Scenario 5 – Transcription

Introduction

By typing directly into a word processor no energy is wasted, as the roughest draft can always be edited. The pupil can focus on the content rather than on the practicalities of getting ideas onto paper.

Some pupils with literacy difficulties still find it easier to correct their first draft on paper rather than on the computer screen. A hard copy annotated with coloured pens, or even cut up and physically reorganized, shows the pupil that editing is more than a proof reading exercise. It also makes the pupil more independent when it comes to moving, copying, adding and deleting text in the word processor.

It is at this point that the Find facility in the word processor can be used in conjunction with the Thesaurus, so that words can be varied to make the text more interesting. A talking word processor will allow the writer to review their work in private.

This final stage prepares the text for presentation and the pupil needs to consider spelling, punctuation and layout. Word Banks and Predictive processors may help to reduce errors during composition but the spelling check on the word processor can be a powerful teaching tool in its own right, in that it focuses attention on misspellings. These can then be corrected by selecting from the suggestions listed or, if the error cannot be recognized, by using a more sensitive hand-held spelling corrector. No spell checker is perfect, but some are better than others! Particularly popular are those that read aloud the spell checker, the thesaurus and the predictor, so giving older learners more opportunity to correct their work independently.

Example 1 – Redrafting

Luke has motor-perceptual difficulties and, as a result, his handwriting is not the most efficient means by which he will ever record on paper. Since Year 4 he has been using a small, rechargeable word processor with integral printer, which sits neatly on his table. This allows him to save his work as he types and then print out his first drafts for editing. Although it is possible to review the text without printing out, the screen is rather small and Luke finds it easier to work on paper like his friends. The word processor has been set up so that the text will print out in a large font with double line spacing, which makes the draft easier to read and to correct. Having corrected his work on paper, using the same resources as the others (Topic Word List, personal dictionary etc) he then goes back to the machine and enters the corrections. The result is a printed copy which he can be proud to share with others.

Key skills and equipment

The key skills for the above example are:

• be familiar with the functions of the portable keyboard / word processor
• if there is no integral printer know how to set up the keyboard to ‘talk’ to the class printer

The key equipment is:

• portable notebook word processor with / without integral printer

Example 2 – Cutting and pasting

The physical activity of moving text, whether on-screen or by cutting up a print out and moving it around the desk, gives a kinaesthetic dimension that reinforces learning.

In order to teach this skill, Mr B. has created a range of text files to suit the reading and interest level of his pupils. These may be taken from a familiar story or a poem, or describe a process such as a recipe or how to complete a familiar practical task. He then changes the order of the text and the pupils have to use the mouse to select chunks of text. They then use the cut, paste or copy commands to put the text back together again so that it makes sense. If a pupil cannot control the mouse, this will be exchanged for a rollerball.

Key skills and equipment

The key skills for the above example are:

• understand how the mouse ‘works’
• click the mouse button and then drag the highlight over the text
• use the drop-down edit menu on the word processor

The key equipment is:

• mouse or mouse alternative
• word processor or Fun with Texts 3.0

Example 3 – Checking spelling

Word processors offer more than just a spellchecker to the pupil who finds spelling difficult. The fact that individual words are displayed clearly as they are typed into the word processor helps the pupil to develop a visual memory for their shape. By typing them in, the pupil builds up a picture of where individual letters are on the keyboard and remembers patterns of letters, in the same ‘automatic’ or ‘proprioceptive’ way that a hand writer remembers the motor planning needed to shape words.

Software that offers speech feedback alerts the writer to the fact that a mistake has been made, although there are words (homonyms) that sound the same but are spelt differently. A thesaurus on a commercial word processor will provide the meaning of a word, so providing a contextual clue, but only specialist software designed for pupils who are Dyslexic addresses homonyms appropriately.

Ayesha is in Year 10, aged fifteen. She has cerebral palsy with associated literacy difficulties but has been in mainstream education since she was five years old. Seen to be more physically able than her twin sister, her literacy difficulties had not been considered a serious problem. A willing SEN assistant had scribed for her to save time in class and Ayesha’s homework was always handed in on time.

With the prospect of FE looming, a possible move to residential college and competition with her more intellectually able twin, Ayesha asked for software that would allow her to correct her own work so that she could be more independent. She was provided with a laptop computer running Microsoft Office and TextHelp!. This add-on gave her: a screen reader to provide speech feedback as she wrote, predictive typing to improve spelling confidence and speed up text entry, and text read-back to help her use punctuation effectively and to build complete sentences.

Ayesha found that the program became her private tutor. As a result her spelling and, subsequently, her self esteem improved. From relying upon her classroom assistant to type for her she has moved to making full use of the program’s supportive facilities to take ‘ownership’ of her work.

Key skills and equipment

The key skills for the above example are:

• ability to use a word processor
• ability to use the add-on software suggested
• edit and prepare lexicon, teach use of speaking thesaurus and spellchecker

The key equipment is:

• multimedia computer
• Text Help!, Read & Write, Wordsmith software

Example 4 – Appearance of text

The word processor will also allow the writer to experiment with the way in which the text is laid out. Justified text alters the distance between words so that the line lengths match. Some pupils find justified text very difficult to scan. Other factors that may affect readability are: the size and shape of the font, the line spacing, and paragraph size. For some pupils the colour of the screen and contrasting font, or the colour of the paper used for the printout, should be taken into consideration.

Jodie is six years old and has a visual difficulty for which she has to wear glasses. Although she is learning to hand write, the peripatetic teacher for the visually impaired has suggested that she gets experience with a word processor. She may need to learn to touch-type at some point. Her teacher was advised to set up her screen with a pale yellow background and 26-point black font.

She also searched through the range of fonts available to find one with the most simple lines and without a ‘funny’ ‘a’ or ‘g’. She decided upon

Key skills and equipment

The key skills for the above example are:

• ability to use a word processor
• highlight text and use the Format menu to change the font settings and save it as ‘default’
• use the Format menu to change the background colour

The key equipment is:

• standard word processor

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