Northern California

Description:

Learning about language from a dyslexic’s perspective

Imagine sitting in a classroom listening to instructions on how language works only to have the words float away, leaving you feeling overwhelmed, confused and anxious. This experience is a reality for many students who struggle to learn to read and write. What if instead there was a way to create lessons that were engaging and helpful to all learners? Teaching about the writing system using visual narrative is an excellent way to ensure learners, particularly those who struggle, have improved access to understanding, retaining and recalling lesson objectives while having fun. In this hands-on workshop participants will learn how to explain concepts in orthography including morphology, etymology, and phonology using visual narrative. Participants will learn how to plan lessons using visual to activate prior learning and help students anchor new knowledge about the writing system. We will explore the principals of effective design and how to craft lessons that help students make sense of complex information. Finally, upon completion of the workshop, participants will have the capacity to adapt their current teaching materials and design visually engaging lessons which can improve learning outcomes and enhance student success.

Learning Outcomes:

As a result of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Explain how morphology and etymology can improve learning outcomes for students experiencing reading and spelling challenges.
• Describe how to use visual narrative to activate students' prior knowledge and help them make sense of the structure and origin of words.
• Demonstrate how to use visuals and art to make students aware of the interconnection between words and perceive the underlying logic of English.
• List the key components of effective visual teaching design that can help make orthographic concepts easier to understand.