Dyslexia Friendly Presentations and Printed Materials. Maximising the effectiveness of teaching and learning for all

Transcription

1 Dyslexia Friendly Presentations and Printed Materials Maximising the effectiveness of teaching and learning for all

2 What is dyslexia? The British Dyslexia Association defines dyslexia as: a specific learning difficulty which mainly affects the development of literacy and language related skills It is characterised by difficulties with phonological processing, rapid naming, working memory, processing speed, and the automatic development of skills that may not match up to an individual s other cognitive abilities.

3 What is Visual Stress? Visual stress describes the discomfort some people feel when viewing text for long periods. Symptoms vary, but can include headaches and migraines (especially when working at the computer), eyestrain, and words or letters appearing to "jump" or move on the page. Also known as Mearles-Irlen Syndrome or Scotopic Sensitivity. Can be caused by other visual difficulties i.e. astigmatism, light sensitivity Affects speed of reading, accuracy and comprehension

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5 Why could lectures prove challenging for students with dyslexia?

6 Why do we need to think about this? Most students with dyslexia find listening and taking notes very difficult because of: Slow processing speeds Difficult to retain information in their heads long enough to write it down (working memory) Slow handwriting speed and writing fluency Hard to find the right place on the screen after looking down at their notes (visual tracking) Distractibility

7 Other factors Text presented at university is often smaller and densely packed, for example: journal articles, which accelerates difficulties Reading is frequently done from a computer screen which can increase reading difficulties Fluorescent lighting exacerbates visual stress

8 What can you do?

9 Before the lecture Make the power point slides available to the students either electronically or printed out Allow recording of lectures or Make a recording of the lectures available Provide an overview of the lecture Provide a list of any new key words with definition Provide a printed list of reference material if necessary

10 The Presentation Think about Background Font Layout and Spacing Multi-sensory learning Speed of delivery

11 Background Avoid back on white or white on black Use a dark background with light text for a dark room, the reverse for a light room Red and green are difficult colours for those with a degree of colour blindness Avoid too many colours for text Avoid pictures with text written over the top Avoid moving backgrounds!!

12 Font and font size Larger and clearer is better! Font size 24 minimum (this is 32) Use fonts which are clear and rounded with good space between the letters e.g. Century Gothic, Comic Sans, Ariel, Verdana, Tahoma. Don t use too many different fonts, no more than 2 Left align text and do not justify Use lower case whenever possible Avoid underlining and italics. Bold or highlighted text is better

13 Layout and Spacing The 7-7 rule, 7 words per line, 7 lines per slide. Use numbers or bullet points when appropriate. Avoid large blocks of text Use good spacing

14 Written Materials Non-white paper is best Double lined spacing and wide margins Font size 12pt 14pt (depending on font) Avoid serif fonts and underlining Use boxes to emphasise key points Subheadings help navigation of text Avoid blocks of uninterrupted text & splitting a paragraph over a page Watch out for poor photocopy quality!

15 Multi-sensory learning Flow charts, illustrations and diagrams break up text and will suit some students learning style better Make sure they are big enough to see on the screen and/or provide handouts. Audio visual material is often more memorable and varies the learning style Creating posters and mindmaps Group discussions Make use of technologies e.g. text reading software

16 Speed of delivery The hardest thing will probably be just keeping up Allowing catch-up space Varying speed of delivery and changing the type of delivery will help Make available additional material after the lecture e.g. photos of group work, copies of whiteboard work, podcasts/camtasia recordings

17 What else can you do?

18 General points Leave slides up as long as possible Use simple transitions Summarise learning points at the end Make written materials inclusive Allow time for questions Any questions?

19 Further Questions and Information Catherine Watts Vanessa Howard Disability & Dyslexia Team - disability@brighton.ac.uk Tel: Pages on Staff Central nt-adjustments.shtm