WORKING WITH DYSLEXIABy Rawan Hassan, Cathryn John and Helena Parewyck

TABLE OF CONTENTS➤ Abstract…………………………………………………………..….3

➤ Introduction + Keywords………………………………………….4

➤ Background Information……………………………………..…….5

➤ Main Research Questions …………………………………………6

➤ Research Sub-Questions……..……………………………………..7

➤ The goal and Purpose of the Toolkit…………………………..8-10

➤ Toolkit Results and Understanding…….. ……………………….11

➤ Data and Analysis………………..………………………….….12-13

➤ Target Group, and Sampling Participants: Approach to Sampling Participants…………………………………………………….……14

➤ Questionnaire………………………………………………..….15-22

➤ Session Script……………………………………………………23-25

➤ Instructions Booklet……………………………………………26-28

➤ Activities and Purpose: Path of Expression……………….….29-38

➤ Toolkit Process…………………………………………………..39-43

➤ Pilot Testing Insights……………………………………………….42

➤ Conclusion……………………………………………………….44-45

➤ References……………………………………………………….…..46

➤ Consent Form……………………………………………………47-50

ABSTRACT

Our toolkit is designed to discover how/what can we design for the public education system, to help students with dyslexia improve reading comprehension. Ideally we would hand out the tool kit to a number of participants in both the public and private education system. This method would then allow us to compare and contrast the differences in accommodations for students with dyslexia. Our co-creation toolkit is based off a previous project, where we worked with the students attending Kenneth Gordon Maplewood School in North Vancouver (a private school for children with learning differences).

Keywords: Co-Creation, Co-Design, Toolkit, Generative Tools, Children, Dyslexia, Learning Differences, Disabilities, Participatory Research Methods, Participatory Design

INTRODUCTION The project we have decided to work on is a continuation from last semester core design class, in which we will target and use the same end-users. Last semester, we were given a broad range of learning differences and were restricted to design a textile based system, however this time we want to take the opportunity to explore new medium and focus our user group. The purpose of this project is to reflect, make reiterations and improve the co-creation toolkit that we had initially created and presented to the students.

Kenneth Gordon Maplewood School is North Vancouver based and specializes in educating and growing confidence of students that have dyslexia and other learning differences from Grades K-12. Kenneth Gordon Maplewood School has “helped kids build skills and develop tools to be successful throughout their lives, by empowering students to unlock and remove obstacles to learning.” People who have learning differences often use a variety of visual, auditory, tactile and kinaesthetic cues to enable them to synthesize and process information. Working with a specific group of grade 5 students whose learning needs often leave them stranded in a regularized education system; the intention of this investigation focuses on understanding how to adapt the public education system, specifically with regards to reading, to work for them. Our research will reveal if their visual needs are met and what cues help them to understand content taught in class, focusing on tasks that involve reading. This project investigates what the world is like for dyslexic students (a learning difference that makes it hard to read, write and spell) to gain insight as to how they react to visual and audio content.

The focus of this toolkit is to gain deeper insights of the target user group (young students ages 10-11 in North Vancouver area, who have learning disabilities, specifically dyslexia). The methods that are used to establish a foundation for the toolkit include questionnaires, interviews with the students and teachers from Kenneth Gordon Maplewood School and case studies. Along with activities that provide deeper insight into our generative research.

The findings of this research will be used to help students with learning differences, specifically dyslexia, and will provide the general public a deeper understanding of the difficulties that these students may encounter. The outcomes will take into account the ways in which our co-creators learn, encourages social connection and embodied learning within the school. We will demonstrate the critical role that design can play in enabling and empowering children with these differences, within a learning environment.

BACKGROUND INFODyslexia is a condition that affects the way the neurological brain processes written and spoken language. It is associated with troubled reading and can affect writing, spelling and even speaking. Students with dyslexia are labelled as having a learning disability/difference and the condition can make it extremely challenging for the student to succeed academically in the education system. In addition this may lead to a significant amount of stress and emotional issues as people with this condition may have trouble with “complex language skills, such as grammar, reading comprehension and more in depth writing” (LD.Org). Consequently it can make it difficult for those with dyslexia to express themselves. Often times, dyslexia receives the label of being lazy or stupid, however it is certainly not a sign of poor intelligence, laziness, stupidity or lack of desire to learn. Although dyslexia is something that you may have to deal with on a regular basis, it is certainly something an obstacle however it is not a limitation. Schools and the education system should take a closer look to find ways to accommodate and make modifications to help those students with dyslexia succeed academically and gain confidence.

Our research has provided us with a basic understanding of what helps and hinders the information processing of children who have dyslexia. As aforementioned: dyslexia is a condition that affects the way the brain processes written and spoken language. It is associated with troubled reading and can affect writing, spelling and even speaking. We have learned that the use of colours and specific fonts can help children to read without as much distortion to the words and letters. We know that images and audio recordings can be used to aid the children in understanding class content, especially when attempting to follow along with readings. Our session will be conducted at Kenneth Gordon Maplewood School, so that the participants will feel more comfortable, and so that our research is conducted in the location of intended use. We will be using these findings, and our knowledge of the participants to create a personalized, dyslexic friendly co-creative toolkit.

RESEARCH QUESTION

Our main research question is how/what can we design for the public education system, to help students with dyslexia improve reading

comprehension.

Our main research question is how/what can we design to alter the public education system to help students with dyslexia read better.There are two main focuses that encompass this question. The first being our focus on the public school system rather than the private. The reasoning behind this is due to the lack of resources that the public education has when accommodating for students who have learning differences, especially dyslexia. For instance Kenneth Gordon Maplewood school is a private school which has the resources necessary for students with dyslexia; such as audio reading programs and fidget toys, in comparison to the public education system where resources are either limited or simply not provided.

With such a large variety of learning challenges within a classroom, making targeted and specific treatment for dyslexia can be extremely challenging. Generally, public school teachers do not have the resources available to diagnose and treat students with dyslexia. In addition, to be able to attend a private school such as Kenneth Gordon Maplewood School, families must have a lot of money, or else risk debt.

Tuition costs can be extremely taxing and the majority of the population can certainly not afford such high costs. Therefore, by looking at public schools and analyzing their approach to students with dyslexia, we as designers are able to provide deeper insights and assist teachers, as well as design tools that can be used in the classroom to help students with this learning difference. For students with dyslexia the proper resources are needed in-order to provide a proper learning experience.

The second aspect to the question that we specified is the students themselves. The reasoning behind why we decided to specifically study students is due to the lack of knowledge that teachers may have about dyslexia. Not all teachers are educated on the potential learning differences, therefore we want to gain direct insight from the students to understand their struggles and use the data collected to help teachers gain a better holistic understanding so they can be aware of the potential struggles these students may encounter on a daily basis in the classroom.

Our hope is to provide the students that aren’t being accommodated for to have somewhere to turn to and get the help they need in order to succeed successfully in the academic education system. With the qualitative data collected we are able to provide insight from students, for teachers and parents to create a fully immersive educational experience for all types of students.

RESEARCH SUB-QUESTIONS

➤ How can we ensure that children with learning disabilities such as dyslexia can voice their concerns about their learning environment and feel heard?

➤ How can we alter the education system to fulfill the needs of children with dyslexia?

➤ What are some of the problem areas in school for children with dyslexia?

THE GOAL OF OUR TOOLKIT IS TO GAIN FURTHER INSIGHT INTO THE LIVES OF CHILDREN WITH DYSLEXIA.

USING THIS INFORMATION WE WILL THEN DESIGN A SYSTEM THAT ACCOMMODATES THEIR LEARNING

DIFFERENCES, IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

TOOLKIT GOAL EXPLAINED

Our toolkit has been created to encourage participants and designers/researchers to work together. By co-designing with the future end-users, we are able to analyze and assess their needs to create a final design that will engage the students in an immersive learning experience. Through the process of co-designing, the roles between end-user, researcher and designer get mixed up. By working closely with the students at Kenneth Gordon Maplewood School who have dyslexia, we the designers and researchers, are able to gain insight into the students lives and perspectives. By using the toolkit that we personalized for students with dyslexia, ages 10-11, they become an integral part of the design team as expert of their experiences. In order to gain these insights, it is important to give them the appropriate tools in order to express themselves accurately.

Our toolkit is designed accordingly for children who have this learning difference. We have a set of activities that involve reading and writing and this will allow us to understand their difficulties and get firsthand insight of the type of activities they struggle with. In order to create balance,we have also added visual activities that solely require visual creativity rather than writing or reading. By providing the students with a wide range of activities, our goal of the toolkit is to gain a deeper understanding and insight into what is is like to be a student with dyslexia.

HOW THE RESULTS FROM THE TOOLKIT WILL BE USED TO EXPAND OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE RESEARCH QUESTION:

➤ The qualitative data that is generated from the toolkit will act as a vehicle to expand our understanding of students with dyslexia and provide new insights into their lives.

➤ The results will nourish the design process and bridge the gap between us researchers and the students themselves in order to expand our knowledge of our research question, “How/What can we design to alter the public education system to help students with dyslexia read better?”.

➤ By using the Path of Expression, we are able to include: sensitizing activities, activation of memory activities and activities that generate new ideas.

➤ The toolkit results will allow for a better understanding of the students needs and wants and allows them to directly contribute to the design process and help solidify the direction of the final design, to create an immersive education system for their special needs.

DATA TYPES AND ANALYSIS

The type of data that the toolkit will generate is qualitative data. Qualitative data refers to descriptive data that can be observed and not measured. On the other hand, quantitative data refers to data that deals with numbers and can be measured. Most of the data that will be collected throughout the toolkit will be qualitative as we will be able to observe most of the answers and activities that are conducted.

The way in which we will analyze the results of our toolkit is by picking apart, interpreting the data collected, making comparisons to theories and other data, searching for patterns and determining how they will fit to a broader scope and finding evidence to support our research question. Because our data is qualitative, we need to make sure that everything is labelled according to the participants name so we are aware of what we are analyzing, where the material was gathered and when it was found, in order to better understand the surrounding context.

STEPS FOR ANALYZING➤ Recording any information collected during the process (observations, time, highlights etc.)

➤ Immediately begin analyzing the data collected so we are focused on the research question and on patterns and themes that may appear – self memos, summaries and researcher diary

➤ Once all data is collected, understand and analyze the data that is not meaningful. Always referring back to our research question and using it as a framework. This way we are able to identify what is meaningful and focus our analysis to transform the raw data into textual data.

➤ Group the information that was gathered (mind map, content analysis etc.) and look for patterns, themes, and certain words/content, meanings that emerge. Afterwards we can specify to thematic analysis where we group the data into themes to further help answer our research questions.

➤ Once we have identified any themes or patterns, we will organize and condense the data into organized displays (such as table/matrix, textual display), which can be used for drawing conclusions.

➤ At this point we should be able analyze any conclusions, themes and/or patterns. We will interpret the findings, determine how they help answer the research question and draw implications from the qualitative data collected.

➤ In addition to analyzing the results gained from the generative toolkit, we will apply the DIKW analysis approach. This approach is appropriate and will be helpful to carefully consider our findings, interpret data, and search for patterns that fit the stated research question.

TARGET GROUP AND SAMPLE PARTICIPANTS

➤ Our approach to sampling participants for our study is based upon children between the ages of 10-11 that have been diagnosed with dyslexia, that are currently attending some kind of public or private school. In this case, we have chosen the students attending Kenneth Gordon Maplewood School in North Vancouver, because they have been diagnosed with the learning difference and are in a safe environment along with other students who have similar learning differences. Because they are situated together in this environment, they will feel more comfortable sharing information without feeling excluded or different in comparison to the other students. There are 3 types of sampling participants that are often used, which include:

1. Opportunistic Sampling

2. Representative Sampling

3. Purposive Sampling

4. Volunteer sampling

5. Random Sampling

➤ We will be using Representative Sampling to make sure that the sample of participants we select, accurately reflect the composition of the population that we are representing. In this case, dyslexic students ages 10-11. This type of sampling can be time consuming however it is extremely helpful to get accurate results.

QUESTIONNAIRE

SESSION SCRIPT

INSTRUCTIONS BOOKLET

Diary Entry: ➤ Have your teacher time you for five minutes while you write an entry into the diary entry page we have given you. Write about the feelings, thoughts

and images that run through your mind as you are writing. Once the time is up, finish writing down your last thought and then place the diary entry page(s) on the sheet of paper that is positioned on the wall.

Trigger Set: ➤ Express yourself using the emojis and symbols we have given you. Sort them on your desk to show how you feel about your typical day at school. Once

you have finished glue it all down on the piece of paper provided. Next use the symbols to tell us about your morning routine and glue that down on the second piece of paper. Once you are finished with both of these, place it on the sheet of paper that is positioned on the wall.

Role Play Interview: ➤ Pick a partner to interview. Each of you will take turns being the teacher, who asks the questions. When you are playing the role of the teacher, imagine

that you are the teacher of your favourite subject in school. How would you teach class differently than your teacher? What activities would you have the class do? How would you treat your students? You have five minutes to interview your student, you can either use the questions provided or you can make up your own. Most importantly, have fun!

Questionnaire: ➤ Find a spot on your own to fill out the questionnaire. Please fill out the questionnaire provided for you, to the best of your ability. If you are not

comfortable reading or writing answers, use the audio recorder to record your answers. This can be completed anonymously. If you need help just raise your hand and one of us will come over to help you.

Ideal Classroom Activity: ➤ Use the craft supplies, like lego, playdough and drawing stuff to show us what your idea of the best classroom ever would look like. After ten minutes,

set it aside and continue onto the next activity. Consider things like: how many students there would be, colours, furniture, and space.

Instructions

Best Teacher Game: ➤ On the large pieces of paper that we have placed on the wall, write about the traits that your idea of the best

teacher would have. Feel free to draw ideas as well. Think about the teachers you have now, what you like and dislike about them and use that as a starting place.

Font Pages: ➤ Analyze the pages given to you. Using 2 different colours, indicate what font is the easiest to read and what is the

hardest on the different set of transparencies / backgrounds. RED = HARD, BLUE = Easy

Reflections:

➤ Using the pre-made organizer provided, reflect on your experience today. Did you learn anything new about yourself? About your class? Explain what and why.

Pack up: ➤ Collect all materials that belong to you.

Instructions

ACTIVITIES AND PURPOSE: PATH OF EXPRESSION

INTRODUCTIONS: SENSITIZATION

➤ To break the ice between the designers/researchers and the students. This will allow the students to become more comfortable. Consequently, when children are more comfortable they tend to be themselves more and give honest answers. By creating a friendly environment, we are able to decrease the power imbalance that is present between the adults and the children.

DIARY ENTRY/STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS: SENSITIZATION

➤ The purpose of this qualitative, sensitizing activity is to gain insight in what is on the student's mind. We are able to obtain entry into the individual’s consciousness, idea of words, feelings, thoughts and images that run through their mind without being intrusive and having too much influence on them. We will ensure the students’ that if they do not want their diary entry read by observers, their wishes will be respected.

TRIGGER SET: ACTIVATION OF MEMORY

➤ Students are asked to cut out images or draw anything that may trigger an emotional or memory response. This activity directly relates to the the “Path of Expression” by using words, images, shapes and symbols to elicit memories from the past and present. The students are asked to create a collage and this will indicate how they are feeling, the things they like and any routines whether it is a day in their life, school routine etc. The purpose of this activity is to get a better understanding of the student's life with Dyslexia and what is important to them and how they are feeling.

INTERVIEW: SENSITIZING AND ACTIVATION OF MEMORY

➤ The purpose of this activity is for students to interact with each other and ask a set of questions that relate to how they feel about class, their favourite memory of class and what they think the classroom experience should be like in the future. By allowing the students to engage with each other, they will feel comfortable and share the things that are on their mind without having as much of a filter. This activity allows direct responses from the children and will give candid results with regards to how they feel about the classroom environment.

QUESTIONNAIRE: ACTIVATION OF MEMORY & SENSITIZATION

➤ The purpose of this sensitizing activity is to gain insight into our co-creator’s personal life and their school experience when dealing with dyslexia. We have taken in consideration our co-creators differences, therefore rather having the students read the questions and handwrite their responses, we provided an alternative that may help them and make it easier. We included an audio recording method where the students can listen to the questions and answer by using a recorder. However, we will also provide a hardcopy of the questionnaire in case they wish to challenge themselves. With regards to the wording of the questions, it was important to make sure they understood what we meant, therefore we avoided any jargon, slang and abbreviations. We also made sure there were no double negatives, leading or barrelled questions, ambiguity, confusion and vagueness. The questionnaire can be completed anonymously, if the student is not comfortable sharing their name. By allowing it to be anonymous students will feel more comfortable in sharing fears and vulnerabilities; thus the researchers can gain candid answers. The qualitative data that we will collect from this activity will allow for a better understanding of the students’; personal struggles related to dyslexia.

VISUAL RESPONSE: GENERATING FUTURE IDEAS

➤ The purpose of this is to avoid reading and writing and solely focus on the creativity. Students are asked to visualize their ideal classroom by using play-dough, lego, drawing utensils … whatever they wish. This will provide insight as to how they wish to express themselves creatively.

IDEAL TEACHER ACTIVITY: MEMORY ACTIVATION AND GENERATING FUTURE IDEAS

➤ Once again we ask students to be creative (drawing, play-dough, lego etc) to create the ideal teacher. They will map the traits of an ideal teacher, using keywords, imagery and a mind mapping technique such as a web. By using a mind mapping technique, this will help us gain insight how the students feel about the teachers they have and we will be able to draw any themes or patterns from the activity to see which type of teachers they would prefer.

FONTS + TRANSPARENCIES: SENSITIZING

➤ We will ask students to identify what font and transparency overlay background they find the easiest and hardest to read. We will be able to directly see if there are connections between the students preferences or if every student has a different liking. Based on this we can draw conclusions and use the particular font and transparency that makes it easiest for them.

CLEAN-UP/EXIT INTERVIEW: ACTIVATION OF MEMORY/SENSITIZATION

➤ At this point, it is time to clean up all the tools used and allow an opportunity for the students and designers to interact with each other and give feedback and ask any questions regarding the session.

TOOLKIT PROCESS

Low fidelity initial toolkit

The pilot test in action, along with it’s results

PILOT TESTING INSIGHTS➤ Need to invest in a timer

➤ Need to provide a consent form to be signed

➤ Questionnaire needs to be more fun/colourful or else need to been audio format

➤ Students have a hard time focusing in groups

➤ Icons chosen during trigger set collage were very personalized

➤ Students seemed most focused on the role-play interview and the trigger set

➤ There are different ranges of focus

➤ These processes can get messy! Be prepared for lengthly clean up.

➤ Participants weren’t afraid to experiment with tools provided

➤ told more stories when engaged in an activity

Final - high-fidelity toolkit

CONCLUSION

Ultimately the goal of our toolkit is to provide a learning experience that fully accommodates dyslexic students. Our Hope is that this toolkit will allow our co-creators to learn and inspire them in social connections through embodied learning. Which would then provide us with the research necessary for designing to a system to their needs accordingly. By doing so we then allow for the students to have a voice in their learning experience, along with creating a better understanding of what effects dyslexia has on students in learning environments. As well as what it means to be a student with a learning difference.

REFERENCES

Photos are either our own or are taken from:

➤ Maplewood Alternative High School - Maplewood Alternative High School. (n.d.). Retrieved June 19, 2016, from http://maplewoodhigh.ca/

➤ NCLD study with young adults points to drivers of success. (n.d.). Retrieved June 19, 2016, from http://ld.org/

➤ Sanders, Elizabeth B.-N., and Pieter Jan Stappers. Convivial Toolbox: Generative Research for the Front End of Design. Amsterdam: BIS, 2012. Print.

CONSENT FORM