the
science of reading has to offer the academic
and professional world. The Forum, whose
website has been fully updated with postevent information not only created an
impressive impact but also generated an
important initiative: a petition about the
implementation of the Dyslexia Brazil
Platform (dislexiabrasil.com.br), which
contains the Brazilian version of Dyslexia
International´s online learning course.
Link for the petition: www.avaaz.org/po/
petition/PROPOSTA_PARA_A_SECRETARIA_
ESTADUAL_DA_EDUCACAO_Consolidacao_do_
Dislexia_Brasil/?nMthYab
At the time of writing this Annual Report,
the petition had attracted some 1000
signatures.
The Minas Gerais Secretary of
State for Education, Professor Ana Lúcia
Almeida Gazzola, suggested that the site be
made part of the Continuous Professional
Development of Teachers in her State.
12
José Morais, speaker
and chair of the scientific
committee
Professor Angela Pinheiro,
President of the Forum
Douglas Vilhena, chief
administrator of the
forum and speaker in
a round-table
Dr Hugh Catts from
Florida State University,
USA, addressing the delegates
Operational review
She also endorsed the effectiveness of
phonic methods in teaching literacy to all
children: those with normal development,
but also those with learning problems
and adults. She reaffirmed the support for
and interest in research with the objective
of testing the Scliar System of Literacy
teaching, a new methodology built on the
basis of what is most innovative in the
science of reading and psycholinguistics.
Link for event videos and slideshows: http://
dislexiabrasil.com.br/wdforum2014/en/2624-2/
It is not possible to list here all the
acknowledgements and thanks for such
a large event but Professor Pinheiro would
like to mention the Flemish Commission
for UNESCO.
Slides from the WDFII
13
Operational review
Massive Open Online Course
– ‘Supporting children
with difficulties in reading
and writing’
This ‘MOOC’ on the Coursera platform
took two and a half years to plan and was
launched in October. It will be launched
again in 2015, converted to an on-demand
version so that teachers can join and
complete the course when it suits them.
An outline of the course was
circulated to Dyslexia International’s
Scientific Advisory Panel for comment with
the intention that it should reflect modern
findings in science and pedagogic research.
Gill Brackenbury of the Institute
of Education, London, UK, was the lead
academic and approved the contents.
Dr Jenny Thomson of the University of
Sheffield generously granted her time and
together with Dr Vincent Goetry, Teacher
training Consultant to DI, wrote the
scripts. DI undertook the largest part of the
production as well as the filming of Jenny
and Vincent before working with editors
and a technical team at the University
of London to load the course, together
with questions, assignments and ancillary
materials, onto the platform.
14
Dr Duncan Milne from New Zealand
gave us permission to use his Phonics
progression chart. Professor Linda Siegel
from Canada contributed a section on
classroom failure, depression and dropout.
Professor Simon Horobin from the
University of Oxford, UK, wrote an article
to explain English orthography. Hollymount
Primary School, London, UK, kindly
allowed us to film children being taught
by Vincent.
Finally, an independent panel
approved the course for launch, subject
to some modifications and corrections.
More than 16,000 registrations were
received from 160 countries. Of these
about 2000 completed the course (higher
than average for most MOOCs) and 750
Certificates were awarded, again higher
than average.
The great thing about this course is that it seems
to be strongly leaning towards
looking at the data from scientific
research, which is to be highly
commended.
Operational review
As the course unfolded, the level of
discussions in the Forums was lively and
informed. One Forum started up in Spanish
and a team from Italy made summaries
in Italian.
Particularly appreciated was
Professor Dehaene’s talk on YouTube called
How the Brain Learns to Read. The section
on bilingualism and dyslexia also struck
a chord.
The post-course survey was
overwhelmingly positive. A senior panel
from the University of London approved a
second launch. Meanwhile the USA District
Superintendents put this course, along
with two others from London, on a list for
Continuous Professional Development.
This initiative by Coursera and the
education authorities was recommended
by President Obama in a press conference
and widely reported.
There was an inspiring story from
a township outside Natal, South Africa,
where 23 teachers overcame odds in
location, equipment and language to
qualify for locally awarded certificates.
15
23 teachers from Natal
join forces
I am a teacher, working with
Dyslexic and Dyscalculic
children for more than 10 years.
I have learnt more from this course
than surfing the net for many years.
This is an eye opener from many
points of view.
I just want every teacher
in the world to see this/
read this! It is so excellent and so
full of essential information! I feel
it is a gateway to helping all
children succeed.
Operational review
Training in Burkina Faso
The training in Burkina Faso, which took
place from 2 – 9 March, was made possible
thanks to the UNESCO Participation
Programme.
The visit was requested by Delegates
to our First World Dyslexia Forum 2010,
in particular Mr Ambrose Cologo, Chief
Inspector, Teacher training.
Dr Goetry, our Teacher-training
consultant, reported that the concept of
‘dyslexia’ was little understood or known
about and that the rate of school drop-out
was high - as indeed in some industrialized
countries, where students still leave primary
school without being able to read or put
sentences together. School in Burkina Faso is
mandatory between years 6 and 16 but many
children do not go to school owing to lack of
space and funding. The policy of inclusion is
adhered to but there is no specific support for
students with specific learning needs. Class
sizes could amount to 100. Broadband even
in the capital Ouagadougou is intermittent.
According to our usual strategy
for trainings requested ‘in situ’, three
key players were involved: Ministry
of Education teacher-training officials,
academic authorities and local associations
or parent-teacher networks. These three
players are necessary for creating sustainable
partnerships, and to allow for the review and
dissemination of DI’s free materials offered
principally online, but also in other media.
Dr Goetry was well received by
16
colleagues including Mr Séraphin Bationo
who organized the distribution of printed
versions of the online course and signed
certificates for 171 students who attended on
the main training day.
Much follow-up remains to be
done and DI will respond to the best of its
abilities. Television is an ideal medium
for training and teaching in Burkina Faso
but again, funding is needed if more
programmes on dyslexia and teaching
literacy are to be made available.
We are indebted to Mr Cologo for this
cooperation and introductions across the four
ministries dealing with education: Primary
(MENA), Secondary and Higher (MESS),
Social Action, for pre-primary, and Youth
and Employment for professional training.
Through its links with TESSA and
Apréli@, DI looks forward to further
collaboration with colleagues and new
associates in Burkina Faso.
Operational review
UNITWIN
In October, Professor Heikki Lyytinen from
the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, was
appointed as UNESCO Chair to support
inclusive literacy learning for everybody in
the world and on 13 February 2015, a joint
press release was issued by UNESCO and
the University.
Working with institutions in the
North and South, especially Africa, it will
evaluate the efficacy of teaching by the
use of the Graphogame application that
promotes mobile learning by gaming, built
on a strong research base and rolled out in
numerous languages.
Dyslexia International was looking
at the most efficient ways of evaluating
online training, teaching and learning, and
is committed to giving its active support to
the project.
17
Accounts
Dyslexia International asbl
Balance Sheet as at 31 December 2014
20142013
Assets
Cash at bank
50,752.85
31,363.87
Debtors and Prepayments
423.84
27.48
Office Equipment (see note 2)
-
51,176.69
31,391.35
Liabilities
Creditors
2,038.75
Loan- long term (see Note 4 )
10.040.00
-
Assets less Liabilities
39,097.94
31,391.35
Restricted Fund (see Note 3)43,743.61 General Fund
Year Opening/‹Deficit›
31,391.35
‹1,428.12›
Increase/‹Decrease›
< 36,037.02 >
32,819.47
Year Closing/‹Deficit›
< 4,645.67 >
31,391.35
Total Funds
39,097.9431,391.35
Notes:
1.Transactions in currencies other than euros are recorded at actual rates of exchange.
2.Office equipment costing €5,166.93 has been fully depreciated prior to 2011.
3.Restricted Fund donations were received in 2014 of €54,890.37 of which €11,146.76 was
expended, leaving a balance of €43,743.61 to be carried forward to 2015.
4.The Long term loan is interest free and is repayable at a time to be determined by the Directors
of the Association.
18
Accounts
Dyslexia International asbl
Income and Expenses for the year ending 31st December 2014
20142013
Income
Donations and Sponsorship
2,011.77
72,280.59
Reimbursement of Expenses
-
102.79
Interest
64.8441.57
Restricted Fund
-
8,160.00
2,076.6180,584.95
Expenses
Projects
e-Campus
-524.22
Teacher Training
8,126.70
3,850.00
Donations
225.008,300.00
Office
Rent including charges/taxes
675.42
2,095.67
Telephone/Internet
869.29
891.17
Postage/Courier Service
17.34
685.00
Supplies/Photocopy etc
32.50
13.50
Insurance
-48.55
Office Manager’s Fees
15,183.02
13,267.94
Honoraria
1,500.00 Consultancy
10,156.00
16,521.65
Travel and Entertainment
497.76
Meetings and Conferences
242.00
754.74
Miscellaneous
-25.40
Bank Charges 588.80
283.99
TVA Non-Refundable
-
494.85
Interest
-8.80
38,113.6347,765.48
Increase/‹Decrease› in Funds
< 36,037.02 >
32,819.47
19
Auditor’s report
I have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Dyslexia International ASBL
as at December 31, 2014 and the related statement of income and expenses for
the year then ended. These statements are the responsibility of the management
of Dyslexia International ASBL. My responsibility is to express an opinion
on these statements based on my audit.
I conducted my audit in accordance with generally accepted standards on
Auditing. Those standards require that I plan and perform the audit to obtain
reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of
material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence
supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements.
An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and
significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the
overall financial statement presentation. I believe that my audit provides
a reasonable basis for my opinion.
In my opinion, the accompanying financial statements present fairly, in all
material respects, the financial position of Dyslexia International ASBL
as at December 31, 2014 and its income and expenses for the year then ended.
Ralph G. Palim
Chartered Accountant
Brussels, March 20, 2015
20

Annual Report 2014 - Dyslexia International

Transcription

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