Nessy: A teacher's guide

What is Nessy?

Nessy Learning Program is an interactive learning system developed with specialist teachers at the Bristol Dyslexia Centre that teaches and reinforces reading and spelling through animated fun activities. Nessy Learning is an educational publisher that creates multi-media learning games, video content, and computer programs, that are used in schools and homes in 192 countries around the world.

It combines the excitement of computer games with the important task of learning to read and spell. Its strength lies in its option to create personal word lists for practising single-word reading and spelling. It also provides syllabification games, which is the cutting of words into smaller syllables to aid reading.

The program’s games-based learning leads to increased levels of engagement and higher attainment. On average, students using the Nessy program make more than one year of progress in 12 weeks (according to a recent research study).

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History of Nessy Learning

The Nessy Reading & Spelling Program by Mike Jones was the first cloud-based educational learning program. Nessy's Dyslexia Quest was the first app created for dyslexic learners.

All of the Nessy programs were designed for dyslexic students between 5 and 16 years old, but after it was discovered that they were effective for teaching all students to read, they began to be used as general phonics and structured literacy-based curriculum. The organisation have school specialists who can help teachers with the effective deployment of the platform. As well as offering a free trial, the website also has a range of free educational resources that schools can utilise.

The programs are developed and published by Nessy Learning (Nessy Learning Limited Company) formally known as Net Educational Systems - by British entrepreneur Mike Jones, who is dyslexic, along with a talented staff in Bristol in the United Kingdom, and Texas and New Jersey in the USA.

In 2019, a short film, MiCAL, was made about Mike Jones’ experiences as a bullied dyslexic child in school, and his Mother Pat Jones OBE's determined efforts to help him. It is one of the most successful films about dyslexia ever made.

Pat Jones’ work teaching her own son led to her becoming a dyslexia specialist and later forming the Bristol Dyslexia Centre and the Belgrave Schools in the west of England. Pat Jones was awarded the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth in 2015 for her services to dyslexic children.

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How can Nessy Learning help with Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a learning disorder that involves difficulty reading due to problems identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words (decoding). Also called a reading disability, dyslexia is a result of individual differences in areas of the brain that process language.

Dyslexia is often used as an umbrella term that may include sum of many difficulties like unable to remember the math problems solution, handwriting problem and memory problems.

Source: nessy.com

Signs of Dyslexia

• Late talking.
• Learning new words slowly.
• Problems forming words correctly, such as reversing sounds in words or confusing words that sound alike.
• Problems remembering or naming letters, numbers and colors.
• Difficulty learning nursery rhymes or playing rhyming games.

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Using to Nessy to Promote Learner Engagement

In the ever-evolving landscape of education, the integration of technology to support diverse learning needs has become paramount. For children grappling with learning difficulties such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, or sensory needs, the Nessy platform offers a beacon of hope. Here are nine innovative ways teachers can leverage Nessy to foster engagement and literacy skills:

1. Personalized Learning Paths: Utilize Nessy's adaptive learning algorithms to create individualized learning paths. This caters to individual styles and ensures that each child progresses at their own pace, enhancing both confidence and competence.
2. Game-Based Learning Exercises: Engage dyslexic students through interactive, fun learning games that make the process of mastering reading and writing enjoyable and less intimidating.
3. Hands-On Learning with Sensory Integration: For children with sensory needs, Nessy's multisensory approach can be a game-changer. Incorporating visual, auditory, and tactile stimuli helps in creating a rich learning experience.
4. Metacognitive Strategies: Teach students to think about their thinking. Encourage reflection and self-awareness through metacognitive exercises within the platform, fostering independent learning.
5. Online Collaborative Activities: Foster a sense of community and collaboration through online learning activities. This not only enhances social interaction but also promotes peer learning.
6. Computational Thinking Integration: Integrate computational thinking exercises to enhance logical and analytical skills, especially beneficial for children struggling with dyscalculia.
7. Formative Assessment Tools: Utilize Nessy's formative assessment tools to continuously monitor progress and provide timely feedback, ensuring that learning is on the right track.
8. Creative Writing Prompts for Dysgraphia: Offer creative writing prompts and tools within Nessy to assist children with dysgraphia in expressing their ideas without the hindrance of handwriting challenges.
9. Incorporating Real-World Context: Use Nessy's broad text type resources to connect learning with real texts and real-world contexts, making learning relevant and meaningful.

An expert in the field asserts, "Nessy's multifaceted approach not only addresses the academic needs but also nurtures the emotional well-being of children with learning difficulties." Indeed, a recent study published in the Journal of Special Education Technology found that 78% of children using game-based learning platforms like Nessy showed significant improvement in their literacy skills.

Key Insights:

• Personalization: Tailoring learning to individual needs.
• Engagement: Making learning fun and interactive.
• Holistic Approach: Addressing academic and emotional needs.
• Real-World Connection: Linking learning to real-life contexts.

Nessy's approach to learning, with its blend of technology, creativity, and empathy, offers a promising pathway for children who might otherwise be left behind in the traditional educational setting. By embracing these strategies, teachers can unlock the potential in every child, regardless of the barriers they face.

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How can schools access Nessy Learning?

Nessy is an online tool that embraces game-based and video-based learning and can be easily accessed online for its original website nessy.com. You have to login first then you can start playing and exploring the various dyslexia resources. Nessy can be easily accessed by network server like Chrome, Safari or Firefox.

Source: learn.nessy.co

What are benefits of using Nessy?

Free learning resource:

You can watch nessy videos for free. It is developed to support teacher and parents. Teacher can use free material available on Nessy like ebooks flashcard and teaching videos to support learning at school and parents can also use the same data to support children in learning at home.

Engaging platform:

Studies have shown that digital games on Nessy prove to be a method of learning which is engaging as well as beneficial. It is said to increase motor skills as well as cognitive skills and it also fosters curiosity, imagination and exploration.

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Effective learning and understanding

The Nessy Reading and Spelling program has been recommended as a high-quality evidence based program by AUSPELD and DSF (1) , global partner of the International Dyslexia Association. It has been awarded the British Dyslexia Association mark of quality assurance and is winner of the Educational Resources Award. Nessy's goal is to promote effective learning and understanding at affordable cost.

Multipurpose Tool:

Nessy programs are not only for dyslexia. Nessy is widely used for whole class, phonics, math, typing and early reading instruction. Nessy collaborates with some of the world's leading academics, and follows the Science of Reading, to ensure our programs are based upon proven research.

Affordable Learning program

It is an affordable learning program and one can select the appropriate Nessy program or pack required. It also offer free trail. There is no obligation, and no payment details are required. The free trial lasts for 7 days.

Complete Curriculum

Nessy is a website that contain complete curriculum. Nessy is a reading, spelling and grammar resource that is designed for kids with all sorts of abilities. What sets Nessy apart from competitors is the design. Nessy is aligned with how children with dyslexia learn to read and write.

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Using Nessy Learning fo developing reading and spelling skills

The programme uses a variety of videos and online games to support the development of reading and spelling skills. It was originally developed as a tool to support dyslexia, but has been found to benefit a wide range of learners with their reading and spelling skills. Nessy Reading and Spelling is an effective resource that covers 5 school years of literacy development, from Year 1 to Year 6. The program has been used since 1999, with millions of children worldwide.

How do children log in to Nessy?

The best way to access your account is with your Secret Word. Your Secret Word is not case sensitive.

Use your Secret Word to log in at learn.nessy.com.

Your child will need a login and password. How teacher can add students on Nessy?

Once you have logged into Admin & Reports using your email address:

Click on 'Groups' > 'All Groups' in the navigation bar at the top of the page. Click on the blue 'people' icon next to the group you would like to add your student to. Type the name of the student you would like to add to the group in the search box. Does Nessy have an app?

The Nessy Learning app is a safe way for children to enjoy Nessy programs online. Play and learn without the worry of distractions from other websites. Use this app if you already have a Nessy account or want to try out Nessy Reading & Spelling.

What age pupils is Nessy for?

It is designed for children 6-11 years old, although many older students find the program helpful. Nessy is not just for dyslexia. All students benefit from Structured Literacy based upon the Science of Reading.

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