Thursday, 14 March 2013
UD: in praise of white space and bigger font
My daughter has recently started to enjoy chapter books. I have
noticed that even though she is a strong reader, she will make instant judgment
calls about which books are 'too hard' and which ones are 'just right' when we
go to the library. Books with text that is 'too small' she often
quickly dismisses, even though she is fully capable of understanding the text.
Watching Tatum choose her reading material makes me think about the students we
teach. How often do our students have a hard time 'buying in' when we offer text
that is at an appropriate reading level, but not designed in a reader-friendly
way?
'Universal Design' is a design concept that has
recently been adopted by educational professionals. 'Universal'
meaning design that benefits everyone- not just
individuals with particular needs. The basic principles of UD (The Center for
Universal Design) demand that design is simple and
intuitive, that information is perceptible and
that little physical effort is required for access.
Here are a couple of simple UD concepts that can make a big
difference for all your students (including English language learners):
White space is the space between letters, words, paragraphs,
columns, headings and graphics. It is an essential part of every page that you
hand out to your students. If a page has not enough white space, it becomes
crowded and may overwhelm the reader. It is hard to differentiate what is
important from what is not really that important. A cluttered page offers
nowhere for the student to jot personal responses to the text. It tires the
eyes.
Font size, that is. 12 point font is required by MLA, APA and the
University of Chicago writing standards. We demand this of our students when
they produce essays and research projects. Smaller font is more tiresome to read
and can give an impression to the reader that the content is more complex than
it actually is.
Headings and subheadings also enhance comprehension. Bold face
highlights key words. When our eyes see something on a page that is larger, our
brain naturally gets the message that it is more important. Note: many designers
also suggest using a contrasting font for headings and subheadings.
Please take two seconds to view the attached file below:
Article sample- UD-friendly version.
There, you will find a sample of an article that has been copied directly from the Winnipeg Free Press (online version).
Article sample- UD-friendly version.
There, you will find a sample of an article that has been copied directly from the Winnipeg Free Press (online version).
The original is in 9 point font, single spaced.
The second is the same article, however the font is 12 point and
the line space between words is 1.5 spaces. Breaks were added between
paragraphs. A few key concepts were bold faced. A few subheadings were
inserted to draw attention to main ideas. These changes took no longer than 5
minutes of my time, however the adapted text is less intimidating, easier to
navigate and friendlier to all.
One minute strategies-zero prep
1 minute strategies to adapt for EAL learners that take zero prep time
This
semester I am teaching a grade 11 chemistry class. There is an EAL student in my
class whose language skills are fairly low. I’ll call him Y. There are several
very quick strategies that I have used specifically with him in the last two
weeks to support his learning. There are also some things I do during
whole-class instruction to make things easier for him and to support the
learning of all students in my class.
I hope
you will find these quick and easy tips helpful, and I encourage you to choose a
couple that you will try out in your classroom.
Quick
strategies I use specifically with the EAL student in my class:
-When
I circulate as students are working each day, I always stop and ask Y a
specific question about the lesson to check for his understanding. Please
make a point of talking to the EAL students in your class and asking them
questions. They are often too shy to ask for help or tell you they don’t
understand something.
-When
I give a notes handout, I highlight key words on his page that I want him to
look up in his translator. He writes the translation for the words above the
English word.
- When
I give a reading handout (eg. from a textbook), I highlight the important
sentences and ask him to focus on reading those. I usually highlight 10-20%
of the text.
- My
students completed their first lab activity last week. He didn’t have a partner,
so I placed him with another student who seems friendly and understands the
material fairly well.
-Last
week my students wrote their first quiz. I adapted the quiz for Y in the
following ways: (this took me about 2-3 minutes in total)
- For
calculation questions I included a completed example for each type of
question (eg. The instruction said “convert each number into scientific
notation”, I added the completed example: 0.036 = 3.6 x 10-2. That
way he could still understand what to do even if he couldn’t understand the
written instructions.)
- For
a word problem with calculations, I underlined the known and unknown
variables in the question so they were clear.
- I
crossed off the multiple choice questions about the states of matter. He
didn’t complete them (too much reading for him).
- I
added a question where he showed understanding of the states of matter by
drawing them.
- I
added a word bank to the question about labeling phase
changes.
-Prior
to the quiz, I gave Y a specific list of exactly what would be on the
quiz.
Whole-class
strategies I use that benefit all learners (including EAL
learners).
-Speak
slowly. Pause after important information. Paraphrase important information in
simpler terms. Tell students if something you’re about to say is particularly
important so they can focus on it.
-Keep
test dates or due dates for assignments written on the board.
-Incorporate
visuals into your lesson (find them on google images, sketch a picture or
diagram, refer to actual objects).
-Give
instructions (oral and written) in clear, simple sentences.
-Review
material often and in a variety of ways.
Important registration information
There is very important information in the 2 attachments below that I
hope you will find to be useful. All advocacy teachers should print these
attachments and read them to see which information is pertinent to the EAL
students in your advocacy class. You may need to use this information as you
complete registration in the coming weeks.
The registration attachment includes information on OPC (out of province credits) and special language exam. You will need to consider these as you are counting the number of credits students have earned.
EAL-important registration information for 2013-2014
The post-secondary information attachment includes information on English language proficiency requirements for EAL students at U of M, U of W, and Red River. It also has information on academic English programs available at post-secondary institutions for students who need to improve their language level. You may want to make extra copies of this document to give to your EAL advocacy students.
EAL -post-secondary information
The registration attachment includes information on OPC (out of province credits) and special language exam. You will need to consider these as you are counting the number of credits students have earned.
EAL-important registration information for 2013-2014
The post-secondary information attachment includes information on English language proficiency requirements for EAL students at U of M, U of W, and Red River. It also has information on academic English programs available at post-secondary institutions for students who need to improve their language level. You may want to make extra copies of this document to give to your EAL advocacy students.
EAL -post-secondary information
A few reading resources
As the new semester begins, I wanted to share with you a few links that I have found to be helpful for EAL students.
1. online magazines that cover current topics over a range of subject areas at a lower readability level
http://www.timeforkids.com/
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/
http://teachingkidsnews.com/
Although these sites all are designed for 'kids' they cover topics and issues that are pertinent to adolescents as well. The articles use simpler words and sentence structure, which are easier to read for EAL students and other students who have reading difficulties.
2. tumble book cloud junior (this one is especially good for ELA teachers)
http://wpl.winnipeg.ca/library/childrens/funandgames.asp
Click on 'Tumble Book Cloud Junior'
*There is free access to this resource through the Winnipeg Public Library.
This resource offers free audio books online. The texts are read aloud and the words are highlighted as they are read. This is a good resource for students who are both visual and auditory learners. Chapters can be re-read as often as the student wishes. You can also set the text to be a larger font, increase the white space (margins and spaces between words) and the volume. The titles range from classics, graphic novels and modern fiction. There is also a small collection of non-fiction texts- many of which have been produced by the National Geographic Society. The readability level of the books in this resource ranges; the level is usually listed under the title for quick reference. There are many texts here that are at a reading level accessible to our EAL population.
* I have tried this resource with the most reluctant of readers and it was very well -received.
Report Card Writing
The new report card format may be a challenging document to navigate for a newcomer parent whose level of English proficiency is low.
To respond to this, the Manitoba Department of Education has released information packages explaining the new report card in a multitude of languages other than English. This resource has been translated into:
Amharic (the official language of Ethiopia), Arabic, Chinese, Cree, German, Korean, Ojibway, Punjabi, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Tigrinya (another Ethiopian language) and Vietnamese.
There are many students at GCC whose parents speak one of the above languages.
These resource packages can be found at:
http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/assess/report_cards/resources.html
If you have a student in your advocacy class or in a class that you teach whose parents do not read English well, but who speak one of the languages listed above, it may be helpful to print a copy of the Gr 9-12 resource package and include it with the report card this term. OR if you have email contact with the parent, you could certainly forward the link. If you aren't sure, feel free to ask your students if their parents are comfortable reading in English. We actually have print copies in several languages now. Please check with us if you would like a copy for your student(s).
On another note, as you begin to think of comments to write on the next set of report cards, please keep in mind that both EAL students and their parents will appreciate and benefit more from comments that are worded in simple terms.
Keep sentences short (one main idea)
Avoid the passive voice (is shown, has been demonstrated etc. )
Choose simple describing words
For example, instead of writing:
Johnny has demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the essential vocabulary pertaining to this course and a consistent effort is shown in his daily assignments.
You could write something like:
Johnny knows the key words for this course. He always does his work in class each day.
Placing one's child in a foreign school system can be a very daunting thing for the parents of EAL students. Some parents express that they feel quite intimidated by the fact that they cannot communicate effectively their concerns about their child's learning with the school staff. Any added efforts to improve communication are certainly appreciated.
Assessment adaptations
Here are some general suggestions for adapting
tests/exams. Please consider using some of these:
- Allow the use of bilingual dictionaries
- Check on students after a few minutes to make sure they know what
to do
- Give practice tests that have similar types of questions (this will
help students feel more confident and comfortable during an actual
test)
- Reduce language demands (use sentence starters, fill in the blank,
accept point form notes, etc)
- Simplify instructions and wording (avoid the passive voice and
tricky words they haven’t seen before in class, make your instructions as clear
and direct as possible)
- Reduce the number of questions required
- Reduce the length of answers required
- Allow students to answer some questions orally or through
demonstrations.
- Teach test-taking strategies in class
- Be explicit about what students need to do (eg. number of sentences
or examples required)
- Remove or explain cultural references that may cause
confusion
- Include examples of how to answer a question (eg. If there are 10
matching questions, complete the first one for students to see and they complete
the following 9)
- Remove multiple choice questions and replace with T/F or fill in
the blank
- Allow more time
- Complete activities and questions in class that are similar to the
questions students will see on a test (eg. Don’t ask students to find
similarities and differences in class, but then on a test use the words compare
and contrast. If you want students to know compare/contrast, use that vocabulary
while you are teaching so they can learn it)
- Allow students to demonstrate comprehension in alternate ways
(projects, portfolios, demonstration of a skill learned, etc)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)