Business Studies & Economics
Introduction
Business Studies and Economics often require interpreting data, using subject-specific terminology, and applying concepts in structured responses or case studies.
Students with dyslexia may find these subjects particularly challenging due to the need to decode unfamiliar vocabulary, interpret visual and numerical data, and write extended responses that demonstrate critical thinking and application of abstract concepts.
Key Areas to Support Learning
- Support with spelling and understanding complex subject terminology such as “entrepreneurship”, “inflation”, and “opportunity cost”.
- Guidance in interpreting tables, graphs, and charts to make sense of economic data.
- Strategies to help structure extended written responses, including case study analysis.
- Scaffolding to improve comprehension of dense, text-heavy explanations and definitions.
Practical Teaching Strategies
- Pre-teach key vocabulary using visuals, audio, and real-life examples that explain a new concept.
- Use colour-coded diagrams, timelines, and flowcharts to break down complex processes.
- Provide guided templates for structured answers and case study responses.
- Incorporate multisensory learning: Engage students through touch, sight, sound, and movement. For example, use tactile resources like handling product packaging when discussing marketing, visual aids like colour-coded diagrams, spoken explanations or chants for key terms, and physical activities like walking through economic flows or sorting cards to sequence business processes.
- Apply Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles: Offer multiple means of representation (e.g. video + text), multiple means of engagement (e.g. choice-based activities), and multiple means of expression (e.g. oral or visual alternatives to written work).
- Use assistive technology, such as text-to-speech tools or digital mind maps.
- Summarise key lessons with bullet points and visual supports.
- Encourage collaborative tasks that reduce the written load and allow verbal processing.
- Share model answers and use sentence starters to scaffold writing.
- Use repetition and overlearning: Revisit key vocabulary, concepts, and processes regularly through quick reviews, retrieval practice, and spaced repetition.
- Chunk multi-step tasks: Scaffold complex assignments (like investigations or project work) into smaller, supported stages with checkpoints.
- Support drafting and redrafting: Allow time for revisiting work. Use typing, voice-to-text, or mind-mapping tools to help students organise and improve their ideas.
- Teach memory strategies: Use mnemonics, rhyming patterns, and repetition to help students remember key vocabulary.
- Incorporate group work: Give students the opportunity to do Think-Pair-Shares with their peers to offer to reinforce learning in a supportive way, assign clear roles (e.g. speaker, researcher, scribe, time-keeper).
Tools & Resources
- Oide Science and Economics Resources
- BBC Bitesize (Business & Economics sections) : Graphic Organisers, Teaching and Learning Support
- Subject Revision Books- Revise Wise or Less Stess, More Success
- Speech to text/ Text to speech: Supports for reading and writing text.
- AI Tools- EduAide, Magic School, Brisk (for differentiation), NotebookLM (turns notes into podcasts)
- The Business Guys Free Leaving Certificate notes in business, accounting and economics. Signing up to their mailing list means the student will receive a monthly newsletter during term-time, focusing on one key topic in each of the three Business subjects.
- Dyslexia Ireland’s Whole school resources
Contact & Support
- Use your school’s Student Support File to personalise learning goals and supports.
- Liaise with your school’s AEN / SEN Coordinator for additional adjustments or accommodations.
- Dyslexia Ireland: www.dyslexia.ie
- National Council for Special Education (NCSE): www.ncse.ie