Catering for Dyslexia in the inclusive literacy classroom

Recommendation 3. Using ICT

 

The use of ICT is well advised in any classroom situation and educational technologies can be used to help support students with reading difficulties such as dyslexia. The use of ICT’s such as audio book, eBooks, online texts and specific reading skill activities and programs can help complement a program of teaching for dyslexic students (DET 2013).

 

• Audio Books – help scaffold students learning, access to texts above their level, promote positive attitudes to reading

• Electronic texts – modified to suit the student (eg. Increased font size or colour)

• iPad apps – such as dictation programs where students can explain their thinking which will then put those thoughts into writing for them

• Video – students can video themselves responding to a stimulus rather than having to write the information down (eg. Developing a narrative)

 

The International Dyslexia Association also suggests that teachers and dyslexic students may find using audio recording devices beneficial so that ‘directions, stories and specific lessons can be recorded’ (IDA 2013, p. 8). This means that a student can go back over the content to make sure they understand the task or directions.

 

Teachers also need to be aware when using ICT programs that dyslexic students may prefer specific formatting for example when reading an electronic text. Research by Ismail and Jaafar (2014, p. 697) showed that students with dyslexia had specific formatting preferences, something that teachers can keep in mind:

 

• Font – preference of Comic Sans

• Font size – larger font size

• Capital and lower case letters – prefer lower case

• Highlighting – preference of Bold and avoid italics

• Colour – black or dark blue

• Animation – avoid using flashing and moving text

• Layout – less text on each screen